Opportunity

He Na, who is from a village in Gaoyang county, Baoding, allowed her 10-year-old daughter to join the girls' team six years ago, so the girl could gain admission to the school. "This school can provide a much better education than those in the villages," He said.

She said girls chosen by the coaches can study at primary and middle schools near the high school for the convenience of training. After graduating from middle schools they are admitted to the high school.

Her daughter Zhang Aijing went on to become one of the school's championship-winning players.

"After graduation, I believe she can easily gain admission to a good university as a sports student," she said, adding that she wants her daughter to continue playing soccer.

According to coach Zhen, more than 200 universities recruited female soccer players this year, about twice the number last year.

"This is a good sign that our country is placing more importance on soccer," he said, adding that he is not as worried as before about recruiting talented players.

As a defensive midfielder on the school's high school team, Zhang Aijing said she could never have imagined a national championship or even playing in an international game.

"Playing soccer is more interesting than just learning in the classroom," she said, "and I can become physically stronger."

Zhang, who fell in love with soccer in the fifth grade, said the biggest benefit of playing soccer is the team spirit.