Five years time flies like an arrow, Takeshi Okada was overwhelmed with emotion: "Back to Hangzhou, as if it was yesterday." The former Zhejiang team coach and current FC investor, stepped foot in Hangzhou Zhongtai base yesterday afternoon and concluded a new chapter of youth training with Zhejiang FC. In the future, the two places will deepen soccer-specific training, strengthen physical fitness and goalkeeping skills, and broaden the field of youth training to cover first-line young players.
On the occasion of the signing of the contract, players Gaudi and Sun Zhengao visited their mentor, Takeshi Okada, and reminisced about the past. Ten years ago, Okada Takeshi on the sidelines to guide Gao Di scored a moment, has become a "Chinese Super League classic". Gao Di said emotionally: "The years go by like a shuttle, ten years, I am grateful to coach Okada's training and trust."
Takeshi Okada is doubly delighted with the return of the Zhongtai base, and even more impressed with the metamorphosis of Zhejiang FC. "Mr. Jiao (Jiao Fengbo, general manager of Zhejiang FC) once said that he wanted the club to return to the Chinese Super League quickly, and now it has come true. He also mentioned his dream of entering the Asian Champions League, which has come true. I'm both happy and surprised that the first team's results are so impressive. The conditions at the base are changing rapidly, and the stadium facilities are getting better and better.
Talking about the youth training players, Takeshi Okada praised, "On the technical level, they are on par with the Japanese youth players." He further discussed the way of training young players, mentioning the Zhejiang Greentown U17 team's win in the National Youth Football League, as well as the good results of the U19, U13 and U17 Blue teams.
Takeshi Okada emphasized that the success of Zhejiang FC lies not in the achievement itself, but in its soccer concept and philosophy. According to him, Japanese soccer's leadership is due to "systematic" training, from coaching to youth training, to the popularization of the soccer population and the improvement of the elite level. He expects Zhejiang FC to be a catalyst for change in Chinese soccer.
General Manager Jiao Fengbo said that Zhejiang FC will connect with internationalization by inviting Japanese coaches and involving young players in the Japanese league with a view to improving the overall level. He firmly believes that Zhejiang FC's internationalization path will promote the progress of Chinese soccer.
