The return of the CFA Women's Super League sends another "positive" message to the rest of the world that Chinese soccer is bouncing back strongly from the coronavirus pandemic, according to the legendary Sun Wen.

Hot on the heels of the men's top flight returning last month, the women's league followed suit last Sunday after a hiatus of 336 days.

"The return of the women's league has sent a very positive message to the outside world," said former Team China captain Sun, now vice-president of the Chinese Football Association. "For the players and coaches, it has been very difficult that there were no matches to play. Everyone is eager to return to the pitch.

"The Wuhan squad, for example, had a very tough time during the preseason period. But they still kept training and maintained a competitive condition. I'm expecting all 10 teams can have great performances."

The season is being contested at a locked-down national sports training center in Kunming, Yunnan province, with Wuhan Chedu Jiangda getting the action underway with a 2-1 victory over Henan Jianye on Sunday.

The league's return only became possible thanks to China's containment of the COVID-19 epidemic and, in turn, the CFA's success in staging the men's Chinese Super League at bio-secure venues in Suzhou and Dalian.

"We learned a lot from the Chinese Super League's experience. We went to Suzhou to study the operation there and train our staff," Sun told Xinhua on Tuesday.

"Based on the situation in Kunming, as well as the needs of the women's game, we devised specific and detailed regulations and guidance. In a few days, we finished nucleic acid testing on a total of 956 people."

As with the men's league, the priority remains to ensure the safety of everyone involved. That means observing strict virus-prevention protocols at the venue, which has been under lockdown since Aug 18.

Throughout the season, only one entrance can be used to access the site. Similar to the CSL's operation, a color-coded system limits the movements of players and coaches, who are assigned to a 'blue zone', although a recreational area is amply equipped to allow time for some much-needed rest and relaxation.

As well as needing to pass nucleic acid tests upon their arrival at the Kunming venue, everyone on site is tested on a weekly basis for the coronavirus.

Olympic boost

Sun believes the return of the women's league will also benefit Team China's preparations for its delayed Olympic qualifiers.

The Steel Roses' chances of booking a ticket to the postponed Tokyo Games hang in the balance after they came through a tough third-round qualification tournament in Australia in February.

Their Group B matches were originally supposed to take place in Wuhan but had to be moved as the virus outbreak gripped the city.

Refusing to wilt in the face of such sizable difficulties, Team China battled bravely Down Under to secure a playoff spot against South Korea after narrowly failing to secure automatic qualification for the Tokyo Games.

The two-legged tie was originally scheduled for March, but has now been penciled in for February 2021.

"The return of the women's league will help all national team players level up their game and the coaching team will closely monitor their performances and scout for new players," said Sun.

Of all the Team China players in Kunming, the kickoff is particularly welcome for Wuhan ace Wang Shuang.

The former Paris Saint-Germain playmaker, who was sorely missed during China's qualifiers in February, had to endure a two-month-long self-quarantine at her home in Wuhan during the epidemic.

"When I realized I couldn't play with the national squad at that time, I had a hard time accepting it," Wang told media last week.

"I'd prepared for the qualifiers for a long time, and I was raring to prove myself on the international stage again. But the head coach (Jia Xiuquan) kept encouraging me, telling me I was still one of the best."

Just like Wang, the CFA Women's Super League also harbors ambitions of growing its global profile, and Sun says that lessons can be learned from the journey the men's CSL has been on in recent years.

"After all, the men's league has better resources and facilities which can all benefit the women's league in terms of branding and marketing," she said. "It would be good too if more men's clubs could launch women's squads.

"However, it's important that we don't just keep comparing ourselves to the men's league. We should look to grow in our own way too."

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)