"Alright! Then tell me more, bring up all the other issues!" Boss Huang continued.
"Yes! It's about the five-year closed training period in this plan. I'd like to know, to what extent will this closed training, as you've planned, be closed off, and to what extent will it involve training?" an old coach asked.
"In terms of training, since Mr. Huang is providing the funding, I believe inviting the world's top football training teams will be no problem. Everything will be cultivated and trained according to the highest international standards."
"As for the degree of seclusion, my personal thought is that apart from the seven days of Spring Festival each year, and the Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival, no other holidays will allow players to go home. Everyone must undergo the most rigorous training, and no leave will be permitted." the player who proposed the plan stated.
"This is simply insane!" Sun Hai exclaimed, his mouth agape. "Children simply won't be able to endure such training, nor will their parents agree. Moreover, if any problems arise, it could escalate into a massive public opinion crisis. The difficulty of implementing this is just too high!"
"What about their studies? The idea that education can change one's life is now a consensus. I doubt many parents would let their children give up their education to play football. This is also a significant issue!"
"No, I think this plan is excellent!" Boss Huang said, nodding repeatedly. "Since we aim to cultivate players capable of reaching the World Cup, and our Chinese athletes indeed have inherent physical disadvantages, how can we succeed if we don't compensate for it through arduous training?"
"Therefore, I believe this closed training is extremely necessary, and the issues you've raised are also easily resolved."
"Firstly, regarding the parents, we need to inform them of all the closed training requirements beforehand, ensure their voluntary agreement, and then have them sign the relevant contracts to avoid all sorts of trouble later on."
"Secondly, to put the parents' minds at ease, we must ensure the facilities are top-notch."
"You mentioned the issue of academics just now, which is very important. We cannot have children who only know how to play football and possess no knowledge. Therefore, I will build a school within the closed training camp and invite the country's most outstanding teachers to instruct. All students will spend half their time attending classes and the other half training in football. This will allow for a good balance of work and rest, and a change of pace for their minds."
"In addition to studies, since it's a closed training camp, accommodation and meals will naturally be at the school. I will also specifically hire the most elite nutrition teams to plan each child's nutrition, helping them develop stronger physiques during their growth period."
"Although the physique of us Chinese people is indeed inherently inferior to Caucasians, I believe that with scientific nutritional food supply and training, it should at least be manageable to last a full 90-minute match without issues."
"How about this, I'll dispatch Huang Fan's regular nutritionist team to you. This child is not yet six years old but is already nearly surpassing ten-year-olds. The nutritionist also tells me that this child hasn't even started puberty yet, and Huang Fan is projected to grow at least to around 1.9 meters tall. Therefore, I have great confidence in the capabilities of these nutritionists. Having this team help and nurture all the players would be excellent!"
"As for accommodation, let's be extravagant. We'll build player dormitories to the standard of three-star hotels, but players won't have single rooms, as that's not conducive to fostering teamwork. Four people per room should be about right."
"Within the dormitories, we'll also equip them with gyms, swimming pools, and even KTVs and internet cafes for relaxation, and cinemas are also necessary."
"Furthermore, there's medical care, which is also very important. The most serious problem I can foresee is a child experiencing severe physical issues in our training camp. Therefore, I will directly bring in a hospital. The children will undergo detailed physical examinations every month, which will also ensure they have the best opportunities for physical development!"
"In summary, we need to ensure that every aspect of these children's environment is in the best possible state. They will eat the best, live the best, and receive the best medical care and nutrition, so they can have stronger bodies to compete in the World Cup."
"At the same time, I completely understand the thoughts of those parents. They will definitely worry about how their children are faring in the training camp and will want to know their situation at all times."
"Therefore, we absolutely cannot adopt an opaque approach to parents. We will install cameras in all locations within the campus, allowing for no blind spots, not even in the bedrooms. Never mind privacy; children have no privacy in front of their parents. Our utmost priority is to reassure the parents!"
"Of course, parents will only be able to see the cameras near their own child's bed, not those of other children. We must also ensure communication between parents and children. Parents can contact their children by phone at any time, and they can also visit the school at any time to see and reunite with their children. This will alleviate parents' concerns."
"If, after we've gone this far, any parents still cause trouble over these matters, then we don't need their child. We'll send them straight back to their parents. After all, we've selected 1,000 people, and we only need a 24-man roster to play football. I don't believe we won't be able to find 24 children willing to persevere in playing football in the end!" Boss Huang spoke volubly, while the others nodded in agreement, marveling at Boss Huang's willingness to spend money.
"But Mr. Huang, this is a five-year commitment, and after five years, they will be sent abroad to play football. Although some parents will be willing to accept these conditions, I worry that parents of truly talented children will find it difficult to accept such terms."
"After all, in the eyes of most parents, a child studying diligently and getting into a good university is the most legitimate path forward. Playing football is just a side road!" a player said with deep feeling. He had wanted to send his child to play football but was severely reprimanded by his wife.
As a result, his child, despite being the son of a former national player, never touched a football in his life. However, the problem is that the child didn't excel in his studies either, and it's a significant question whether he can even get into a university.
"Indeed, this issue is also easy to handle!" Boss Huang rubbed his nose and then smiled. "Gentlemen, I now ask you to answer my question instinctively, without overthinking it, just your initial reaction."
"That is, what do you consider the best university in all of China?"
"Jiangnan University!"
"Tsinghua!"
"Jiangnan University!"
"Jiangnan University!"
"Peking University..."
The audience responded, with half of them answering Tsinghua or Peking University, while the other half subconsciously answered Jiangnan University.
"Excellent, it seems my Jiangnan University has a good reputation. Now, imagine if I promised all parents that if their child successfully enters the training camp and completes ten years of training, regardless of whether they make the 24-man roster in the end, all 1,000 children will receive an unconditional admission quota to Jiangnan University?"
"Moreover, this diploma will be exactly the same as one obtained through other channels to enter Jiangnan University, with no discrimination whatsoever. They can also directly work for the Jiangnan Group with this diploma."
"Gulp!" Many people in the room began to swallow nervously. Some even frantically recalled their children's ages, wondering if they were between five and ten years old. This was an opportunity for unconditional admission to Jiangnan University, akin to unconditional admission to Tsinghua or Peking University.
"Furthermore, since it's training within a training camp, there will naturally be a basic salary. All children, upon entering the camp, will not only incur no fees but will also receive a monthly basic salary of 10,000 yuan. If the children perform exceptionally well in the camp, their personal salaries can increase."
"This salary will be divided into two portions: half will be given to their parents, and the other half will be managed by the children themselves. Do you think such a policy is attractive?"
"Damn... This guy wants to test all children aged five to ten across the country?" Everyone's mouths hung open. With such terms, in China, apart from children from wealthy families, which ordinary family would be so foolish as to refuse such an opportunity?
"Very good, it seems everyone agrees my ideas are excellent. Then let's discuss other issues, such as the third stage, sending these children abroad to play matches. Are there any difficulties?" Huang He asked.
"Yes!" everyone snapped back to attention. Although they had thought of many difficulties immediately, these seemed like minor obstacles in the face of Boss Huang's wealth, and solutions seemed attainable.
However, difficulties still needed to be raised. So, someone summarized, "The main issue is whether the teams in major leagues are willing to accept our players for training."
"Even if they are willing to accept them, there's still the question of whether they are genuinely willing to provide training opportunities for our players."
"After all, our players are not their local players. In terms of commercial value and development prospects, they will undoubtedly have far fewer opportunities than local players. And forgive my frankness, but in the professional football world, we Chinese are consistently looked down upon. Besides physical fitness, our mentality is also disdained by many countries."
"Even if you can find a way to send our players to train in those teams, I worry they will merely keep our promising trainees in the youth academy, essentially playing youth academy football their entire lives, without giving them opportunities to join the first or even second teams."
"Even if they do so out of respect for you and send our players to the second or even first teams, if they are simply benched for their entire careers, it will be meaningless!"
"And I've already thought of their excuses: language barriers, poor performance in an early match, and then they can legitimately bench them for life. "
"If it were just one or two players, you might have the ability to resolve these issues. But we will be sending 100 players abroad. We can't possibly monitor the treatment of 100 players simultaneously and force these teams to give our players opportunities. This is simply too difficult!"