应试教育和考级模式，在中国社会当中的魔力有多大，足协领导们恐怕有着至深感受。在六一儿童节的校园足球推广活动上，体育总局副局长蔡振华和足管中心党委书记魏吉祥来到北京三高基地，关于校园足球的话题，在一个看似转暖的足球环境中，再度进入公共视野。
蔡振华的谈话内容，主要是正面集中于改善校园足球状况，包括六一节过后就将和包括教育部内在的相关部委进行沟通，为校园足球中体育教师、足球教练解决一些具体问题。并且”逐步形成和完善全国校园足球四级联赛”。这些肯定是校园足球的当务之急。足球专业出身的魏吉祥在座谈会上讲话，则吸引了更多媒体的关注。
在魏吉祥看来，校园足球的发展，需要在训练体系、宣教以及等级考试制度的建立有所突破，尤其是”等级考试的制度”。他想表达的意思，是让孩子们踢球也有奋斗目标，”像学习钢琴一样去学习踢球”。他的原话为：”是不是可以让孩子像学习音乐那样，建立一些等级考试制度，评分制度建立起来后，孩子有阶段性奋斗的目标……如果能从一级级的往上考，颠球20个一个级别，30个一个级别，虽然这样的评价机制不一定是专业的，但是可以促使孩子朝着更高阶段去奋斗，家长也会去支持一级级的系统化训练。”
我完全能理解中国足协在推动校园足球项目上的痛苦和无奈，也能理解魏吉祥有这”考级体系”的良苦用心。从校园足球自2009年以来成为体育总局项目以来，别说足协这样一个实为足管中心的总局运动项目管理机构，哪怕体育总局本身，要想在校园里推广足球运动，让更多的孩子们接触到足球，是何等的艰难。
然而魏吉祥的想法，尤其这想法产生背后的无奈，外界能理解的程度，就有些费人思量了。在阅读这条新闻之前，已经有不少媒体同行在探讨这个话题，我听到的更是”将足球纳入应试教育范畴”，以及”升学考试也要包括足球，这样踢球的孩子就会更多了……”一类的说法。
我不禁为魏吉祥的发言担心。
不尽然的阅读理解，会产生认知上的误差，但在中国现今的教育环境下，任何事务一旦和学科考试发生关联，足够让人头大如斗。魏吉祥并不是说足球要进入应试教育，只是他的话容易引发歧义。以钢琴考级为例，就同样不是个好例子。中国练钢琴的孩子数量有多少，我知之不详，不过钢琴考级是能让众多孩子和家长们如坐针毡的痛苦话题。足球局面的改变，联赛不是终极解决办法，需要在青少年人群中进行广泛普及。在足球意义上，我们已经失去了过去十年，行将失去未来十年，可之后的十年，需要从现在的青训开始。
只是涉及到具体操作方略上，校园足球的4年效果，并不像官方说法”4年来已有49个国家级布局城市、3个试点县和68个省级布局城市，5000多所大中小学，270多万名学生参加了校园足球活动……”那样顺利圆满，因为校园足球一年经费只有4000万人民币，倘若”270多万名学生参加了……”那也只是给这270万名学生一两次尝试足球的机会。
足协知道青少年普及的难度有多大，因为足协乃至体育总局，根本敲不开学校大门。只是以考级的方式，甚至以并入应试教育的方式来强化校园足球，短期内或许能在青少年足球人群数量上有多提高，长远看仍然是扬汤止沸。
青岛去年有过中考体育包含足球项目的前例，一时间学生和家长将市内足球抢购一空，各种足球培训班场面火爆。但中考过后，不爱足球的学生，根本不会因为考试的利益驱动，而融入到青少年足球人群中去。校园足球的根本制约，仍然存在于校园中：时间和场地的严重短缺、教育机构对于足球以及体育整体的漠视甚至歧视。
想要敲开校门，绝不是一纸行政命令那么简单，这会是检讨中国教育改革失败的一个重大命题，会是一种移风易俗的巨大社会挑战。中国教育如果不能改变僵化的思想意识，整个社会如果不能从哲学高度上重新衡量体育在社会生活中的作用，足球作为体育项目之一，在校园里仍然不会有立锥之地。
Football As An Examination？
“I am a football supporter, football in China is working very hard to improve…” President Xi admitted his personal interest when he was addressing the Mexican Congress, but less than 24 hours later, Team China lost at home to Uzbekistan, 1:2.
What an anti-climax following the political leader’s high key claim.
Whether Mr. Xi’s claim put more pressure on Camacho’s team remains to be clarified, there is no doubt that the Spanish head coach is under great pressure from supporters, media and the CFA. However, some comments made by one of the CFA leaders caused a lot of misconceptions just a week ago.
It was on a youth academy visit, by the deputy minister of the National Sport Administration, prior to June 1st, which in China is called the ‘International Children’s Day’ – anything has to be ‘international’ in China to make sense. Mr.Cai Zhenhua, the deputy minister, who was a table tennis world champion in the 80s, and is now in charge of football, stressed the importance of football promotions in schools during the visit.
But his sidekick, Mr. Wei Jixiang, the deputy director of the CFA, created a bigger stir by suggesting that in order to promote football more efficiently in China, “maybe we need to set up a level examination system on kids football technique, just like the piano level exam system…”
He even went into details like, “juggling the ball for 20 times would be a level, 30 times might be another…” He didn’t say that the educational department in China should set up football as a special subject and that all kids must pass the football technique exams, however, he made it crystal clear that without the educational department’s support, as schools all close their doors to football, there would be no chance for football to flourish on this infertile land.
You could imagine the media’s feedback on this weird suggestion.
Mr. Wei might be right in pointing out that in an extremely academic results driven country, football can only reach the kids if it can prosper in schools. At the same time, the society has come to agree that the reform in education has been the worst reforms taken place in China for the past 30 years. Schools are mainly aimed at academic results, the rating of students passing the national exams to make it to the next level of education. Sport has long been dusted in the corner.
Pushing through the schools doors would be a kind of solution for football in China, but put it into a level testing system which might persuade teachers and parents to encourage their kids to play football, would be another sorry joke that China football can no longer take.
A similar test happened a year ago in Qing Dao, one of China’s most famous football towns, where students had to pass the football test in their entrance examinations to secondary school. Within a couple of days, the parents and teachers bought every football in the town’s stores, and groups of kids were enlisted in all kinds of extra-curricular football training classes.
Once the exams are over, most of them gave up on the sport. Because they were not encouraged to participate, because teachers cared more about their academic performances, and schools were genuinely worried that football could cause harmful injuries to the students and they would have to take the blame from the parents.
Football does not have a future in China, if the school doors are not really open and the schools do not embrace the game for the sake of the beautiful game, whether the political leaders like it or not.
In a few days time, Team China will be facing Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben’s Netherlands national team in Beijing.
John Yan is Deputy Editor of Netease.com