On the evening of 27 June, a celebration dinner themed “The Return of Champions” was held at the Beijing China World Summit Wing (China World / Huabin Hotel) in honour of the China Football Youngsters U12 squad’s victory at an international tournament in Italy. Li Xiaohua, Honorary President of the China Charity Federation and a member of the 9th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), hosted the banquet in Beijing to congratulate Dong Lu and the China Football Youngsters U12 team on their triumphant campaign at the SIGISMONDI International Youth Cup in Italy—seven matches, seven wins—marking the first Asian side to claim the title in the tournament’s 37-year history. Dame Hung Tsz Ching (洪子晴), Huang Xiaoming, Liu Xiaoqing, Zhang Yongping of Xiushui Street, Zhou Hongyi, Zhang Jiahao and other figures from entertainment and business gathered to witness a landmark moment for China’s grassroots youth football. The evening was filled with generosity: guests actively took part in a charity auction and donated funds to support grassroots youth football development across China, using private capital to widen pathways for young players to chase their dreams and inject lasting momentum into the country’s youth football ecosystem.
The stars of the evening—the China Football Youngsters U12 side from the 2014 age group—are a youth academy team run entirely on private initiative, without government fiscal funding. In early June, the squad travelled to Tuscany, Italy, to compete in the Sigismondi International Youth Cup, often dubbed the “U12 Mini World Cup.” Founded more than three decades ago, the tournament regularly draws elite academy sides from European and American clubs such as Juventus, Inter Milan, Everton and Benfica. For years, the best Asian finish had been a semi-final place; no Asian team had ever stood atop the podium.
From the film and television world, artists including Huang Xiaoming and Liu Xiaoqing attended in person, interacting closely with the young players and sharing reflections on persistence and hard work. Business leaders such as Li Xiaohua, Dame Hung Tsz Ching, Zhang Yongping, Zhou Hongyi and Zhang Jiahao were also present, discussing—from industry and philanthropy perspectives—the value of youth sport for public health and sports-industry development. Football veteran and former national-team player Li Weifeng took the stage as a professional voice, praising the squad’s technical-tactical quality and mental strength, and saying their international performances showed the industry the immense potential of China’s young footballers.
Photo: Hong Kong philanthropist Dame Hung Tsz Ching with Dong Lu
Photo: Li Xiaohua, Honorary President of the China Charity Federation and member of the 9th CPPCC National Committee, with Dong Lu and Huang Xiaoming
Dame Hung Tsz Ching has long practised philanthropy, committing substantial personal resources over many years to education, sport, healthcare and poverty alleviation. Her foundation regularly supports school construction in mountainous regions, the growth of left-behind children, and youth cultural and sports exchanges at home and abroad, and has sponsored grassroots basketball and football events to promote cross-regional youth sports connections.
Young hearts aim high; the pitch is where dreams take flight. The 27 June celebration dinner in Beijing—full of honour and compassion—not only marked Chinese grassroots U12 football rewriting Asian youth-training history, but also built a bridge for society to support youth sport at the grassroots. With charity lifting young football dreams, private youth academies gain firmer ground to stand on.
Note: Some names and titles in this English version are transliterated from Chinese and may not match official English spellings. For the authoritative version, please refer to the Chinese original.