Focus on regulations, business, and coaching improvements! The Football Association recently held three major meetings in succession.

Reported by Chen Yong. On December 6, the FA Cup final ended with Beijing Guoan winning the title, marking the conclusion of the key competitions for the 2025 Chinese football season. Around the FA Cup period, the Chinese Football Association held three major meetings one after another in Suzhou and Guangzhou. Moreover, the Chinese Football League will conduct the 2025 Professional League Awards Ceremony on December 12 in Shanghai.

The first meeting was the Chinese Football Association’s Registration and Transfer Work Conference held from December 5 to 6 in Suzhou. Chinese FA Vice Chairman Wan Jianbin attended, along with representatives from member associations, football schools, and invited experts. The meeting primarily focused on revising the "Chinese Football Association Player Identity and Transfer Management Regulations" and overseeing the implementation of training compensation and joint mechanism compensation. Prior to this, the Chinese FA had conducted several online seminars; this was the first offline meeting.

Registration and transfer have been hot topics in Chinese football in recent years. This meeting concentrated on issues such as the registration and transfer of underage players, qualification for the National Games and the three major ball sports events, as well as the overseas transfers of domestic players. Sources indicate that the Chinese FA will revise and update various regulations, including the "Chinese Football Association Player Identity and Transfer Management Regulations," based on thorough discussions to provide a legal foundation for the development of Chinese football.

On the morning of December 6, the "Investing in the Future · Creating Win-Win Opportunities" — Chinese Football Association Business Resource Promotion Conference was held in Suzhou. Chinese FA Chairman Song Kai, Vice Chairman Xu Jiren, newly appointed national team coach Shao Jiayi, and representatives from various cooperation partners and potential partners attended.

The Chinese FA and Fortebao highlighted multiple business sectors, including the China Team, FA Cup, Super Cup, youth competitions across men’s and women’s football, futsal, and beach soccer. This was the first business resource promotion event organized by the Chinese FA in recent years.

Chinese FA Chairman Song Kai stated that Chinese football is entering a brand-new era. The development of Chinese football must adhere to the Party’s comprehensive leadership, leverage the advantages of the new state-led system, and combine proactive government action with an effective market. He also explained the new state-led system. Song emphasized that the FA is currently focusing on strengthening youth training foundations, cultivating talent, enhancing the strength of national teams, and energizing grassroots football—four core tasks aimed at comprehensively improving the quality and efficiency of football development.

“With national policies providing strong support, steady improvements in competitive levels, a continuous emergence of reserve talents, and unprecedented enthusiasm among the public, the market value of Chinese football keeps rising. Now is the best moment for us to join hands,” Song Kai said. “Let us use football as a bond and trust as a foundation to invest in the future, create win-win situations, and together witness the glorious moments of Chinese football shining on the world stage!”

From December 6 to 9, the Chinese FA held the Coaches Conference and the 2025 Annual Coaches Training Course in Guangzhou, with Song Kai attending. Representatives from the English Premier League, La Liga, and Bundesliga shared high-level youth training cases and philosophies. UEFA representatives discussed elite player development and tactical requirements for top competitions, while AFC representatives presented elite youth coach training systems and youth academy construction standards. Domestic coaches such as Wang Baoshan and Wang Hongliang also participated and delivered keynote speeches.

Coaching quality remains a core challenge hindering the progress of Chinese football. The Chinese FA Coaches Conference is a fundamental event for coach training and exchange in China, carrying great significance. Unfortunately, from 2020 to 2023, this conference was suspended for four years. In 2024, the Chinese FA fully resumed this meeting. Corresponding to the Chinese FA Coaches Conference, the Chinese Football League organizes professional youth training exchanges, such as the China-England Professional Football Youth Training Exchange held from November 5 to 7.