Another young domestic coach joins China League One! National Games gold medalist Zhang Yaokun appointed as general manager and head coach of Dalian Kunchen.

On the morning of December 14, China League One club Dalian Kunchen officially declared that 44-year-old homegrown coach Zhang Yaokun will serve as the club’s general manager and the team’s head coach.

Last season, Dalian Kunchen started their China League One campaign under Spanish coach Oscar Cespedes Cabeza, but after winning only one match in the first four rounds and failing to score in the next three, the club reinstated veteran coach Zhao Faqing, who had previously led the team’s promotion push, as executive head coach. Ultimately, the team secured safety with 11 wins, 9 draws, and 10 losses, finishing 8th in the league. Before the new season, Dalian Kunchen chose a younger domestic head coach.

This morning, Dalian Kunchen officially announced: “Mr. Zhang Yaokun is hereby appointed as the general manager and head coach of Dalian Kunchen Football Club, fully responsible for club operations and first-team competitive affairs, effective immediately upon this announcement. Meanwhile, Qu Xiaohui (former general manager) is relieved of all club duties, effective immediately.”

According to the club’s official statement, after assuming the roles of general manager and head coach, Zhang Yaokun will undertake two key responsibilities: 1. Competitive domain: fully managing first-team training plans, tactical development, squad assembly, match-day decisions, and youth team integration, leveraging his championship-winning expertise to boost the team’s competitive strength and strive for excellent results; 2. Operational domain: leading internal management improvements, youth development system enhancement, brand value growth, and external partnership expansion, promoting refined and standardized club operations to build a sustainable development ecosystem.

As a local Dalian football legend, after retirement Zhang Yaokun served as head of youth training for Dalian Yifang, head coach of Dalian Ren U17 team, vice chairman of the Dalian Football Association, and youth training director. This year, he led the Liaoning U18 men’s football team to win the gold medal at the 15th National Games with a clean sheet in open play, helping Liaoning secure the U18 men’s gold for the first time in 12 years.

In a previous exclusive interview with our newspaper, Zhang Yaokun said: “I started my professional career in Dalian, and my career highlights also happened here. I made the national team from this platform; all the best times were in Dalian. After retiring, I returned here to work in youth training, hoping to contribute through my efforts to youth development and cultivate some good players to help revive football in Dalian and Liaoning.”

On the same day, following the earlier announcement of Liu Jianye’s departure, Dingnan Ganlian also chose a young domestic coach as successor. The 38-year-old coach Mao Biao, who formerly played for Tianjin Teda, will take charge of the team that finished 6th in China League One last season.