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Bamboo Goalposts: One Man's Quest to Teach the People's Republic of China to Love Football
More than two decades ago Rowan Simons moved to China, and soon after he began working to expose the country to the social and health benefits of amateur soccer. As he soon learned, this was no easy task, especially in a country where it is illegal for more than 11 people to congregate for the purposes of a recreational sporting activity. In this humorous and affectionate account, Rowan recalls the various successes and failures of his efforts to encourage his adopted country to embrace the beautiful game, and depicts contemporary Chinese culture in a clear and engaging light. Despite various setbacks, Rowan managed to build a playing field and clubhouses, and currently runs Club Football, a steadily growing amateur league.
386 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 27, 2024
China + football = perfect book for me! Tbh I preferred the bits that weren't about football and were just stories of his time studying, living and working in Beijing. Maybe because I could #relate.
July 4, 2019
This has been sat on my shelf for ages so thought I'd give it a go!
Mixed feelings on this.
It's a personal story on the author's attempts to help China engage with football at a grassroots level.
The bits that were actually about that were really interesting. The rest of it, not so much. Possibly me being a little harsh as this is supposed to be a personal account but I wasn't all that interested in the earlier parts describing his initial adventures into China. I wanted to get the chapters about amusing trips with his parents out of the way so I could hear about building the football pitch
Mixed feelings on this.
It's a personal story on the author's attempts to help China engage with football at a grassroots level.
The bits that were actually about that were really interesting. The rest of it, not so much. Possibly me being a little harsh as this is supposed to be a personal account but I wasn't all that interested in the earlier parts describing his initial adventures into China. I wanted to get the chapters about amusing trips with his parents out of the way so I could hear about building the football pitch
August 23, 2020
I've long wondered why the Chinese national men's soccer/football team hasn't had anywhere near the success as their women's squad. Many of the ingredients appear to be there: large sports infrastructure, huge talent pool, a sport that doesn't favor a particular body type, and generally strong team spirit. Well, this is a book that attempts to answer that question and mostly does a pretty good job of it.
Simons is an Englishman who came to China as a university student in the late '80s, fell in love with the country, and hustled his way into a position to return and make a life there. He combined a few contacts in sports promotion and media with his Chinese language skills and an entrepreneurial spirit to build a multifaceted career in the just-developing Chinese television market. Be warned, it takes a good 100 pages of his backstory before the soccer content really gets going. But that's OK, because his stories about being a Westerner in Beijing when Westerners were relatively scarce are well-told. They're also en excellent reminder of the rapidity of China's growth and opening to the outside that's happened in the last 20 years. Indeed, probably the best part of the book are Simons' eyewitness accounts the Tienanmen Square protests and the bloody response.
The latter 2/3 of the book cover the choppy (and often corrupt) history of modern Chinese soccer, both at the national and and club level, along with the story of his own efforts to start an English-style amateur football club,and all the logistical, financial, and bureaucratic obstacles that faced. Simons lays the lion's share of the blame for the pathetic state of Chinese pro and national soccer at the door of the central government. The Chinese sports model has always been a top-down approach, with central control seeking to identify the elite athletic talent and directing all resources toward that elite. However, by never developing any kind of "grassroots" youth and amateur club system, or allowing the civic space for one to develop on its own, the authorities have severely limited both the spread and appeal of the game.
Simons also identifies a problem with how the outside soccer world has interacted with China. Plenty of foreign clubs have come to China on tours, and many have tried to establish some kind of semi-permanent presence, but all have failed. Instead, he suggests that entire leagues need to come to China in a coordinated effort -- an approach that has worked wonders in other sports, such as the NBA's effort to popularize basketball, and the NFL's initial efforts to raise interest in American football. Unfortunately, with all the attention he gives to structural and bureaucratic elements, he never provides any interactions with players or coaches from the Chinese system. It's a large missed opportunity, since presumably some of the foreign ex-coaches would have plenty to say about what's wrong, and some players might be willing to speak off the record.
As the time frame of the book moves closer to the 2008 Olympics, Simons realizes this is his best chance to influence the development of the beautiful game in China. And in fact, near the end, it is revealed that this book served as one of his main outlets for critiquing the Chinese system and is clearly meant to spark internal debate and changes. The problem is that there is thus no epilogue about whether or not his critiques have had any impact on the Chinese football authorities. So the book ends up being this fairly interesting journey building up to a big moment, and then it just ends abruptly. Still, it engaged me enough as a soccer fan to want to seek out further information about Chinese soccer and how it develops over the coming years.
Simons is an Englishman who came to China as a university student in the late '80s, fell in love with the country, and hustled his way into a position to return and make a life there. He combined a few contacts in sports promotion and media with his Chinese language skills and an entrepreneurial spirit to build a multifaceted career in the just-developing Chinese television market. Be warned, it takes a good 100 pages of his backstory before the soccer content really gets going. But that's OK, because his stories about being a Westerner in Beijing when Westerners were relatively scarce are well-told. They're also en excellent reminder of the rapidity of China's growth and opening to the outside that's happened in the last 20 years. Indeed, probably the best part of the book are Simons' eyewitness accounts the Tienanmen Square protests and the bloody response.
The latter 2/3 of the book cover the choppy (and often corrupt) history of modern Chinese soccer, both at the national and and club level, along with the story of his own efforts to start an English-style amateur football club,and all the logistical, financial, and bureaucratic obstacles that faced. Simons lays the lion's share of the blame for the pathetic state of Chinese pro and national soccer at the door of the central government. The Chinese sports model has always been a top-down approach, with central control seeking to identify the elite athletic talent and directing all resources toward that elite. However, by never developing any kind of "grassroots" youth and amateur club system, or allowing the civic space for one to develop on its own, the authorities have severely limited both the spread and appeal of the game.
Simons also identifies a problem with how the outside soccer world has interacted with China. Plenty of foreign clubs have come to China on tours, and many have tried to establish some kind of semi-permanent presence, but all have failed. Instead, he suggests that entire leagues need to come to China in a coordinated effort -- an approach that has worked wonders in other sports, such as the NBA's effort to popularize basketball, and the NFL's initial efforts to raise interest in American football. Unfortunately, with all the attention he gives to structural and bureaucratic elements, he never provides any interactions with players or coaches from the Chinese system. It's a large missed opportunity, since presumably some of the foreign ex-coaches would have plenty to say about what's wrong, and some players might be willing to speak off the record.
As the time frame of the book moves closer to the 2008 Olympics, Simons realizes this is his best chance to influence the development of the beautiful game in China. And in fact, near the end, it is revealed that this book served as one of his main outlets for critiquing the Chinese system and is clearly meant to spark internal debate and changes. The problem is that there is thus no epilogue about whether or not his critiques have had any impact on the Chinese football authorities. So the book ends up being this fairly interesting journey building up to a big moment, and then it just ends abruptly. Still, it engaged me enough as a soccer fan to want to seek out further information about Chinese soccer and how it develops over the coming years.
November 24, 2021
There are two types of plots, one of which is 'A Stranger Comes To Town'. Rowan tries to convert Chinese folk to the game they invented, in a way which rivals Paul Watson's book: Rowan's is less funny but just as good.
February 10, 2015
When it comes to football, I'm in agreement with the great Bill Shankly when he said: "Football is not a matter of life and death, it's far more important than that". When it comes to China, my knowledge is limited to what I've seen on the TV recently about the earthquake, the Olympics and the protests; vague memories of Tiananmen Square and a love of the cuisine, or at least the version that comes from my local takeaway. Like many in the Western world, I have no concept of what life is truly like in China.
After an enjoyable "have football, will travel" opening, telling of Rowan's encounters with South America we then hear about how he came to be in China in the first place and his first attempts to play football while he was there. Having got there and decided to stay, he attempts to build his career, his life and the game of football in China.
The opening part made me think of one of Tony Hawks' travel books, as Simons writes with a similar relaxed feel that makes you think he's just one of your mates in the pub. Given that he's essentially talking about football and a holiday, this may not be so far from the truth. This light tone continues as he recounts his days as a student in China and I was starting to feel that this was going to be something akin to Tony Hawks "Round Ireland With a Fridge", except with a football.
Once he becomes more involved in living and working in China, the tone becomes a lot more serious, especially as he saw the events of Tiananmen Square first hand, although even these sections are easy to read, if less pleasant. Part of this is due to the Chinese way of life being so different to the English one that he's not just having to tell us about his life, he's almost having to explain it. This is made easier by the fact that he is trying to live a life as close to the one he's used to as he can; it's just that many of the things he wants to have or do aren't nearly so easy.
The best example of this is how he recounts his conversations. Much like everything else, the Chinese language seems to involve saying things more than once to get the point across. To show how it works, Simons uses Chinese sentence construction when reporting on conversations he's had in Chinese, which can be a little confusing, but also quite amusing. Strangely enough, although it does take some getting used to, once you've become accustomed to seeing passages written in this way, it doesn't become a barrier to the flow of the book, as I expected it would early on.
As readable as this book is, Simons' life revolves around football and this is the main focus of the book. Admittedly, he does make brief forays into his personal life, but apart from an early visit from his parents and a female friend he takes on a nightmare trip on several Chinese buses, these are frequently little more than passing mentions. From my perspective, this was not necessarily a bad thing, but anyone who is less of a football fan might have welcomed the distraction.
Despite the book helping to introduce a Chinese way of life, it is unmistakably a football book. The sport is Simons' obsession; helping him make new friends, providing him with entertainment, exercise and a purpose in life. With this much of his attention devoted to the game, it does mean that virtually everything he does and therefore every aspect of the book revolves around football in some way. He works mostly as a football journalist and most of his spare time is spent trying to improve the football system within China and talking about the system as it is.
This means that those without my interest in football may become bored. There isn't enough focus elsewhere to keep the casual reader interested, as when there is a mention about how things are done in China, it's mostly in the context of how difficult that makes playing the game or setting up a team. For this reason even football fans may become bored because, whilst the book is about football, there is very little football actually taking place. The one saving grace for the fan is that there are mentions of touring teams from England and Spain coming to China and his time reporting on World Cup and FA Cup football, so there is a little familiar ground.
In the end, however, this is for people with a deep love of the game, rather than those who watch it on TV down the pub and shout at the screen, so you may prefer to buy a couple of pints or a fortnight of Sky Sports. However, this will be an ideal book for anyone who has had their head in their hands at any decision made by the English Football Association as it shows us that no matter how bad they are, things could be worse. This does limit the scope of appeal a fair amount as it falls a little between the obvious audiences of the average football fan and the person looking to know more about China. As a good read for someone interested in sports books in general, however, this is a triumph and as that is what I am, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This review may also appear, in whole or in part, under my name at any or all of www.ciao.co.uk, www.thebookbag.co.uk, www.goodreads.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.dooyoo.co.uk
After an enjoyable "have football, will travel" opening, telling of Rowan's encounters with South America we then hear about how he came to be in China in the first place and his first attempts to play football while he was there. Having got there and decided to stay, he attempts to build his career, his life and the game of football in China.
The opening part made me think of one of Tony Hawks' travel books, as Simons writes with a similar relaxed feel that makes you think he's just one of your mates in the pub. Given that he's essentially talking about football and a holiday, this may not be so far from the truth. This light tone continues as he recounts his days as a student in China and I was starting to feel that this was going to be something akin to Tony Hawks "Round Ireland With a Fridge", except with a football.
Once he becomes more involved in living and working in China, the tone becomes a lot more serious, especially as he saw the events of Tiananmen Square first hand, although even these sections are easy to read, if less pleasant. Part of this is due to the Chinese way of life being so different to the English one that he's not just having to tell us about his life, he's almost having to explain it. This is made easier by the fact that he is trying to live a life as close to the one he's used to as he can; it's just that many of the things he wants to have or do aren't nearly so easy.
The best example of this is how he recounts his conversations. Much like everything else, the Chinese language seems to involve saying things more than once to get the point across. To show how it works, Simons uses Chinese sentence construction when reporting on conversations he's had in Chinese, which can be a little confusing, but also quite amusing. Strangely enough, although it does take some getting used to, once you've become accustomed to seeing passages written in this way, it doesn't become a barrier to the flow of the book, as I expected it would early on.
As readable as this book is, Simons' life revolves around football and this is the main focus of the book. Admittedly, he does make brief forays into his personal life, but apart from an early visit from his parents and a female friend he takes on a nightmare trip on several Chinese buses, these are frequently little more than passing mentions. From my perspective, this was not necessarily a bad thing, but anyone who is less of a football fan might have welcomed the distraction.
Despite the book helping to introduce a Chinese way of life, it is unmistakably a football book. The sport is Simons' obsession; helping him make new friends, providing him with entertainment, exercise and a purpose in life. With this much of his attention devoted to the game, it does mean that virtually everything he does and therefore every aspect of the book revolves around football in some way. He works mostly as a football journalist and most of his spare time is spent trying to improve the football system within China and talking about the system as it is.
This means that those without my interest in football may become bored. There isn't enough focus elsewhere to keep the casual reader interested, as when there is a mention about how things are done in China, it's mostly in the context of how difficult that makes playing the game or setting up a team. For this reason even football fans may become bored because, whilst the book is about football, there is very little football actually taking place. The one saving grace for the fan is that there are mentions of touring teams from England and Spain coming to China and his time reporting on World Cup and FA Cup football, so there is a little familiar ground.
In the end, however, this is for people with a deep love of the game, rather than those who watch it on TV down the pub and shout at the screen, so you may prefer to buy a couple of pints or a fortnight of Sky Sports. However, this will be an ideal book for anyone who has had their head in their hands at any decision made by the English Football Association as it shows us that no matter how bad they are, things could be worse. This does limit the scope of appeal a fair amount as it falls a little between the obvious audiences of the average football fan and the person looking to know more about China. As a good read for someone interested in sports books in general, however, this is a triumph and as that is what I am, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This review may also appear, in whole or in part, under my name at any or all of www.ciao.co.uk, www.thebookbag.co.uk, www.goodreads.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.dooyoo.co.uk
September 22, 2020
Slightly condsending to the Chinese. Some of the stereotyping comments rung true. Not good for reading before work.
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February 4, 2016Why is Chinese soccer so bad? As with so many things, China can credibly claim to have created the sport (via the ancient game "cuju"). Moreover, Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping was a legendary fan of the game, staging his third political comeback at a Beijing football match. Yet among 208 FIFA members, the PRC currently ranks 77th, sandwiched between tiny Latvia (whose population is 600 times smaller) & poverty-stricken Malawi (whose economy is 1,000 times smaller). In this fascinating book, Rowan Simons (aka "Luo Wen," reflecting his serious guanxi) addresses the sorry state of Chinese football, and by extension, what it reveals about contemporary Chinese culture & society. By the end of this book, you'll understand why the PRC side will probably not qualify for another World Cup until FIFA awards the 2026 tournament to China....
March 4, 2013
Interesting book on the developing football culture in China and Rowan's efforts to increase the exposure of grassroots football.
A lot of the early stages of the book are to do with Rowan's introduction to China and the political situation there, as well as his travels and meetings with other foreigners living in China and Chinese people passionate for football.
As Rowan becomes more involved with the media and ClubFootball, he provides an interesting inside view on how the Government and CFA works in relation to the development of football in China.
A lot of the early stages of the book are to do with Rowan's introduction to China and the political situation there, as well as his travels and meetings with other foreigners living in China and Chinese people passionate for football.
As Rowan becomes more involved with the media and ClubFootball, he provides an interesting inside view on how the Government and CFA works in relation to the development of football in China.
August 11, 2016
Interesting read and concept based on how football started in China.
June 28, 2015
Amusing and educational about life in China.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews