Source: YNET.com

Taking up the post of chief coach of the first professional volleyball club in China

Lang Ping, who will reach the age of 49 this year, does something that attracts people’s attention again: returning to China to take up the post of head coach of a professional club and engaging in volleyball league matches in China. The other day, Xinhua News Agency released a piece of news: Lang Ping has signed with the first professional volleyball club in China – Guangdong Evergrande Volleyball Club. Such an act not only makes Lang Ping again become the first person to try tomato, but is also bound to add more splendid color to her legendary life.

■The Course of Her Legendary Life

In the past thirty years, “Iron Hammmer” Lang Ping has been leading a legendary life. Every stage of her life has been branded with extraordinary marks and every decision she made was sensational.

Twenty-eight years ago, Lang Ping, who had not reached the age of 21, went with the team for the first time for the World Cup Volleyball Tournament and swept the first world title in the Chinese volleyball history. In 19987, about two years after her retirement, she gave up the excellent working and living environment in China and went to the USA for study, becoming the first one in the former volleyball team who chose her own way of life by herself. In 1989, Lang Ping went to Italy Club to play volleyball, becoming the first player of the women's volleyball team of China to play in Europe. Thirteen years ago, having not reaching the age of 36, she was appointed the head coach of national women’s volleyball team of China and led the team to win the silver medal of that year’s Olympics. Last year, having not reaching the age of 48, Lang Ping served as the chief coach of the national women's volleyball team of the United States and brought the team to the Beijing Olympics to defeat the Chinese women’s volleyball team and finally win the second prize. This year, at the age of around 49, Lang Ping ended her life overseas and signed contract with Guangdong Evergrande Volleyball Club to become the head coach of the first professional volleyball club in China …

■Signing Contract Quickly and Returning to China for Further Development

From starting contact to finally signing up the contract, Lang Ping and Evergrande spent only more than two months. There are some coincidential factores in the proces that push Lang Ping to sign the contract so quickly.

In this April, Lang Ping terminated the coaching contract with Turkey and refused invitations from some European clubs, prepared for a period of rest. Almost at the same time, Evergrande, the first professional volleyball club in China that just registered, was hunting for qualified persons. At first, they set their eyes on two former head coach of the National Women’s Volleyball Team of China, Hu Jin and Chen Zhonghe, but had to lay aside the plan for some reasons. It is this time that Evergrande received the news that Lang Ping was resting at home and, overcome with joy, immediately contacted Lang Ping and invited her to return to China for investigation. After brief contact and communication, the both parties decided to join hands and, according to some resources, the period of cooperation between Lang Ping and Evergrande is five years.

Though Lang Ping has not talked about this matter publicly so far, it is believed that what attracts Lang Ping back to China is a good pay, flexible working environment and the professional operational mode of the club.

It is reported that this club got approval from the China Volleyball Association and Physical Culture Administration of Guangdong in June this year, and it is the first professional club in the Chinese volleyball history that assumes sole responsibility for its profits and losses, operates independently and develops by itself. According to relevent rules, they will participate in the matches of Group B in the national women’s volleyball league matches to start in the second half of this year.

In the coming five year, Lang Ping and Evergrande Women’s Volleyball under her leadership will become the highlight of the Chinese women's volleyball league matches. Lang Ping will certainly add more splendid color to her legendary life.

Lang Ping will bring in players and set eyes on retired ones

After signing the contract with Evergrande Volleyball Club, Chief Coach Lang Ping will use the strategy of bringing in players from outside at the beginning of building the team so as to help the club form its fighting capacity as soon as possible because the club was newly set up and lacks mature players.

At present, volleyball talents are scarce in China, and current key players are backbone of provincial or municipal teams, so that the hope of getting them is slim.  On the other hand, it will take a long time to develop young players. As a result, Lang Ping has to set eyes on some experienced players that are retired or going to retire.

Most of the retired players are member of the women’s volleyball team of China that participated in the last two Olympics and will retire after the National Games. However, most of them are around 30 and have the advantages of rich experience and mature tactical abilities. As long as Evergrande provides payment that can reflect their value, they will surely go on working for a few more years.

What’s more, with the significant financial support from the club as well as years’ experience of coaching abroad and connections, it is pretty likely that Lang Ping will bring in world-class players from other teams. Operated in this way, Evergrande Women’s Volleby will soon become the new force to compete for the championship in league matches.

The first professional volleyball club of China has come into being

To build professional club is the expected ultimate goal of China’s volleyball since the promotion of professional league matches in 1996. There have been no ture professional clubs for more than ten years since the setup of league matches for varied reasons. Volleyball teams of many provinces and cities are still funded by and named after companies, while the specific jobs such as personnel assignment, training and matches are decided by local physical culture administrations.

It is not until the establishment of Guangdong Evergrande Volleyball Club that the volleyball circle of China has the first professional club in its true sense. The club will be the first volleyball club in China that adopts the professional mode of assuming sole responsibility for its profits and losses, operating independently and developing by itself.

It is reported that, in this new mode, Evergrande takes whole charge of the overall operation of the club, including matters concerning coaches, players and training sites. The players of its first team directly register at the National Volleyball Administration Center and are allowed to participate in national matches on behalf of Guangdong. It also plans to cooperate with the Physical Culture Administration of Guangdong Province to build the second and third teams, for which the Physical Culture Administration of Guangdong Province will reserve, develop and provide reserve talents.

This mode will not only gradually reduce the burdens on the government, but also advance the sound and mature development of professional volleyball clubs in China.

Vital Point

Evergrand