GUIYANG, China, May 5 (Xinhua) -- On the stadium beside Guizhou University's Sports College, 31-year-old David Geary trains the university's football team and guides them how to work with their teammates.
"Move forward!" "Pass the ball!" "Call each other's name!" The Briton's instructions are full of passion and energy. As the college's football coach, David is responsible for teaching students who choose the optional football course and the university's football team. For David, football is not only his hobby, but also his passion and lifelong career.
From 6am to 6pm, David's schedule is full. He grabs a simple meal for lunch and hurries back to the stadium to start his lessons in the afternoon. After a rain shower, the ground is slippery. With a ball in his hand, David shows students how to correctly kick the ball, and asks them to practice in groups.
Before class, students always like to joke with David, who never gets annoyed and always has a smile on his face. But once the class begins, David is patient, responsible and serious. He pays attention to every student and not only shows them the correct gestures, but also helps them to adjust their feet position.
"Tighten your ankle, and use your thigh to bring your shin and then use your foot's instep to kick the ball". Under David's instruction, a student performs a beautiful high kick. Seeing the student's performance, David gives him a thumbs-up and compliments him.
David has lived in Guizhou since moving here with his parents at just two years old.
"My parents worked here at Guizhou University as researchers. So they researched ethnic language and culture, the Dong specifically." Recalling those childhood memories, David smiled.
"Every year we would go down to Rongjiang, and live there for a month with local people in a village named Liubaitang. And I grew up in Guizhou until I was about 14, and then we went back to the U.K."
As a "Guizhou native", David can not only speak fluent Mandarin, but also the local dialects. Discussing the changes in Guizhou over the years, David was deeply moved.
"When I was younger, it took us 16 hours by bus to get from Guiyang to Rongjiang, and we had to transfer in Kaili City." In the past, the long trip always made David sick and he hated the journey.
"But now, everything has changed. It's very fast with the high-speed railway. It only takes about one hour and a half from Guiyang to Rongjiang. So much faster and so much more convenient."
Although he was thousands of miles away in the U.K., David always left part of his heart in Guizhou.
"In 2019, I came back on my own to see how Guizhou has developed, because this is where I feel most like home, and I wanted to live here. So I came back, and then I did my master's degree in Beijing," he said.
After graduating from Beijing Sport University with a master's degree, David decided to return to Guizhou University to teach football. "This is my dream job, because I grew up here," he said.
"It's a dream for me to come back and help Guizhou University improve its football and also hopefully bring some new ideas on how to teach football, on how to teach children, on how to teach students, and help students to enjoy football."
"So the Village Super League, when it first began last year, I thought it was very special. The whole village would come out and support their village team when they were playing. And the atmosphere was amazing with loads of people. The atmosphere is very pure and really all about the football, and about having fun."
Participating in the Village Super League has become his dream. During the new season, David fulfilled his dream, joining the Liubaitang team as a player and realizing his Village Super League dream.
Recently, he also used his football skills on the field to play against a team from Shangrao City in Jiangxi Province with many international students from Guizhou University.
"During breaks they also have cultural shows like music and dances. And I think it is good to have culture and football join together to make something bigger," said David, adding that the Village Super League has brought great changes to Rongjiang and also many new opportunities to local people.
"Because football is not just about football. It's also a mirror of culture and society's vitality," he said.
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