Jefrey Callau Casanova (center) puts a group of schoolchildren through their paces in a soccer lesson yesterday at the Affiliated Primary School of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.(Wang Rongjiang)
When it comes to the great homes of soccer, the Camp Nou in Barcelona is right up there with the very best.
The Affiliated Primary School of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology is not.
Yet the two recently became forever linked, when former FC Barcelona youth coach Jefrey Callau Casanova signed up for a nine-month placement teaching youngsters in Shanghai the art of the beautiful game.
Lesson one is simple, but essential, the 28-year-old said.
"One thing I've noticed while teaching here is that some kids don't like to play in a team. They worry too much about improving their own skills and neglect teamwork," he said.
"One of my jobs is to teach them that football is not only about scoring goals and winning, it is about respect for the game and your opponent, and also about having fun and working together."
In both geographical and footballing terms, the playground of a Shanghai primary school and the home of the current European champions are world's apart, but that's not a problem for Casanova.
"I enjoy teaching here and I've made changes to the curriculum to make it fit the kids better," he said.
"When children are young, they can't concentrate for long, even when they're physically still fine. So I suggested to the school that the classes for lower grade students last no more than 50 minutes," he said.
Casanova is one of 10 coaches recruited from overseas as part of a scheme designed to raise the profile of soccer in Shanghai, as well as improving young players' skill levels.
"Students of lower grades are not so good in (terms of) body balance and coordination," the Spaniard said.
"So when I give lessons to grade one students, I try to make them interesting and put in a lot of game elements."
Each of the 10 coaches — six Spaniards, and one each from Germany, the United States, Brazil and Cameroon — has been assigned to work at a single school for the duration of the scheme, which is the brainchild of the Shanghai Education Commission.
Brazilian coach Mario Coutinho said he agrees with Casanova's philosophy of making lessons enjoyable for the young players.
"Kids should be able to have fun and enjoy the sport first," said the 31-year-old, who is based at Jinshan No. 1 Experimental Primary School.
"I encourage them to be both active and creative in class," he said.
The approach has already proved a big hit with the city's budding Lionel Messis and Christiano Ronaldos.
"Our foreign teacher (Casanova) gives the class as if it's a game," said a boy at the Affiliated Primary School.
"(He) lets us play with the ball first, instead of (making us) practice lots of formal routines, like our Chinese teachers usually do," the youngster said.
