Changing attitudes

Most female soccer players interviewed said they did not feel any sort of bias in a sport long dominated by men, and some felt that general attitudes have changed compared with a decade ago.

However, despite the establishment of the national women's team in 1983 and the progress it has made since then, Chinese women's soccer is still not at the same level as its counterparts in the US and European countries.

In terms of culture, Shang believes that women's soccer in China lags far behind its foreign counterparts and traditional beliefs mean it is not as robust.

"Soccer players in the US can get married, have kids and continue to play, but in China, that is impossible," he said.

According to the Chinese Football Association, the men's national teams consist of the main side and two youth teams, while the women's national soccer teams only consist of the main national team and one youth team.

In terms of soccer leagues, 16 men's teams compete in the Chinese Football Association Super League, the top tier, but only eight teams compete in the China Women's Super League.

Sun, who runs the academy with his wife, said the number of girls playing soccer in cities such as Beijing is low.

Based on his observations, most of the girls taking up soccer come from less-developed parts of the country.

He added that there is still some opposition to girls playing soccer, which is the biggest difference from their peers in the US and Europe.

"Parents from more-advanced cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou (Guangdong) are more willing to let their daughters learn 'quieter things' (such as knitting and drawing)," he said.

"They feel they will face a lot of opposition and that their daughters will have to train in harsh weather."

Fangyu is one of just 10 girls out of the 1,000 students training at Sunrise. However, the huge difference in numbers does not bother her or her parents. She believes she will still be kicking a ball around when she is in high school.

For her parents, though, the most important thing is whether she will remain interested in the sport in the future.

"Now, she's just pursuing a hobby, pursuing a sport. It's something she likes to do, so we will do our utmost to help nurture it. We have not thought much about the future," her father said.

"As long as she likes it, we will support her."