Xinhua News Agency, Xianghe, Hebei Province, August 22: Stepping out of the comfort zone and meeting new challenges - exclusive interview with Sun Wen, vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association

Facing a new role, Sun Wen said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Xinhua News Agency that she would step out of her comfort zone and face new challenges.

Regarding the new role of Vice Chairman of the Chinese Football Association, Sun Wen’s understanding is: "First of all, he is a football person and a professional. I think it should be a very big challenge for me. From a professional and technical person to engaging in a management job, such a change is actually for each of us. Everyone needs to calm down and think, then keep practicing, keep looking for problems, and keep improving.”

She also said that she is willing to accept such challenges, step out of her comfort zone, and continue to improve herself while contributing her professional strength, and then everyone will work together to make progress together with the Football Association.

Regarding her internal division of labor within the Football Association, Sun Wen admitted that she still needs to wait for the next step of overall arrangements. "For me, I am a football person and I am in the women's football team. I believe that under the leadership of the new chairman and with the joint efforts of the entire team, I can use my professional knowledge and strength to work with everyone in the women's football team and achieve our goal of returning to the ranks of the world's top teams as soon as possible."

The number of executive committee members of the new Chinese Football Association has increased from 21 in the previous term to 35 today, and many representatives from enterprises, clubs, local associations, and the education industry are included. Sun Wen said: "This change has allowed everyone to see great changes, attracting people from all walks of life, especially people who love football. Personally, as a representative of women's football, as a representative of professionals, I feel a heavy responsibility. Especially during the critical period when football reform enters the deepening stage, being able to participate in When it comes to such work, I think we need to calm down, think and interpret, especially to have a better understanding of our mission. We hope to create a new career and industrial pattern and build a truly open, inclusive and innovative sports social organization."

When talking about the focus of the Chinese Football Association's future reform, Sun Wen said. He believes: "I think our goal is actually very clear, which is how to better interpret the requirements and measures of the 50-item football reform plan and gradually implement them. In fact, each of them requires us to calm down and gather everyone's strength. I think the Chinese Football Association has its own new positioning. Football is not the football of the Chinese Football Association, but all those who love it. The Chinese Football Association’s work report proposes a number of specific measures for the development of women’s football, including encouraging retired women’s football players to use youth training as an entry point to engage in women’s football development, and improving the incentive mechanism for the women’s national team. Sun Wen, who has been engaged in women's football for a long time, believes that in-depth research is needed to find out the real crux of the development of women's football; at the same time, social forces must be integrated to help women's football and jointly build a very good ecology. Only in this way can the tree of women's football grow very healthy.