China News Service, Fuzhou, December 19th (Peng Lifang) In the middle of the night, the last match of the 2022 Qatar World Cup was in full swing. The 75-year-old Fuzhou football player Chen Huadi, who had hung up his boots for decades, stayed up all night watching in his "Football Museum" Argentina vs. France's strong showdown.
The Football Museum is located at No. 17 Dongsheng Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City. It used to be a printing factory run by him.
Testimonials of his once thriving career—printing equipment and materials—are now part of the museum's collection.
Chen Huadi showed the collected football cards.
Photo by Lu Ming
There are more than 20,000 football-related collections in the house that he spent decades collecting from all over the country.
The museum houses football posters, football game tickets, football badges, football game order booklets, etc. of various ages and countries.
In this regard, Chen Huadi has a lot of treasures: the poster of the first World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930, the reply letter of the bid to host the 1995 National Veterans Football Invitational Tournament in Fuzhou, and the video data of the 1996 National Olympic players playing against the Uzbekistan team in Fuzhou before their departure. , Sample tickets for the 2001 World Cup qualifier Asian finals in Shenyang, China, a collection of star posters since the new century...
Chen Huadi introduced his football collection.
Photo by Lu Ming
In Chen Huadi's view, these collections more or less preserved the trajectory of the development of Chinese football, and it is his luck to be able to collect them.
The fate of Chen Huadi and football can be traced back to the polo field in front of his home when he was a child.
In 1947, Chen Huadi was born in Cangshan District, Fuzhou City.
In the 1950s, the racecourse in front of his house was the competition and training ground for football players in the city at that time.
He is always attracted by the running figures of football players on the sports field, but due to his age, he can't play and is very playful. He often invites classmates to play football on the ridge near his home after the rice has been cut.
"At that time, the football atmosphere was great!" Chen Huadi said with a smile. His first football collection was probably the "jersey" that he and his classmates hand-painted when they were playing in the field.
"A white vest with a seagull painted on the back." To Chen Huadi's regret, the "jersey" could no longer be found.
A commemorative ball game order book.
Photo by Lu Ming
In the sixth grade of elementary school, Chen Huadi was recommended to enter Fuzhou No. 9 Middle School, known as the "cradle of football in Fuzhou", and began to gallop on the green field.
Since middle school, he joined the city team and the provincial team successively, representing his hometown in national competitions.
The career of a professional football player is short.
At the time of reform and opening up, Chen Huadi, who hung up his boots, opened a printing factory.
The booming career allowed Chen Huadi to save some savings.
He regained his football dream and began to plan to do what he could for football.
A game ball with the player's signature written on it.
Photo by Lu Ming
In the 1990s, he ran and appealed in many ways, urging Fuzhou to establish the first football school in Fujian Province.
He also promoted the opening of the Gushan Wenwu Football School and the establishment of the Dongsheng Football Club, which has trained many football talents for Fuzhou.
What is little known is that the bidding for important events such as the China-Uzbekistan Olympic Fuzhou Friendship Match and the National Football Veterans Tournament in Fuzhou is inseparable from the initiation and promotion of Chen Huadi.
He has been elected as the chairman of the Fuzhou Football Association for four consecutive terms, which is the affirmation of Fuzhou football people.
Collectible tickets.
Photo by Lu Ming
Chen Huadi believes that while promoting football, football culture should also be spread.
So he came up with the idea of building a football museum.
Documents and historical materials, old newspapers, signed jerseys... as long as they are genuine, Chen Huadi will try to buy them no matter how much money he spends.
For decades, Chen Huadi invested millions of dollars in the Football Museum.
Chen Huadi said that the most important spirit of football is hard work and unity. He hopes to show the football spirit and football culture through collections, and promote the exchange and development of sports collection culture in Fuzhou and even Fujian.
Recently, Chen Huadi has a new identity.
He also serves as a football teacher in Dongsheng Village Kindergarten, and he regularly popularizes football knowledge to children every week.
"From childhood, we have hope for the whole of Chinese football." Just like decades ago, he gradually put down his printing business and devoted himself to football collection. fate.
(Finish)