Ge Xiongbin is a qualified coach with a B diploma from the AFC (Asian Football Confederation). A former high-school Physical Education (PE) teacher, who he has been working as a PE and Health researcher at Baoshan Academy of Education since 2024. 

As a PE researcher, he is in charge of the PE and school football (also called campus football) programme for grades 1-12 in Baoshan.  His main roles include supporting teachers’ professional development, improving their teaching and coaching capabilities and providing feedback on the schools’ work in PE.  

Mr Ge also coaches the Baoshan U12 football team.

Teaching young people

I was first exposed to PE and football education in 2012 and officially started my career as a PE and football teacher in 2015.

My interest in Premier Skills began with my curiosity about the Premier League and my desire to improve my teaching. When I first tried out the Premier Skills methods in my lessons, it felt a bit awkward, but I kept trying. 

Following the principles of SMILES and STEPS, along with the logical approach of Premier Skills, has helped increase my students’ participation. I have also noticed that my students have begun to think more independently, both in training sessions and games. They have become better at reading the game, making appropriate decisions, and bringing their creativity into play.

Training teachers

When I became a researcher, I realized that Premier Skills’ philosophy aligns with the new curriculum in China. The new curriculum prescribes a student-centred approach to coaching. It requires teachers to maximize student participation and tailor their teaching to students’ abilities. Premier Skills supports these requirements by providing methods, tools, specific examples and activities to achieve those requirements. For instance, STEPS help teachers better organize their sessions and provide variations to adapt to different situations. When SMILES principles are incorporated into a session, students not only enjoy the experience but also learn from it. 

I now incorporate these key ideas into my teacher training and teaching assessment during my school visits in Baoshan. The feedback I've received from teachers confirms that using the Premier Skills tools improves their ability to organize and deliver effective sessions and that more students are participating and engaging in the classes.