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| Young player Nguyen Luong Tuan Khai in Hue Football Club jersey |
In recent years, youth football in Hue has been steadily maintained through a training system spanning from U11 to U21. Each year, Hue’s youth teams actively compete in national tournaments organized by the Vietnam Football Federation, providing an important competitive environment that foster the development of players.
However, the effort to sustain and develop youth football in Hue continues to face many challenges. Most teams are grappling with severe shortages in infrastructure, including the absence of proper training facilities, transportation for players to attend school, training camps, and competitions, as well as inadequate accommodation for youth teams. Currently, all youth players of Hue Football are housed collectively in shared rooms beneath the stadium’s B Stand, while training is conducted mainly on pitch-side areas, concrete surfaces, or relies on rented artificial turf fields across the city.
Finance has long been the greatest obstacle to Hue football’s efforts to retain its players. Salary levels and welfare policies remain modest, falling well short of those offered by financially stronger clubs such as Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Khanh Hoa, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, and Phu Tho. For players, a stable income is not only essential to securing daily life but also a fundamental condition for committing fully to a professional career, a need that becomes particularly urgent for those from economically disadvantaged families, where financial support is rarely sufficient to sustain a path in professional football.
The reality indicates that Hue football is under significant pressure from both internal limitations and external competition. Internally, constrained financial resources hinder clubs’ ability to retain squads, directly undermining players’ training motivation and psychological stability. Therefore, many young talents, though deeply attached to their hometown jersey, are compelled to move elsewhere in pursuit of higher salaries, better benefits, and greater playing opportunities. The departures of Vo Van Minh, Ho Ngoc Luan, Nguyen Cong Nhat, Vo Ly, Tran Thanh, Nguyen Van Sang, Huynh The Hieu, and most recently Ho Thanh Minh, stand as clear evidence of this situation.
Simultaneously, Hue football faces growing pressure from top domestic clubs offering professional training environments along with attractive salaries and welfare packages, which quickly lure away many promising players. Consequently, finance is no longer simply a question of pay and bonuses, but a strategic, make-or-break issue shaping Hue football’s capacity to sustain and develop its playing force in the long run.
Failure to retain technically capable players has made it difficult for Hue to steadily raise the quality of its squad, thereby limiting the team’s ability to produce competitive breakthroughs. When on-field results stagnate, sponsor appeal diminishes in turn, reducing the resources available for player investment. Together, these elements create a vicious cycle: talent shortages lead to disappointing results; weak performances deter sponsors; limited sponsorship constrains investment; and the club, in turn, finds it increasingly difficult to retain and nurture promising players.
This issue has long stood as the biggest obstacle to Hue football’s advancement, with technically accomplished players departing upon reaching their peak, while younger replacements remain short of the experience and mental resilience required to carry the squad. The clearest outcome has been the team’s drop to the Second Division, a disappointing setback that nevertheless mirrors the prolonged hardships endured by Hue football.
Addressing this challenge calls for a comprehensive and long-term strategy for Hue football. Above all, the local authorities must place greater emphasis on systematic investment in youth training - from pitches and equipment to medical care - because only a modern training environment allows players to maximize their potential. In tandem, more competitive opportunities should be provided for young players to gain match experience, refine their skills, and be ready to confront the challenges of the professional game.
Financial resources for Hue football must be reinforced through partnerships with businesses and a more structured approach to football socialization, aimed at improving benefits and fostering the confidence needed for players to remain committed over time. In parallel, the team should cultivate a distinct identity, define a modern playing philosophy, and set long-term development objectives to strengthen trust and loyalty among young players. Community support and media engagement are likewise crucial in boosting visibility, attracting sponsorship, and helping create a higher-quality competitive environment.
For Hue football to truly progress and cement its position, coordinated investment across facilities, the competitive environment, welfare regimes, and long-term planning is essential. Retaining and nurturing young players is not merely the responsibility of the club. Only when players are properly supported, trusted, and fairly rewarded will they commit in the long term, elevate squad quality, and become the pillars guiding the team toward higher achievements, while upholding Ancient Capital’s long-standing football tradition.