Dreams come true

(Baonghean) - The profession has been talking a lot about him, a coach who is not very old but dares to think and dares to do. When SLNA did not have the budget for U.13 to participate in the national tournament, he proposed many times, even willing to spend his own money. His desire to play football made General Director Nguyen Hong Thanh change his mind and support him. The convincing championship is a priceless reward for his will and desire.

10 years of hardship

We are talking about coach Tran Quang Dung, who left a special mark in the championship achievement of U.13 SLNA at the national tournament recently held in Khanh Hoa.

Although he is not part of the generation of famous players who played for SLNA in the 90s of the last century, Tran Quang Dung received a very systematic football training. Tran Quang Dung participated in local football talent classes and competed in many mass tournaments. After that, he took the entrance exam and was admitted to the Central University of Sports 1, majoring in Football.

Having experience in competition and being trained properly, after graduating (in 2003), Tran Quang Dung was accepted into the Song Lam "furnace". It is not known whether it was a coincidence that Tran Quang Dung was also assigned to manage and train the U.13 team of the "furnace". However, before his passion could ignite, a challenge came to Tran Quang Dung. At that time, the age fraud case in 2001 of SLNA was exposed. As a result, SLNA's U.11 and U.13 teams were banned from competing in national tournaments for a long time.

Everything was turned upside down and Tran Quang Dung was also affected a lot. After that, his most memorable memory was the time when SLNA U.17 won the championship and he participated as an assistant. After experiencing many U-teams, Tran Quang Dung returned to the familiar "cycle" at Song Lam "furnace" by leading the U.10 team in 2011.

At this time, General Director Nguyen Hong Thanh returned and youth training also became very systematic. Tran Quang Dung seemed to have revived his passion. The difficulty at this time was the issue of funding. Due to financial pressure, SLNA's U teams from the age of 10 to 15 had almost no competition, even in tournaments within the system of the Vietnam Football Federation.

Glory beckons

Leading the U.13 team at a time when the team had not been able to participate in the national tournament for 5 years due to financial reasons. As a teacher, he understood the disappointment of his students. With the knowledge he had learned and experienced, Tran Quang Dung believed that when young players have not been exposed to such competition for many years, in addition to their skills being difficult to improve, their will and desire will also decrease.

Coach Tran Quang Dung surrounded by fans welcoming U.13 at Vinh station

According to the plan from the beginning of the year, SLNA leaders still did not intend to send U.13 to participate in the national tournament. Coach Tran Quang Dung proposed many times, but it was still not accepted. Near the date of finalizing the list of teams registered for the tournament, he personally met with General Director Nguyen Hong Thanh and suggested that if the club had financial difficulties, he and his assistant would pay out of their own pocket, and the players would also accept a reduction in allowances to "be able" to participate in the tournament. "Seeing Dung's desire and determination, I was moved. The club was in difficulty, but I discussed with relevant departments to balance and allocate funds for U.13 to participate in the tournament. That is necessary, for young players, losing morale is not advisable, it can easily cause consequences...", General Director Nguyen Hong Thanh confided.

Agreed to participate in the tournament. Even the most optimistic person would only dare to dream that U.13 would be in the group with medals. The reason is that, in addition to the weak force this year, U.13 SLNA also has to face leading football centers such as PVF, Viettel, HN.T&T, Ho Chi Minh City... As for coach Tran Quang Dung, the challenge is much greater when on the first night in Thai Binh to prepare for the qualifying round, he received the bad news that his father had passed away. Leaving behind many plans and aspirations for his assistant Xuan Cuong, he returned home to mourn his father.

Knowing the sad story of Tran Quang Dung's family, his assistant and his students were determined not to let the "Teacher's" sadness be doubled. They successfully passed the group stage to be present at the final round held in Khanh Hoa. Putting aside the sadness of losing a loved one, Tran Quang Dung returned to the team.

Not a highly rated team in the season. But with his very special way of inspiring, Tran Quang Dung maximized the strength of each individual and the team, to successively overcome "heavyweight" opponents and then win the championship after exactly 10 years of waiting.

After this valuable championship, Tran Quang Dung became more well-known. That is important, creating a highlight for his coaching career.

Vinh Liem