Beijing Bats FC: Building a Community for Women Footballers in the Capital
A few months back we wrote about how Beijing residents can get involved in co-ed rugby in the capital, but that’s not all there is for sports clubs. There are also a few clubs for football available, one of the most active ones being the women’s club Beijing Bats FC.
Started in 2018, the Beijing Bats originally held just training and friendlies with a handful of other teams in the capital until they were able to join in with a larger network of teams from across China. Even though travel to play in tournaments has come to a halt due to Covid, as current captain Aili tells me, more people have joined since the pandemic hit.
Aili, who comes from Italy and has been playing football from a young age, took over after the club founder returned home to the UK, and has been leading the club since. We recently sat down with Aili to learn more about the Bats, when and where they train and play, and how people can take part.
How long have you been playing football, and what originally got you into the sport?
I started playing football, like a lot of people in Italy, when I was six years old, outside with friends and boyfriends, especially in the summer. But my mom told me “you can’t play football! It’s too dangerous for girls.” So I waited until I was 14 and joined a team, playing 11 a side, and never stopped playing.
Tell us a little more about the Beijing Bats, when was the club founded and who is it for?
The club was founded in September 2018 by our first coach Lola, who is now back in England. She left for home, but we were able to take over the club and have been running the club since her departure.
We have a coach named Mirko who has been coaching us for quite a while, and we have another coach named Paul who has recently joined the club. Our team members are basically football lovers and who come from all over the world. The States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, Japan, Italy, Macedonia, France, Germany, and Spain. We also have some members from all across China as well.
It’s nice because you can share in a community of people who love football, and they all come from different styles of football.
How often do the Bats meet for training, and how do matches work?
We train once a week, usually on Sundays. The league started a month ago, and are seven-a-side. We’re in two divisions, Division I and Division II. The Bats will play Division I on Tuesdays and Division II on Wednesdays, with matches lasting about an hour and taking place near 798.
Who would you recommend this club to?
We welcome all levels, we have people who come from different backgrounds in football from all over the world, and we’re the only international female team in Beijing that doesn’t have a male team. There’s a lot of energy in our style and we like it, plus there’s an aspect of female empowerment. We’re an amazing group of players and friends. We’re also chill. We like to play hard and train hard but we also organize regular events with our sponsor Side Street, the burger bar in the hutongs.
It’s a safe place, especially for people like me who haven’t been home in a while. It’s a family where everyone supports each other. In this way we’re able to feel closer to home than we actually are.
How can people get involved with the Bats? Do you have any upcoming games or tournaments?
We train every Sunday at the Side Park in Lido from noon to 2pm. We usually post our flier in our moments or in our groups. For more info, follow us on WeChat (BeijingBatsFC) or contact myself (Aili-alli) or Dalli (yaolan17m) for more info.
READ: Aardvarks Rugby Club Offers Fun and Friendship Through Sport in Beijing
Images courtesy of Beijing Bats FC
