Though China's national football team once again failed to qualify for the World Cup, the passion for the game stays strong. In a rural school in the southwestern city of Chongqing, children are dreaming of playing on the international pitch one day. CGTN's Yang Jinghao reports.

Running tirelessly on the pitch despite repeated tumbles, and trying to score a goal. Unlike most girls her age, 10-year old Ma Huan has made football a big part of her life.

MA HUAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT "I love football very much. I feel great playing it and the sport has become a friend of mine."

The third grader at Sanhe Township Elementary School in Chongqing practices for at least two hours every day, even on rainy days. Back home, chores like cooking await her, especially since her parents are gone a lot, seeking work in big cities.

YANG JINGHAO CHONGQING "About half the students in this school are so-called 'left-behind' children. For them, football is not just about fun. It's a chance for them to change their destiny, in a time when the country is advancing the development of the sport."

Like most rural schools in China, Sanhe has seen a lack of sufficient educational resources. In 2013, the principal decided to establish a girls' football team, in an attempt to explore some opportunities for these children.

SUN XIAOMING, PRINCIPAL SANHE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL "I just wanted to bring them out of the mountains and into school with better resources via football. They'll be more appealing to universities in the future."

The principal's goal encountered multiple challenges. There was no field at the school, and the students could only train on the concrete playgrounds. What's more, none of the teachers knew enough about football to coach them.

MA BAILIN SANHE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH "I had little football experience or training in the beginning as I used to be a Chinese language teacher. Then we tried to improve ourselves by learning from the coaches at other schools or through the videos."

Their efforts have paid off. Over the past few years, the young footballers have won championships at several city-level and even national-level matches. About 50 students, mostly girls, have also been selected to top-notch schools in the city with their football talents. In 2015, China issued a football reform blueprint, vowing to expand the population of teenage footballers. The principal considers this a great opportunity for the school.

SUN XIAOMING, PRINCIPAL SANHE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL "I hope that some of the children can become professional football players in the future, and that most of them will come back after graduating from college and spread the football culture and skills to the younger generations."

Ma Huan is just one of the children dreaming of playing at the international level for China one day. It might be early to say whether or not her dream will come true, but what is certain, her love of the game is real, coming from deep within her heart. YJH, CGTN, Chongqing.