British restaurateur feeding Chinese kids' passion on pitch

Harry Spencer is best known in Shanghai for being the owner of Mr Harry, a restaurant famed for serving such authentic British cuisine as black pudding, Scotch eggs and fish 'n' chips.

Since last year, however, the London-born entrepreneur has shifted some of his chips from the deep fryer to another industry: the youth soccer market.

In mid-2017 Spencer established Star Coaching with his business partner, Edward Epstein, a lawyer who has lived in China for over three decades.

The business provides two soccer training programs: Little Soccer Stars for kids aged 3 to 7, and the Star Coaching Program for those aged 8 to 16.

A unique element of Little Soccer Stars is that parents are encouraged to join the sessions. Spencer believes that this method allows them to foster closer bonds with their kids and cultivate a love for the sport.

The academy currently employs three full-time and five part-time coaches, all of whom possess coaching licenses issued by the English Football Association, UEFA or FIFA.

Spencer said that Star Coaching is one of the few academies in the city that provides training for very young children.

"We believe it is better that the kids get an earlier head start. Back in the UK, the children begin training the moment they can walk," he said.

"Our coaches have rich, international experience and apart from valuable soccer skills, they can also help improve the English skills of these Chinese children."

Star Coaching is far from Spencer's first foray into the sports industry, with several of his ventures mushrooming out of conversations with his restaurant customers, who include the likes of influential publisher and Hurun Report chairman Rupert Hoogewerf.

Some customers have approached Spencer to inquire about attracting soccer players and coaches to China. He's even helped a friend in England find a Chinese buyer for a soccer club.

Realizing that he was spending a lot of time on soccer-related matters, Spencer decided to forge a separate career out of this passion.

In 2016, he became managing director of the First Pick Group, a sports service company that specializes in soccer transfers, commercial deals, acquisitions and academies.

Along the way, he discovered that China's progress on the pitch was hampered by a lack of qualified coaches.

Spencer recalled meeting youth coaches who were overweight and nonchalant about smoking in front of their trainees.

"Smoking might not sound like a big deal, but the children look up to these coaches as role models. They need to set a good example for the young ones," he said.

When asked about the differences between the soccer industries in China and Britain, Spencer pointed to fan culture.

"People in the UK are very passionate and loyal to their favorite teams. Fans in China have yet to reach that stage. That is why the soccer culture in the UK is much stronger than here," he said.