China to build 50,000 football schools by 2025

[Photo: Sina]

Chinese sports authorities have upped their objectives to try to fast-track football development in this country.

Original plans to have 20-thousand schools created specifically for football by 2020 have now advanced, with authorities saying they expect to have 20-thousand football programs operational at schools before the end of this year.

The broader plans are to create 50-thousand of these schools by 2025.

Wang Dengfeng, vice president of the China Football Association, says this is a game changer for Chinese football.

"The goal is to have 50,000 football schools in China. On average, each school could train 1,000 young players, and that means we can have 50 million young soccer players, who can play the game well. This is a solid way to select of football talent for our future reserves. Improving Chinese football is no longer just a dream."

Football experts are also in the process of designing 360 different training programs to be implemented in primary and secondary schools.

Coaches will also be provided with better training and instructional videos.

The move part of a broader ambition by Chinese President Xi Jinping, an avid football fan, who has laid-out a series of benchmarks for Chinese football, including qualifying for the World Cup, hosting the World Cup, and eventually winning the World Cup.