China's soccer promotion aims to score goals with the country's youth

Source:Global Times Published: 2019/12/22 17:48:39

Female students of a Huairen city primary school in Southwest China's Guizhou Province are trained to score a goal on June 19. Photo: cnsphoto

China has 27,059 schools featuring soccer education, and 160 pilot counties and districts for soccer reform, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Friday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Additionally, 38 soccer reform experimental areas and 80 soccer training camps have been established, according to the statement.

Soccer education is a project launched by the State Council and targets primary and middle school students.

"The establishment of schools featuring soccer education is to make sure every student in these schools can play soccer through a soccer class every week, enjoy systematic soccer training and campus soccer matches, as well as get access to higher level soccer competitions," said Wand Dengfeng, head of the department of physical, health and arts education of the MOE. 

He added that the project plays a decisive role in spreading and promoting campus soccer.

Promoting the sport in primary and middle schools can help with selecting excellent players. "Through competitions of all levels, excellent players can be selected from schools, townships and the whole country," said Wang. 

"It is a very sound talent selection mechanism," Wang added.

A foreign soccer coach trains students of a Qinhuangdao city primary school in North China's Hebei Province on December 9. The coach is with a soccer training project and will provide a 10-month-training for the students. Photo: cnsphoto

A girl in soccer training at a Huairen city primary school on June 19 Photo: cnsphoto

A fierce soccer match is held at Changjiang senior high school in Nantong city of East China's Jiangsu Province on Saturday. Photo: cnsphoto

Athletes from universities of both China and Japan shake hands after a friendship soccer match in Hohhot, capital of North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on November 13. Photo: cnsphoto


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