On first glance, things don’t look good. They’re ranked 96th in the world by FIFA behind such luminaries as Gabon, Libya and Guatemala. That, however, may be about to change. It’s all thanks to a gigantic football academy, reputedly the largest anywhere on Earth, which will house more than 50 pitches and 2,400 students and is designed to propel team China towards World Cup glory.
But there’s more. In a bid to transform these kids into Chinese Beckham’s and Neymar’s, a squad of Spanish coaches have been imported through a partnership with Real Madrid. When China wants to succeed, it will – just look at their swimming and gymnastics programmes.
China has cultivated athletic dominance in a mind blowing array of sports as a result of guiding thousands of young children into state run athletic schools therefore there’s no reason why this won’t work for football. However China remains a football laggard, having only qualified for the World Cup just once.
So, whether the academy will fulfil it’s aspiring motto “boosting China’s football and cultivating football stars” is yet to be seen and is no assurance, however it can only be a step in the right direction for the country that has not experienced any football joy in its history.
for more information check out the football academies site at www.evergrande.com
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