During my research on our opponents in the lead up to Australia’s Asian Cup campaign, I came across an interesting article on China. It explored the path that Chinese football is taking in order to bring ’round ball game’ success to the country .
I automatically thought of us here at IFS. In particular our key role nurturing IFS students to reach their aspirations and in thereby doing our part to help Australia become a powerhouse in World football.
The article explains that China’s Ministry of Education recently announced that soccer will become a compulsory part of the physical education program in primary and high colleges. Students skill in the sport will form part of their performance evaluation.
This decision is part of efforts to achieve the soccer dream of President Xi Jinping who, in 2011, expressed his hope that China would make it to another FIFA World Cup. He hopes that China will one day host the tournament and ultimately win the title.
So far, China has qualified for the World Cup Finals only once. The 2002 tournament in Japan/South Korea saw China lose all three group stage games without scoring a goal.
This new policy to promote soccer in colleges involves mandatory classes, which are intended to increase the skills of younger players for the future.
Some business people in China have also begun playing their part in achieving the ‘Chinese Soccer Dream.’ Hui Kayan, founder and chairman of the Guangzhou-based Evergrande Group, has spent US$200 million to set up the world’s largest soccer academy, which trains 2,300 young players.
E-commerce giant Alibaba has also invested in Evergrande while Dalian Wanda Group, a former owner of China’s top professional team, is expected to resume its involvement in the sport.
Authorities in Beijing also hired American coach Tom Byer, who runs over 100 soccer academies in Japan. Tom has been credited with developing the grassroots soccer program in the country and as an adviser in promoting the sport.
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