Local governments to issue plans to revitalize soccer

Local governments of China are expected to issue plans to revitalize soccer, after the central government passed an ambitious blueprint to reform the sport recently, media reports say.

China passed a sweeping plan to develop soccer in February. Goals outlined in the plan included honing soccer skills among the country's younger generation, raising the competitiveness of the country's national soccer teams, and hosting the World Cup.

Following the ambitious master plan, various local governments have come up with measures to promote the sport.

In Beijing, the country's capital, a three-year plan for school soccer is in formulation. The city is expected to spend 50 million yuan (about US$8 million) on soccer education in primary and secondary schools. A total of 200 schools will be developed with a focus on soccer. The capital is also set to promote the sport in its subordinate districts.

In the county's central Hubei Province, a plan to revitalize the sport is currently being drafted. The province pledged to invest 50 million yuan in the next three years to build 550 to 650 schools with a special focus on soccer. The provincial capital Wuhan has also applied to host the Asian qualifiers of the 2018 World Cup.

Thirty small-sized pitches were built in Guangzhou, southern China in 2014 and the city is set to build 34 more in 2015 and 36 in 2016.

Many Chinese are soccer enthusiasts, including the country's President Xi Jinping who led the central reform group which passed the national soccer plan. Yet the performance of China's national teams has let down enthusiasts for years. The national male team is ranked the 83rd in the world and only made it to the World Cup finals once in 2002 when the host countries Japan and South Korea automatically qualified. The women's team is also struggling to retain its place in the first tier in Asia.