Apart from previous efforts to promote football in schools, the Shenzhen Municipal Government has recently released a comprehensive guide document on promoting football training at all levels.

    The document outlines an array of guidelines for reviving Shenzhen’s professional football teams, football training in schools as well as favorable policies for football industries from 2016 to 2020.

    It puts forward specific goals such as helping Shenzhen to have a stronger team that can compete at the Chinese Football Association Super League by 2018 and to have half of all schools in Shenzhen participating in organized football training.

    In terms of training young footballers, the guide document requires the number of registered teenage football players to reach 10,000. The government will lend its support in making 300 schools municipal-level special schools for football training.

    Meanwhile, football training camps for players aged between 7 and 12 years old will be set up around the city.

    The document also demands the building of six men’s teams and three women’s teams for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 years old.

    In terms of professional football training, the government pledges to invest more to set up special funds for football training and football clubs.

    Clubs that use “Shenzhen” in their names and participate in national professional football leagues can apply for up to 25 million yuan (US$3.69 million) in funding per season with winning teams receiving more funding.

    (Zhang Qian)