A LONG-TERM plan regarding the development of soccer in the city, issued by the city government Wednesday, specifies that there will be 900 soccer fields in Shenzhen by 2020, meaning that there will be 0.6 soccer fields for every 10,000 people, according to sznews.com.

Shenzhen has a glorious history of soccer development. The former Shenzhen Soccer Club was launched in 1994 and was the winner of the first Chinese Super League championship. In 2005, the club fetched third place in the Asian Club Championship.

Currently, there are six male teenage soccer echelons and two female teenage soccer echelons in Shenzhen. Over 10,627 students from 180 schools in Shenzhen have registered to participate in on-campus soccer matches in the city. Incomplete statistics show that there are over 3,000 amateur soccer teams comprised of over 100,000 residents in Shenzhen.

The city government has set several goals for soccer development in Shenzhen. According to the plan, 50 percent of schools in Shenzhen will join the city’s campus soccer project and the number of registered teenage players will reach 10,000 as of 2020. Additionally, there will be at least 600 amateur soccer league teams with over 8,000 players in total.

The city government has also set the goals for Shenzhen to be one of the leading cities in Asia in soccer development by 2030 and one of the leading cities globally by 2050.

In a bid to achieve the goals, the city government will introduce an array of supportive policies, offer financial support to cultivate teenage players and encourage the construction of community soccer fields in residential areas. A foundation will be set up to raise donations and provide funding for charity soccer events.

Soccer field operators, soccer clubs and social organizations will enjoy favorable tax policies. Corporations and individuals who donate soccer facilities to support the city’s soccer development will also enjoy tax reductions.

(Zhang Yang)