'Field of Dreams’: China to build thousands of soccer pitches as part of plan to become football superpower
Government wants national soccer team to be among best in world by 2050
China plans to have more than 70,000 soccer pitches available for everyone to use by 2020 as the country continues to map out ways of revitalising the sport, the government said on Tuesday.
President Xi Jinping is an avid soccer fan and China is in the midst of a plan to turn its national team into one of the world’s best by 2050, although the sport has been damaged by match-fixing scandals and poor performances on the field.
China has worked since 2009 to promote grassroots soccer and crush illegal gambling syndicates, but admitted last year its efforts were still lagging.
China sets out grand plan to become world’s soccer superpower by 2050
The latest part of the scheme, released by the powerful planning body the National Development and Reform Commission in conjunction with the sports and education ministries, focuses on increasing the number of pitches.
At the end of 2013 the country had about 10,000 pitches in “quite good” condition and there are also some 40,000 in schools, the plan said.
The ones at schools would be renovated while another 20,000 would be built for society at large to use, it added.
Pitches at schools and companies will be opened for other members of the community to use, either free or at reduced cost, and two new national training centres will be built, according to the plans.
