China will soon launch a national youth football league in a bid to foster young talent.
According to the Workplan for the China Youth Football League (CYFL) (2022-2024), jointly released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Education, the State General Administration of Sport (GAS) and the Chinese Football Association (CFA), the youth football league is open to all youth teams nationwide, regardless of their background.
"Whoever the team represents, either a public school, a training academy or a professional club can take part," said Qiao Daihu, a CFA official who is in charge of the organization of the league.
The league matches will be categorized into 18 groups, nine for male (U8, U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, U15, U17, U19) and nine for female (U8, U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, U15, U17, College-age).
"I believe this league is conducive to the expansion of China's soccer population and the search and development of talented players as long as we keep doing it," said Wang Liwei, director of GAS's Youth Sports Department.
China has vowed to raise its football team up to the level of the world's leading nations. To this end, the authorities have released a number of guiding policy documents since 2015 including reforming the CFA and the professional leagues, improving campus and community football and increasing the number of facilities available to players, teams and clubs at all levels of the sport.
