Nation to have 70,000 soccer fields by 2020
China will have more than 70,000 soccer fields by the end of 2020, according to the latest government plan to develop the sport in the country, which observers said will significantly propel the country's physical education forward.
According to an announcement released by the National Development and Reform Commission together with the sports and education ministries, by the end of 2013, China had around 10,000 soccer fields in "relatively good condition," which is much fewer compared with major soccer nations.
"The goal can easily be reached, as schools currently have 40,000 soccer fields which only require renovation or reconstruction," Wang Dazhao, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times.
"The Ministry of Finance will allocate special funds for schools to build soccer fields to help promote the sport in schools," Wang said, pointing out that many schools are currently reluctant to promote physical education.
China has been prioritizing soccer as part of the country's physical education. According to the Mid- and Long-Term Development Plan for Chinese Soccer released by the National Development and Reform Commission in April, the number of schools specializing in soccer will reach 20,000, and over 30 million primary and high school students will regularly play soccer by 2020. Another 20,000 public soccer fields will be built, the announcement read.
"The main problem with building public soccer fields is land planning. The Ministry of Land and Resources has already done research on the matter, and the government will also provide funding for their construction," Wang said.
Chinese soccer has been plagued by the lackluster performance of its national teams. The men's team, now ranked 81st in the world, qualified for one World Cup final in 2002, and the team recently qualified for the third round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers.
In 2011, Chinese President Xi Jinping, a noted soccer fan, said he hopes China would qualify for, host and win a World Cup, the People's Daily WeChat account reported.
With hosting and qualifying for the World Cup finals listed as long-term goals, China launched in 2015 a plan to increase the number of young people playing soccer with the number of special "soccer schools" raised to 20,000 by 2020.
