Plans to open 20,000 specialist football schools in 2017, aimed at training young players and cultivating talent, are part of the government's latest plan to advance China's ability to compete on the global pitch.
The Office for National Youth Campus Football said that China already had 13,381 "special football schools" as of 2016, and 69 counties are piloting programs for football in schools, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.
The office predicts the number of football schools will increase to 20,000 this year and reach 50,000 by 2025.
Wang Dengfeng, director of the Physical Education, Health and Art Department under the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Vice Chairman of the China Football Association, was quoted as saying that football experts are designing curriculums for more than 360 training programs in primary and secondary schools.
Coaches at the schools will be provided with training and instructional videos to better ensure quality, said the report.
Xinhua reported in 2015 that the MOE and five other central government departments were putting together a task force to ensure that football thrives in the country's schools.
Their duties include cultivating the development of football on China's campuses through promulgating laws and policies, outlining annual plans, and reviewing rules and budgets for promoting the sport among the nation's students and youth.
President Xi Jinping is also a well-known football fan, who has repeatedly voiced his support for the sport's development in China.
According to the Guangzhou-based Soccer News on July 7, 2011, the then vice president Xi said that he had "three dreams" for Chinese football: to qualify for the World Cup, host the World Cup, and win the World Cup.
