Back to school

China plans to become a world soccer superpower by 2050, and, in the process, to get 50 million children and adults playing the game by 2020. It also aims to train 50,000 full-time and part-time coaches by 2020.

But there remains a major shortage of qualified coaches here, especially at grassroots level. The preference for foreigners has resulted in a lack of investment in coaching, while many former Chinese professional players prefer to follow management or business career paths after hanging up their boots.

The CFA is planning to address these issues by developing a network of high-quality grassroots coaches, with a special focus on eliciting more participation from schools, and continuing to encourage players to earn their coaching badges. Last month, the governing body revealed it has launched coach-training courses for players at 48 professional clubs.

The CFA, though, denied rumors it will take drastic action by banning foreign coaches from the CSL.

"Chinese soccer is always open to the world, because we can always learn from high-level soccer talent," said CFA vice-president Li Yuyi at a recent industry forum.

"We certainly are determined to develop domestic coaches and youth training, and that forms our foundation for soccer success."

Xinhua