Dalian, a city in Northeast China's Liaoning province, has unveiled an ambitious plan to revitalize its reputation as a "soccer city." The "Dalian Soccer Development and Revitalization Plan" aims to boost local soccer development through various initiatives, including campus soccer, youth training, community soccer, professional soccer, and women's soccer projects.
The plan earmarks an annual investment of 50 million yuan ($7 million) starting in 2024 to support these initiatives. Dalian will establish its own annual soccer super league this year, aiming to develop it into a comprehensive, year-round event that covers the entire region. By 2025, the goal is to develop a soccer industry exceeding 20 billion yuan.
Dalian has a rich soccer legacy, having trained over 200 Chinese international players since 1949. The city was also part of the first group of nine key national soccer development cities during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). The latest initiative comes after the dissolution of the Dalian Professional FC, a prominent Chinese Super League club.
The plan emphasizes exploring unique development paths and experiences tailored to Dalian's characteristics. It aims to fortify soccer training programs, promote community soccer, foster a conducive development environment, strengthen women's soccer foundations, expand talent pools, boost soccer-related economic activities, and take forward Dalian's unique soccer culture.
Key initiatives outlined in the plan include hosting over 35,000 matches annually, gradually increasing the number of soccer fields to over 1,300, and registering more than 2,000 coaches and 2,500 referees by 2025. The plan also envisages strengthening soccer training at 300 schools, building and operating two city-level and 12 district-level youth soccer training centers, and registering over 22,000 young players.
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