China football development plan envisions 50 million players

BEIJING — China has announced a plan to develop the nation’s football talent that envisions 50 million players joining in the game by the end of the decade.

The Chinese Football Association’s plan calls for the country to have 70,000 football pitches, including those newly built and refurbished.

It targets long-neglected youth programs, with more than 30 million primary and secondary schools to play regularly, the training of 10,000 coaches, and to more than double the number of specialized academies to 20,000.

The plan will be rolled out in three stages, with the short term goals set for 2020, midterm for 2030 and long-term for 2050.

Despite its sporting prowess, China has found little success in international football. President Xi Jinping has recently made changing that a national priority.