Quote:Football is now a compulsory part of the national curriculum in China. The “football reform plan,” starts with opening over 20,000 soccer-based schools and academies, with the ambition of producing more than 100,000 players by 2017. Along with starting children at a younger age, there will also be study abroad programs set up in places like Spain and the Netherlands for advanced students. In places like Beijing, football will be added to the mandatory high school entrance exam, and schools will be required to include the sport in its physical education classes. http://the18.com/news/china-has-new-priority-and-priority-footballTom Byer is involved in the implementation of this program. He discusses some of the challenges in implementing the Chinese School Football program in this podcasr: : http://www.beyondthepitch.net/podcasts/edition/index.cfm/one-world-sports/2015/08/12/If this takes off it's going to make WC qualification via the AFC that much harder. But apart from that Byer offers ideas and strategies that should give the FFA and all football supporters a lot to think about.
Its a game for everyone. Its not pale, male, or stale. It transcends race, gender, economic status. Its for everyone. - Tal Karp
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