Aiming to reach President Xi Jinping’s goal to make China a soccer superpower by 2050, Guangdong has called for the establishment of soccer schools in its free-trade zone, news reports say.

Chen Guangjun, deputy director general for the Guangdong Pilot Free-Trade Zone’s general office, said during a press conference that he would like to further the collaboration between the zone and both Spanish and Portuguese-speaking nations in sports and cultural exchanges, reports the South China Morning Post.

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Chen told reporters present during the conference, which was held in celebration of the zone’s first anniversary, that Real Madrid has already set up a soccer school in Qingyuan. Chen added that they are now in negotiations with Brazil’s Gremio.

Chen also said that he is hoping that Hengqin and Guangzhou will set up more soccer schools as well as more soccer competitions.

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Chen’s comments came in just about a week after President Xi announced his desire to make China a superpower in the sport. After Mr. Xi’s announcement, several developments in the field of soccer started happening.

Guangzhou University, for example, reportedly started a four-year curriculum that aims to produce high-quality soccer players for the country. Although the curriculum hasn’t been finalized yet, an estimated 100 to 150 students are expected to be included in it when it starts in September.

Guangdong also has two existing soccer schools that are in place: the R&F Soccer School in Meizhou that was made in association with the Chelsea Football Club, and the Evergrande Football School which is built through collaboration with Real Madrid.

TagsSoccer, Guangdong, Guangdong Free-Trade Zone, Xi Jinping, real madrid