FC Barcelona will open a football school, the FCBEscola Qingdao Huanghai, in China as part of its efforts to continue its international expansion, the La Liga giants announced at a press conference held at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona.

The project stems from a cooperation agreement between FCBEscola and Huanghai Pharmaceutical, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in China.

The signing was attended by FC Barcelona Social Area and First Vice President, Jordi Cardoner and FCBEscoles Director, Òscar Grau, as well as the President of Qingdao Huanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Wang Zekai.

The creation of this school is as part of efforts made be FC Barcelona in collaborating with Chinese authorities in the development of a nationwide football project in China. 

Supported by the government and the football federation of Qingdao, the football project will be developed in two phases: the first will be the assignment of facilities from the Branch School and Laosham School. In the second phase, Huanghai Pharmaceutical is planning on building the first training ground based on the Ciutat Esportiva in Qingdao, specially built for the FCBEscola.

Commenting on the deal, Jordi Cardoner said:”We would like to congratulate Huanghai Pharmaceutical for its commitment to educating young people through football. We appreciate its trust and support on this project that will allow us to transmit the values of our Club to Chinese fans and collaborate in the development of football in the country. The FCBEscola project has grown a lot in recent years and we want to give it more momentum in order to expand the model around the world.”

“The model for training players at La Masia is, in my opinion, the best in the world, so I'm sure that with Barça we will make football bigger in Qingdao and in China. We have maximum enthusiasm and resources and Barça is lending us all its knowledge for this project to become a success, “Wang Zekai said.

The FCBEscola has experienced a strong growth in recent years, with a presence in over 50 countries on five continents. Apart from the new project in Qingdao, FC Barcelona already has another school in Wuhan, China. 

Source: China News and FCBESCOLA