On October 28, FC Barcelona’s Barça Academy officially launched a partnership with Yunnan Province, setting up a Barça Academy in the Chinese southwestern province. 

The partnership was reached between Yunnan Investment Sports and Yuxi Fuxian Lake Protection Development and Investment Co., Ltd., and FC Barcelona. The two state-owned companies have jointly set up Yunan Fuxian Lake International Football Youth Training Base Investment Co., Ltd., with CNY100m to run the Barça Academy projects in Yunnan Province. 

They will build three Barça Academies in three cities, Kunming, Lijiang and Yuxi with one of these three cities hosting a major permanent Barça Academy. In addition to the academies, they will build a sports complex which will serve as an international football training and competition destination and a sports rehabilitation destination. The sports complex will be used for future collaborations with FC Barcelona. 

Yunnan Baiyao Group Co., Ltd, one of the top companies originates from the Yunnan Province and a regional partner of FC Barcelona, will also assist with the introduction of the Barça Academy project to Yunnan Province. 

Currently, the Kunming Barça Academy is located in Yunnan’s national sports training base, Haigeng Sports Training Base. Lijiang Barça Academy is being built, and the plan and design of Yuxi Barça Academy is going through some final adjustments. 

FC Barcelona, Yunnan Investment Sports and Yuxi Fuxian Lake Protection Development and Investment Co., Ltd. reached an initial common understanding of collaboration in 2017. FCB visited Yunnan in April, 2018 for discussions and visit the potential sites. 

Reference: Xinhua 

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick