The government of the city of Dalian has published its football development plans to drive professional and grass root football development in Dalian. 

The plan has set out some clear short term quantifiable goals for the period 2018-2020. During this period, Dalian aims to have 5-7 professional football clubs with the Dalian CSL men’s team ranked in top six and their Chinese Women’s Super League team remaining in the top three. 

The number of coaches should reach over 900 and the number of referees over 2000.  The plan’s goals sees more than 20 age-group youth teams in professional clubs and over 300 amateur youth teams. They plan to have over 150 amateur football clubs, over 3000 amateur football teams; 2-3 national youth training centers, 3-5 city level youth training centers, 8-10 district youth training centers, 200 national specialized football schools and more than 12000 registered youth football players. The percentage of professional football players should account for over 8% of long-term residents.

The 2021-2030 mid to long-term development plan is set, with the goals for this period including making football a name card for the city, citizens having better participation and experiences in football and football becoming an important part of the daily life. Football reforms will reach a deeper level,and football management systems and mechanics to become more efficient. The football talent development system will be better developed with Dalian becoming a renowned hub for producing football talent. Finally, football will become a pillar sector in the sports industry in Dalian. 

To realize these goals, Dalian plans to prioritize the development of youth football. The number of specialized football schools is expected to multiply in three years, with the speed of increase no less than 50% each year. 

In addition, the city will drive healthy development of professional football and expand the scale of social football. The city plans to enhance the building and management of football pitches and facilities and reach the national standard of 0.7 football pitches for every 10000 people. 

Reference: Hupu

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick