More coaches are needed

The Chinese government's ambitious plan to expand the school soccer system has led to concern over the lack of facilities and coaches, while experts are calling for preferential policies to address the issue.

The Chinese School Football program, a three-tier league system covering primary, junior and senior middle schools, aims to include 20,000 schools by 2017, up from more than 5,000 schools currently involving 2.7 million student players, the Education Ministry said.

Soccer courses will be added to some primary and secondary schools' mandatory physical education curriculum to increase the game's talent pool at the grassroots level.