Four schools in Changsha county are applying for a special status that could pave the way for them to take part in the national football training program, according to the county’s education bureau.

In November 2014, the Ministry of Education declared soccer a compulsory part of the national curriculum and announced an ambitious plan to build pitches and training facilities at 20,000 schools by 2017 with the goal of getting more than 100,000 kids engaged in the game.

The ministry plans to introduce soccer training programs to at least 6,000 schools this year. Changsha county’s Zhongnan Primary School, Jinying Primary School, Songya Lake Middle School, and the Seventh Middle School are among those who want to join the club.

Xia Yingfang, the dean of studies in Zhongnan Primary School, said that the school has a football pitch and professional coaches and that it has already instigated football classes for students from grade three to six.

She hopes the school could fast-track its campus football development program if it is granted the status it seeks as part of the nationwide school football promotion, which aims to strengthen the talent base for China’s football development.

By Zhang Qiong, edited by Mevlut Katik