Beach soccer is expected to take wings in China, since the first Asian Football Confederation Beach Soccer Championship was held in Erdos and four more will come in future.[Photo provided to China Daily]

China has its sights set on being a world soccer power within the next few decades. But another form of the game is beginning to make its presence felt in the country

In China, the world's most popular sport has packed up its gear and headed to the beach for some summertime fun. No longer is the game largely confined to green pitches, many of them the centerpiece of giant soccer stadiums, during the colder months, but is now played on the likes of the golden sands of Copacabana Beach in Brazil.

But if you are going to give an old game a new twist, why restrict it to one of the world's leading soccer nations? And indeed why stop at beaches?

A couple of months ago in Erdos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region - with the nearest coastal beach 800 kilometers away - barefooted soccer players were kicking a ball around on sand as pumping music blared out of a sound system.

"It's true that beach soccer was originally played on beaches by the sea, but that does not mean it needs to be limited to them," says Xiao Yang, general manager of Cherry Sports Co of Beijing, which brought the tournament played in Erdos, the Asian Football Confederation Beach Soccer Championship, to China.

Those watching in Erdos were treated to a spectacle of acrobatics, deft footwork, overhead kicks, diving headers and long-range shots at goal. The performers: a new breed of soccer player who belong to a team of five that takes to the grainy field for 36 minutes in three spells of 12 minutes. In the regular game, teams consist of 11 players who compete to score goals over 90 minutes in two spells of 45 minutes.

The sandy playing area in the beach game is smaller than in the regular game, 900-1,000 square meters compared with about 7,000 square meters in the regular game. That means games can be played at a much more frenetic pace, and it tends to favor many goals being scored.

In the first Asian Football Confederation Beach Soccer Championship in Erdos, eight Asian countries were represented. Iran won the tournament, with China sixth. The others that took part were Bahrain, Japan, Lebanon, Oman, Thailand, Vietnam. Four more such championships are due to be held in China over the next four years, and organizers hope it will help the game gain a foothold in China.