Shanghai SIPG Football Club lends support to youth soccer tournament

Shanghai SIPG Football Club will provide financial support and sports equipment for the China (Shanghai) International Youth Football Invitational 2019 that is scheduled to take place in Shanghai from July 8 to 14, according to a pre-match conference on July 5 at No 1 High School Affiliated to Tongji University.

The youth team of SIPG club will be participating in the tournament, competing against Xuejun high school from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on July 9.

"More domestic and foreign teams are participating in this tournament, a sign that the event is increasing in influence. Besides bringing the world together through soccer, the tournament also helps with the development of national youth soccer," said Luo Yiping, the representative of Football Club Villefranche Beaujolais from France.

Launched in 2015 as part of China's bid to become a soccer powerhouse by 2050, the annual tournament comprises six international teams and 10 local teams. Thirty two matches will take place at local high schools during the competition period.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Education, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, this year's invitational features 10 youth soccer players as its ambassadors to encourage the young players to take part in the sport. More than 360 volunteers from local colleges and high schools have also been enlisted to help.

China's efforts to bolster interest and participation in the sport have been gaining pace. According to the Ministry of Education, the goal of having 20,000 soccer-themed schools in the country by 2020 has already been met – there were 20,218 such schools in the country as of February 2018.

Shanghai, widely considered a soccer stronghold in the country, has more than 400 schools playing in regional and national competitions. The number of registered student players in the city has also surged from 4,500 to 30,000 over the past few years.