Schools scoring some big goals

Shanghai has achieved rapid progress in soccer development over the past few years, as evidenced by its growing number of soccer schools and coaches.

In 2015, the government released a national soccer development blueprint aimed at having 20,000 soccer-themed schools - educational institutions that employ professional soccer coaches and have regular soccer classes - in the country by 2020.

Ministry of Education statistics released in February showed China now has 20,218 soccer-themed schools, compared to 5,000 in 2015.