Representatives from the 16 teams draw lots to determine the competition order at the pre-match news conference at Cao Yang No 2 High School on June 19. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
A forum on the sustainable development of youth soccer will also be held on July 14. Famous national soccer players, experts and representatives and coaches from the 16 teams will participate in this event.
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.
