The Dream Fund Jaguar Football Campus kicks off in Chengdu

Jaguar Land Rover and the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF) have kicked off a three-year football initiative in Chengdu with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

Forming part of the China Children and Youth Dream Fund, it will see the Premier League team providing professional training for more than 40 sports teachers.

Using the North London club’s advanced training methods will allow the teachers to provide customised training for the city’s youth and help develop the standard of the national game.

The opening of the Jaguar Football Campus is a key programme for the Dream Fund, with Anthea Wang, Jaguar Land Rover China’s EVP of Public Relations and Corporate Communications explaining China’s grand football ambitions, adding:

“The national football development plan gives top priority to ‘promoting football on campus and bringing football back to education’.”

Former Tottenham player and now a coach at the club, David Howells, expressed how proud the club is to support CSCLF and the Dream Fund with this new football campus.

“We have been impressed by the Chinese children’s passion for football,” he added. “Thanks to the power of football and Tottenham Hotspur’s growing fanbase in China, we strive to make a positive difference to those involved in this project.”

The Dream Fund and Tottenham have supported other football projects with more than 8,000 young people benefiting from the Guangzhou campus. Madam Jiuhing Tang, Director of Fund Department of CSCLF, said: “We share the same vision to create more opportunities for Chinese children. This joint initiative is our long commitment to the young generation’s healthy development and well-being.”

Chengdu was selected as one of the pilot cities for this football campus with 30 of the best young trainees getting the opportunity to take part in a one-week UK training programme.

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