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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