China to introduce Fluminense Academy to boost campus soccer

A delegation from the academy affiliated to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Fluminense recently paid a visit to Inner Mongolia, China to look at the possibility of helping the local sports governing body establish soccer academies and develop campus soccer in the region.

As a pilot province in the implementation of soccer reform, Inner Mongolia seeks to introduce a more established training system from the Brazilian soccer academy to campus soccer in the region by co-founding one or two soccer schools catering for youngsters of different ages, said Tan Jingfeng, head of the Inner Mongolia Sports Bureau.

The Brazilian club has agreed to help build soccer academies in China in an effort to foster talents, according to Xinhua, a leading  Chinese News Agency.

Waldemar Lemos, a coach of Novo Rio Soccer-Guerreirinhos do Fluminense, who has vast experience of coaching in Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, stressed the importance of systematic training.

"Indeed, Brazil itself boasts a large pool of soccer talents. But they can't succeed automatically; they also need to go through systematic training".

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was listed last year as a pilot province to implement China’s soccer-oriented reform. In the meantime the province has launched soccer leagues in locations throughout the region, ranging from primary schools to universities.

Source: Xinhua

Proofread by John Devlin.