The Chinese Football Association has announced its plans to transform the country into a world football power by 2050.

In a plan posted on its website, the organisation has also revealed its intentions to have 50 million adults and children participating in the sport by 2020 in addition to having at least 20,000 training centres and 70,000 pitches set up in the country.

China's domestic club game has recently made headlines for a number of high-profile signings its teams have made this season, culminating in the capture of coveted Brazilian attacking midfielder Alex Teixeira despite interest from Premier League giants Chelsea in January.

In total, Chinese clubs' winter transfer window expenditure surpassed every other league in the world, bringing in big names such as Chelsea's Ramires, Roma's Gervinho and Atletico Madrid's Jackson Martinez.

The Chinese FA's manifesto spells out its aims for the short, medium and long-term future of the sport in China. This includes having a football pitch for every 10,000 people by 2030, and raising the profile of the men's and women's national teams by the same year, with the ultimate goal of becoming "a first-class football superpower" that "contributes to the international football world" by 2050.

In the current FIFA rankings, China's men's team is ranked 81st, behind the likes of much smaller nations like Cyprus and Jamaica, while the women are ranked 12th.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by ESPN staff

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