According to the official website of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), a delegation consisting of Masahiro Tsuyama, head of AFC's Grassroots and Youth Football Department, Andres and Masao Nakayama, representatives of AFC's Grassroots Football Expert Committee, came to China from April 19-22 to study the development of grassroots soccer in China. They had in-depth exchanges with CFA President Song Kai, Vice President and Secretary General Yuan Yongqing, and Vice President Xu Kiren.
The AFC delegation listened to a report from the Social Football Department of the CFA on the status of grassroots soccer development and future plans in China, and traveled to Tianjin to observe matches of various age groups in the Amateur Football Super League and the China Youth Football League (Tianjin Match), as well as to participate in activities such as the Level D Coaches' Training Course and Level III Referees' Training Course. The site also heard a report from the Tianjin Football Association on the development of grassroots soccer in recent years. Chong Yong, Secretary General of Tianjin Football Association, made a detailed report and accompanied the whole visit.
The AFC delegation visited Beijing to observe the training of the Beijing U11 women's soccer team and first aid skills training for coaches, while exchanging views with Liu Jun, President of the Beijing Football Association (BFA), and Wu Shuo, Deputy Secretary General. Afterwards, the delegation traveled to Love Kickers Youth Football Club (Guomao Campus) to observe youth training and matches. In the evening, they watched the Chinese Super League match between Beijing Guoan and Qingdao West Coast at the Workers' Stadium, where the AFC delegation was impressed by the big screens and pitch-side LED boards promoting grassroots soccer, as well as the youth soccer activities at halftime.
The AFC delegation once again traveled to the China Disabled Persons Sports Management Center to attend the opening ceremony of the 8th Disabled Persons Folk Football Competition to gain a deeper understanding of the participation of special groups in the field of soccer in China.
On the afternoon of April 22, the AFC delegation held a summary meeting with the CFA to review the 4-day visit. The AFC highly affirmed the efforts and achievements made by the CFA and various external stakeholders in the field of grassroots soccer. In recent years, the Chinese government's strong support for soccer, the good operation of the association system, the professional grassroots soccer organizers as well as the high level of coaching and referee training were all recognized by the AFC delegation. At the same time, the AFC delegation also put forward further development suggestions to the CFA on issues such as elite selection and non-elite retention, stadium safety, and number of registrations.
Masahiro Kashiyama concluded, "I saw so many smiling Chinese youths on the green field at the weekend, and I'm sure Chinese soccer will be a success soon!"
AFC's visit is to assess the situation of CFA's application to become a gold-level member of AFC's "Grassroots Football Charter", and AFC plans to complete all the assessment work in May this year. Currently, the CFA is a silver-level member of the AFC Grassroots Football Charter.
