Barcelona to open academy in southern China

Barcelona have partnered with Mission Hills Group to launch a new FCBEscola in China, which will be the first football school of its kind directly managed by the club.

Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and ambassador Ronaldinho arrived in Hainan, the smallest and southernmost province in China, on Thursday to present the project, which was approved by club members last October.

The Catalan club already have more than 20 FCBEscolas spread across the globe, including two in the United States, but the one which is due to open in China in September is slightly different.

Based in Haikou, the capital of Hainan, not only will it consist of seven football fields and be able accommodate one thousand children, but it will also boast a `Barca experience area.`

Among other things, the Blaugrana say that will "include a megastore, an interactive space about the history of the club and a catering zone."

Bartomeu spoke about the rapid growth of the sport in China and said he hopes the project will help to develop football in Asia, increase Barca`s brand value and help to attract new regional sponsors.

"I believe China needs something like what we are offering here," he said. "For China, it will be a step forward in football. This will be the only FCBEscola that is completely managed by Barcelona.

"We have chosen China because it is an incredible country. The Chinese government is planning to promote football, to create players and wants to introduce football to society as a very important sport.

"We have chosen China because the future is here. The Chinese population is warming more and more to football. And why should Barca not help to create this dream driven by the Chinese government? We believe it will be very successful."

Barcelona have had an office in Hong Kong for over two years now and opened also opened one in New York last year.

Meanwhile, the club launched an FCBEscola in Moscow at the tail end of last year and are currently pressing ahead with similar ventures in Canada, India and Nigeria.

In addition to the football schools, Barcelona operate more than 150 training campuses in over 50 countries across all five continents, with more than 30,000 children are currently involved in the club`s various programmes.

It`s all part of a wider plan to boost the club`s brand across the world as Bartomeu bids to make the club the first to to break the €1 billion revenue mark.

Source: ESPN FC