Gothia cup in China: sports gala for youngsters

Youth soccer tournament in Shenyang estimated to attract 260 teams from around the world to compete in August

Approximately 260 soccer teams made up of youngsters from 29 countries and regions have signed up to compete for the upcoming annual Gothia Cup China in Shenyang, Liaoning province, from Aug 13 to 19.

A number of Chinese teams, including those from Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhengzhou and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have registered to take on the best young players from all around the world during the upcoming event in Northeast China.

The Gothia Cup has long enjoyed a reputation as the World Cup for youngsters since it was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1975.

The Federation of International Football Association named the annual event "the World Youth Cup" in 2007, recognizing its growing global influence and popularity among teenagers worldwide. Now it has become the world's largest and most influential youth soccer event.

To date, some 10,000 teenagers' soccer clubs and schools from more than 150 countries and regions have participated in the annual tournament, according to its official website.

Under the support of the Shenyang government and the city's Party committee, the Gothia Cup exported its concept to China and brought its game outside Sweden to Shenyang for the first time in 2016.

Local authorities prepared 40 high-quality fields in the same location in the Shenyang Gothia Football Park, where the entire tournament could be hosted without the hassle of the teams traveling back and forth between venues.

The tree-covered venue stretches 3.3 kilometers from side to side and features 34 fields of artificial grass, six fields of natural grass, running and cycling tracks, as well as monuments. It is located by the Hunhe River, which runs through the host city.

"Shenyang has made fantastic efforts to provide all the facilities needed for an international youth football tournament," said Dennis Anderson, secretary general of the Gothia Cup. "The facilities are, in my opinion, among the best you can find.

"Shenyang entitles itself as the Football Capital of China and, from our point of view, we can just underline this statement."

"From the moment I arrived in Shenyang, my excitement was beyond expression," Anderson said during the game last year. "I can only say that the football pitch is unique in the world, the massive land is turned into an entertainment, leisure and sport center."

During last year's game, 260 teams from 29 countries and regions played in the green fields. The event attracted tens of thousands of spectators to Shenyang in 2016.

The game has become more of a sport event but a highly internationalized and friendly platform for young soccer players around the world, organizers said.

This year, all the ambitious teams have already taken part in the qualifiers in their respective areas. Both Malaysia and Bangladesh have already held preseason games with players from Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia. The winning teams will be attending the Gothia Cup in Shenyang this summer.

A number of preseason games will be held in Jiangsu, Shaanxi and Guangdong provinces, the Ningxia Hui, Xinjiang Uygur and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous regions, Chongqing and Dalian, as well as in other Asian cities.

The introduction of the global game to China is expected to help cultivate young Chinese soccer enthusiasts and offer them chances to interact with peers from around the world, organizers said.

"The number of young players born after 2005 is increasing," said Zhang Yonghai, a retired Chinese soccer player. "When they all grow up, the future of soccer will change."