Chinese Football - Building a Dynasty

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Now on BBC News, it's time for

Chinese Football: Building a Dynasty.

The excitement and the crowds are building.

Now, recently, this season, it's gone crazy.

Big-name players are signing to China's top clubs.

The only two not coming to China in this window is Cristiano

Would you like Ronaldo to maybe one day play in China?

The search is on for China's next generation of footballing talent.

Will you play football for China?

We visit one of China's first specialist football schools.

And meet the man tasked with creating China's

They have 100 million children under six in this country.

If you kind of get it right, you would have to imagine you will

We discover how the president's World Cup ambitions are at the heart

of modern China's political and economic vision for the future.

China has a long history of building on an impressive scale,

especially at its most famous landmark, the Great Wall

was fortified by the Ming dynasty to protect and isolate China.

Today, the country is looking beyond its borders.

When you think of China you think of politics, food, culture

and history, its rampant recent economic growth,

but now China wants to build a new dynasty,

China is changing, with the rhythm of football taking hold.

A growing fan base and love for the sport is spreading fast

across the most populous nation on earth.

The passion and support of the fans is matched by fierce competitive

ambition on the pitch, and that stretches

beyond the touchline, with China wanting not only the best

league, but the best national team in the world.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has been one of the top coaches in world football

He has worked in China over the past three years and insists

there is no end in sight to the game's rapid growth.

Three years ago it was not like this.

But now, recently, this season, it's gone crazy.

It is absolutely the right time to be in China in football.

The big foreign names, they were not really

Only when they were getting older, on the way down.

But now, even when they are at their peak, they are

One of the reasons of course is money.

Jiangsu Suning is one of the biggest spending teams

Five of the six most expensive lowball deals in the last transfer

When Ramires left Chelsea and Liverpool lost out on Brazilian

forward Alex Teixera, the world sat up and took notice.

I think huge names, big names are here.

But I think next season, maybe earlier, even

That would be even more exciting, of course.

If that's going to happen, I'm not sure.

Romain Woo is one of China's leading sports agents,

representing 50 leading footballers and coaches.

It is going crazy right now, really crazy.

We had a saying like, the only two players not coming

to China in this window were Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.

Other names, it is all highly possible.

I know most of the big agents in Europe.

They are trying to push big players to China.

If they are not having a good time in Europe,

because clearly, the salary is there.

We are offering in my opinion way too much, but this might be the only

Players are undoubtedly attracted to China by the big-money

But one of the league's star talents insists he is here

TRANSLATION: At the moment China is developing football

It is the best moment for football in China.

This promises to be a golden age for Chinese football,

given the investment pouring into its top sides.

Attendances are up and fans are eager to play their part.

Not the foreign stars but useful in our team.

Would you like Ronaldo to maybe one day play in China?

As time passes the professional league in China grows.

The quality of the football is getting better, with greater

They may not have the history of some of the more established

leagues, but being on football's new frontier is seen

The league is in line with the country's overall ambitions.

It is not just about sporting success.

There is a political vision being put into action.

It is here in Tiananmen Square that China's political power is centred.

It has been the location for some of the darker moments

in the country's past, but President Xi Jinping is firmly

The wants it to be a global leader in football, hosting

He also wants China to create a huge sports industry, one that will help

The President's love of football was apparent during his visit

Famously posing with Manchester City's Sergio Aguero for a selfie.

His master plan, announced early this year, will aim to have

50 million of its citizens playing football by 2020.

China will build or renovate 6000 stadiums and pitches and 50,000

schools specialising in football will be established

As part of the plan, the president has his eyes on the World Cup,

both in terms of qualification and one day hosting it.

The head of the Chinese Super League believes staging the tournament

TRANSLATION: To host a World Cup is really a festival of fans.

It really shows the country's capability to host

It's only possible if the country is developed sufficiently

and has the financial stability and facilities.

It's already hosted the Summer Olympics and will host

Because Qatar is hosting the World Cup finals in Asia in 2022,

It is 14 years since China's men's team made their only appearance

They lost every game and failed to score.

The country's women have a better track record, but the hope now

is a new generation of talent will take both teams

to their respective World Cups on a regular basis.

TRANSLATION: I was in the World Cup back in 2002, in Japan and Korea.

It was an important moment for the popularity of soccer but now

we have to make the foundation stronger, so in the future we can be

a powerful soccer nation and go to the World Cup regularly.

When the President sets the goals and ambitions for the nation,

he speaks for all of us, and therefore we all want to work

Success on the pitch is the rallying cry for both

The foundations of that dream though are taking place in

Two hours' drive east of Beijing is the rural farming town famed for its

peaches, which could soon be as famous as football. It his home to

visit elementary, that lies in the shadow of China's great Wall.

Chinese education has up until now been largely focused on academic

success. Physical health has been an important part of the school

curriculum with team sport and especially football not featuring as

much. But now there is a realisation that if China is to succeed it must

coached children at a young age. These six and seven-year-olds are

pioneers, attending one of the first designated football schools.

Providing a glimpse of the President's ocean of a footballing

future. -- vision. The unlikely American forging a new path for the

people'srepublic is Tom, a cult figure in Japan spreading coaching

techniques through comics, TV shows as an extensive network of

academies. Now Japan's neighbours and rivals have headhunted him. What

has happened to China in the past years, 2008 they came from a

successful Olympics, winning more gold medals than the United States

for the first time. The economy surpassed Japan. They are putting

rockets into space. Everything is going good but they cannot beat

countries like Thailand in a football match. Politically it is a

sport that if you want to be the world's best in anything, surely

football is one of them. In collaboration with the Chinese

Ministry of education, he has recorded a coaching slots that will

run daily on TVs in every classroom in the country. He is also

conducting a 64 city tour to promote it. There is no short cut to

producing a strong football culture. It starts with the kids. There are

100 million children under the age of six in this country so it is

almost like if you kind of get it right you have to imagine you will

develop world-class footballers. These children are taking part in a

coaching session at a private academy. Such scenes might be common

elsewhere, not so much in China. That may be changing, due in part to

a shift in social attitudes. In the past many parents believed sport to

be detrimental to academic studies. It is a view that took root with the

advent of China's one child policy. Slowly, attitudes are changing.

Parents are increasingly sending their children to be trained by the

best foreign coaches. And the kids want to play. Mostly. Do you like

playing football? Yes! Who are your favourite players? Lionel Messi.

What is your favourite team in England? Chelsea. Do you think you

will play a World Cup? Yes! No! LAUGHTER.

All of you apart from him? Good luck. There are plenty who do want

to represent their country. This government 's sports complex on the

outskirts of Shanghai is home to some of China's best athletes from

some of them or recognised Olympic sports like a rowing and swimming.

China wants football to be another elite discipline. Fittingly, the

Shanghai team also train here and it's young players are immersed in

an atmosphere of competitive excellence. With initiatives in

place of the youngest level the Chinese FA are providing a pathway

for youth development, limiting foreign players to five per

professional squad, ensuring opportunities for home-grown talent.

Every time I go there, I go there. This is the club's youth coach and

assistant manager, moving to China from Denmark five years ago and

seeing first-hand how the game has grown here. The intensity and focus

of the Chinese young players he believes is in the country's favour.

In Denmark we ask how we create hunger in paradise? We have a nice

system but how do we create hunger to train every day. I asked the

Chinese plays the opposite, there is no paradise, this is their chance.

They are here with their mission of creating a career, not only for

themselves, in Chinese culture when you grow up you have to take care of

your parents and pay your parent's pension. China knows it cannot

create a football culture overnight. It will take a balance of time and

money. The necessary steps are being taken part in pursuit of the sports

industry, there are some things China can buy.

The other aspect of China's football dream is that relating to economic.

China's growth so far has been driven by exports, manufacturing,

commerce, but a service industry and sport as part of that has lagged

behind. The President's football initiative is rectifying that

balance, about China looking to the future and using sport as a driver,

but to do that it has to build a sports industry within its borders

and also it has to look overseas. Some of the big businesses that own

Chinese Super League teams are expanding and buying up stakes in a

number of Europe's most famous names like Atletico Madrid and Manchester

City. One of Britain's oldest teams, Aston Villa, is now also in the

hands of Chinese investors. There is another thing we have to learn from.

The English Football League. We need to understand the culture, the whole

system. That is something the Chinese clubs here, they need to

learn from. Corporate ambition is driving Chinese economic growth,

with its impact visible in cities like Shanghai. The country's

industrial giants are intensely interested in football, hoping its

lustre will rub off. Want a group signed a sponsorship deal with Fifa,

backing Ali Baba hacking the World Cup. China has an enormous market

and we probably have the largest number of fans of the world so it

makes sense there are commercial opportunities here. At this stadium,

home to Beijing, one of China's best supported teams, we meet the club's

former general manager. Is there a chance we could see Cristiano

Ronaldo playing for Beijing? Some of the most famous players have visited

but for those in the industry, the growth and economic song not in

dispute, but there is an acceptance that Europe has a massive head

start. TRANSLATION: The projection is by 2020 the total sports industry

in China will be worth about $800 million and that the investment into

the professional game is $750 million. In the next years I think

we will see more investment and increased international attention

for the Chinese Super League. I do not think we can compete with La

Liga, Bundesliga or the English Premier League, but I am confident

we see a lot of progress. Leicester City's fairy tale triumph in the

Premier League has added to the competition's global marketability

and popularity. It is watched globally by an audience measured in

billions and has the revenues to match. Its executive chairman is

perhaps best placed to assess China's prospects. He does not see

it as a direct rival. The Chinese economy, and culturally, they are in

a transition phase where they want to embrace and do things that are if

you like with outward look to the rest of the world and I think

whether it is in trade terms, social terms, in sporting terms, they want

to be big players on the world stage and there is no bigger sporting

stage than the football stage. They are looking at 30, 50 year horizons.

We struggle to see past a season here. Challengers will need to be

faced. Allegations of corruption have haunted Chinese football in the

past. Avoiding future mistakes will be crucial. Cameron Wilson has lived

in Shanghai for over a decade and runs a Chinese football website. He

is more sceptical than most, given the league's at times difficult

history. I am surprised they can make a plan for 2050 because it is

difficult to plan for anything in 2050 never mind something

historically that has been chaotic like Chinese football. It is a

different beast from Europe. It is difficult to explain it simply. For

anyone to make much sense of it at the moment. It is in a transitory

point. It is a moment in time in China. There is a sense of optimism

around football. It is the new fascination. There is an atmosphere

and passion surrounding the game that is unique. This generation of

Chinese children will grow up with football. There is a sense of both

hope and expectation. The President's ambitions represent the

dreams of all Chinese people and everybody involved in Chinese

football. As long as the political will is there it will stay 100%. The

only thing that can change is if they change direction politically.

TRANSLATION: To qualify or host the World Cup, a dream shared by the

Chinese public. I hope the day comes as soon as possible. I am 60 and

most of my generation are big football fans. I think the next five

years it should be OK but after five years, though one knows. We wish and

hope with this money, our youth system should be ready after these

three or five years, otherwise we spend money for nothing. It is good

they have a positive plan and idea where they want to go. Even if you

do not meet the aim you will get a positive outcome. And winning a

World Cup? Why not? But not the next World Cup. It will take 15-20 years

at least. The answer to me is yes and the question is, when? The

professional league is well organised with a lot of investment.

At the top end they are doing well. Where we need to focus is on the

young kids. China is modernising at a rapid pace. The forbidden city is

part of its history but football fits the vision for the future.

Other countries have tried to spark a similar process but are still

trying. In China everything is in place to succeed. The political

will, star players and business backing and a growing fan base.

Patients will also be needed. Given population close to billion, China's

this problem will be picking its best in 11 players.

We are heading in the right direction, losing the severe

thunderstorms we had in some places yesterday. Showers around today but

by tomorrow most will be dry and fine. I mentioned showers today, not