National football team to polish skills in Germany under new youth project

China's U16 national football team will travel to Germany for youth training and matches under a new partnership between the Bundesliga and the Chinese Football Association.

Under the new "Bundesliga Dream" project, which was announced in Shanghai on Wednesday, the Chinese national youth team players will have the opportunity to train at the youth academies of several Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs, and play against youth teams from around Germany from February to March.

Ti Gong

Across all clubs, the players will follow a tailored training plan curated by the CFA in collaboration with the Bundesliga and participating clubs, which focuses on a number of key in-match scenarios, such as transitioning from defense to attack.

"Chinese football has a great connection with Germany, as China's first foreign national team coach Klaus Schlappner is a German," said CFA president Song Kai. "Youth development is still the major task of Chinese football, necessitating perseverance and dedication from the professionals."

Six-time Bundesliga winner Lothar Matth?us also attended the project announcement ceremony in Shanghai.

"Under the new project, young Chinese players will not only take part in matches against local teams, but also feel the atmosphere and learn about the development mode of our youth training," said the Bundesliga legend.

Ti Gong

"When I grew up in Germany, I was heavily influenced by the strong football phenomenon in communities, just like a lot of other footballers. Football is life and, also, we need idols to set up models and encourage the kids," he added.

"For almost 30 years, the Bundesliga has been a part of Chinese football culture," said Peer Naubert, Bundesliga international chief marketing officer. "It was one of the first European leagues to be broadcast in China. With the launch of the 'Bundesliga Dream,' we are offering players a chance to experience the best of German youth development, and hopefully creating a long-term pathway that could lead to more Chinese players succeeding in Germany."

A handful of former Chinese national team key players had overseas experiences in Germany, including strikers Xie Hui and Yang Chen, and midfielder Shao Jiayi, who amassed 168 appearances for 1860 Munich, Energie Cottbus and MSV Duisburg during his time in Germany.

The "Bundesliga Dream" is a Bundesliga International initiative which supports local football associations in the development and advancement of youth football. To date, five Bundesliga clubs have set up offices in China.