Entrepreneur hopes mainland grass-roots training of 2,000 children will develop future soccer stars

Though China does not officially recognise amateur soccer and prefers to rely on elite training camps to develop its sports stars, there are some green shoots growing on the barren amateur pitches where talent is traditionally grown.

The English Premier League and other European clubs and associations are holding more ad-hoc training clinics and Fifa has also run its GOAL project to promote the amateur game.

Rowan Simons' China Club Football, is an independent company leading the full-time effort to build amateur football at the grass roots. 'Over the past eight years, we have been taking international experience and best practice and trying to adapt it to fit the realities of China.

'We are operating an integrated amateur football network model based around 'Learn, Play, Live' principles,' Simons (pictured) says.

'We have over 2,000 kids taking part in training held at more than 20 places around Beijing with internationally trained coaches. This autumn we launched programmes in Tianjin and we will keep growing.'

Simons' company also runs successful five-a-side leagues involving more than 100 Chinese and expatriate teams.