Billionaire Wang Jianlin’s Wanda Group to invest US$297 million in Dalian centre to improve Chinese football’s fortunes
- World-class training for clubs and youth players to be built in China’s ‘Football City’ before December, company announces
- The 23-pitch campus is being bankrolled by China’s fifth richest man
Billionaire businessman Wang Jianlin’s Dalian Wanda Group has announced it will invest 2 billion yuan (US$297 million) in Chinese football.
The news came at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Dalian Youth Football Centre, a state of the art, 23-pitch campus that can accommodate 18 teams and up to 600 footballers.
The ceremony was attended by Fifa deputy secretary-general Zvonomir Boban in the northeastern port city of Dalian – Wang and Wanda’s hometown. The company promises to make “one of the world’s top football training facilities” and it is expected to open in December.
As well as meeting the needs of professional clubs, Wanda said it will serve the needs of youngsters in the city. This will be done with investment in local and foreign coaches for Dalian schools, an interschool league and the opportunity for international exchanges.
Dalian has long been regarded as China’s football city. It was the works team of the docks that dominated regional football in the 1940s and 1950s before being allowed to join the national league set-up. Dalian Wanda FC repeated the feat when the game finally turned professional in 1994, following investment from Wang.