Guiyang's schools, kindergartens selected for soccer

Nine primary and secondary schools and one kindergarten in Guiyang – capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province – were recently selected to be given the status of "national characteristic schools for football specialty," according to the Ministry of Education.

The status is conferred as official recognition of primary and secondary schools that have highly developed campus soccer programs, designed to improve the overall health and well-being of their students and to expand their reserves of football talent.

The schools that were announced by the minister will be provided with high-quality trainers, experts and various sports technologies to improve their existing soccer training. China is in the process of opening up thousands of soccer-specialist schools as part of a wider initiative to embrace the sport. The central government mapped out a plan to build 20,000 soccer pitches for use by members of the public as part of a package of measures to build the country into a soccer superpower by 2050.

Guiyang's characteristics schools for football specialty are Guixi Road Primary School, Bagongli Primary School, Guiyang branch school of Beijing No 8 High School, Guiyang Prime International School of No 1 High School, East China Normal University Affiliated Guiyang School, Guanshanhu Huarun International Primary School, Guiyang Yanghui Primary School, Guiyang Shijiyuan Primary School and Jiangjiazhai Primary School.

Guiyang's No 2 Kindergarten in Guanshanhu district was also listed as a national characteristic school for soccer.