Youth soccer tournament to attract top club youth teams from Germany, the Netherlands, Argentina, and Serbia

A youth soccer invitation tournament is set to kick off in early October in East China’s Fujian Province, attracting top youth soccer club teams from Germany, the Netherlands, Argentina, and Serbia, as well as top teams within the same bracket from China. During the competition, a forum focused on professional talent development in youth soccer training will also be held.

The inaugural Borussia Dortmund “Hooray Island Cup” youth soccer friendship tournament will take place from October 2 to 9 in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, the Global Times learned from a press conference held at the Beijing Sport University on Friday.

The tournament is set for the U15 age group, and participating teams will include Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, the Netherlands’ Feyenoord Rotterdam, Argentina’s River Plate, Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade, as well as Chinese teams such as East China’s Zhejiang Province’s representative team and Chinese Football Boy, among others. The tournament has also invited teams from Asian countries such as Vietnam, which has recently made a name for itself in the youth training field.

During the tournament, a forum titled “Focusing on Development, Leading the Future – Chinese Path to Modernization of Youth Soccer Training” will be held on October 4 and 5. The forum will encompass four main themes: The development of domestic and international soccer club youth training systems, the construction of high-level soccer talent development, high-quality youth events, and the integration of professional talent development in soccer academies.

The forum is expected to invite representatives from sport education departments of the General Administration of Sport, the Ministry of Education, and the Chinese Football Association, as well as deans from domestic universities and sports colleges' soccer academies. It will also feature domestic and international soccer experts, scholars, renowned coaches, athletes, and soccer media professionals, all coming together to explore and discuss the development path of youth soccer training in China.

Zhang Jian, Vice President of the Beijing Sport University, emphasized during the meeting that the development of soccer should draw on advanced foreign experiences in youth talent development. It should integrate youth training, high-level play, and career planning based on China’s actual conditions.