A programme to train Chinese football coaches is to continue into its third year, following an announcement in Beijing.
Bournemouth University, alongside partners AFC Bournemouth and the Dorset FA, have again been chosen to deliver bespoke training to a group of football coaches from China, as the country looks to deepen its skill in the sport across all levels of football.
The BU China Football Study Programme took place for the first time in 2016, following a successful bid made through the British Council, alongside three institutions in the UK, to lead the training of Chinese football coaches.
BU was chosen to deliver this training for a second year in 2017 before being officially confirmed as a training partner again for 2018.
It will mean more than 60 coaches will head to Dorset from across China this summer to complete the three-month training in football coaching, before taking their new skills back to China and help to achieve China’s goal of training 50,000 full-time and part-time coaches by 2020 and winning a football World Cup before 2050.
Dr Sonal Minocha, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) at Bournemouth University, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to deliver this training programme for the third consecutive year, allowing us to deepen our growing relationships in China. We look forward to welcoming a new cohort of Chinese coaches to Bournemouth this summer, and exploring further ways in which we can work together to support the future development of football talent in China.”
Jim Andrews, Chief Operating Officer at Bournemouth University, said: “It has been brilliant to get to know the coaches who come to campus, many of whom retain links with the people they meet while they are here. We could not deliver this training without our partners too, including Dorset FA and AFC Bournemouth, and we’re really excited to be working together to deliver this training programme over the summer.”
AFC Bournemouth chairman Jeff Mostyn said: “AFC Bournemouth has been involved in this coaching programme from its inception in 2016 and value the relationship we have with the university. As a club we devote hundreds of hours a week to coaching at every level; from Premier League to development squad, and academy to our tireless work within the local community. We are delighted to be able to pass on some of these coaching techniques through this formal training programme.”
Dorset FA, AFC Bournemouth and strength and conditioning coaches from SportBU (BU’s sporting activity team) will be leading the programme of hands-on skills training, while academics from BU will also be working on a programme of lectures and workshops looking at subjects such as management, psychology and media skills.
The strategic partnership between BU and AFC Bournemouth is a key factor in delivering the training, with BU the official Higher Education Partner of the Premier League football club. BU celebrates increasing links with organisations in China, and the announcement was made during BU’s global Festival of Learning, which took place in three locations across China in March 2018.
For more information about the BU China Football Study Programme, visit the web pages.
