The State General Administration of Sports, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, and the CFA today jointly released a program for the transformative development of women's soccer in China (2022-2035). The details are as follows:
China Women's Football Transformation and Development Program
(2022-2035)
Promoting the development and rejuvenation of soccer is the necessary way to build a strong sports country and the ardent expectation of the general public. In order to implement the overall deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on the change and development of soccer, implement the overall plan for the change and development of Chinese soccer, accelerate the revival of women's football, and promote the overall prosperity of Chinese soccer, this plan is formulated.
I. General requirements
(i) Guiding philosophy
Guided by Xi Jinping's thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, deeply implementing the spirit of the series of important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, taking the development of women's football as an important initiative for the revival of soccer, focusing on expanding the population planning of women's football and improving the quality of talents, and adopting forceful measures to promote the popularization and enhancement of women's football and carry forward the spirit of the "clanging roses" of women's football. To promote the spirit of the "resounding rose" of women's soccer, to comprehensively improve the overall level of women's soccer development, to make women's soccer a flag of Chinese soccer, and to lead and drive the revival of Chinese soccer.
(ii) Main objectives
By 2025, the environment and atmosphere for the development of women's soccer will be improved, and the foundation for the development of women's soccer will be strengthened. The popularization and promotion of women's football in schools will be promoted unremittingly, the youth training system for women's football with the integration of sports and education will be formed initially, and the number of women's football youth training centers with the integration of sports and education built by the CFA and the local authorities will reach 30; the women's football league system will be gradually perfected, and the number of teams participating in the three-tier leagues of the Women's Premier League, Women's First League, and Women's Second League will reach 50; the women's national team will be ranked among the leading levels in Asia, and will strive to achieve the top 8 places in the Women's Football World Cup in 2023 and the Olympic Games in 2024.
By 2030, the foundation for the development of women's soccer will be more solid, and it will return to the ranks of the world's first-class strong teams. The organization and competition level of the women's soccer league will reach the first-class level in Asia; the youth soccer population of women's soccer will increase substantially, the training level and competitive performance will be significantly improved, and the women's youth national team will strive to enter the top 4 in the World Cup; the women's national team will strive to obtain the top 4 places in the Women's Soccer World Cup in 2027 and the Olympic Games in 2028.
By 2035, Chinese women's soccer will have achieved comprehensive development. The population and socialization of women's football participation will increase significantly, and soccer will become a sport in which women generally participate; the organization of women's football leagues and the level of competition will reach the world's first-class level; and China will actively bid to host the 2031 Women's World Cup, and strive to achieve the top three places in the 2031 Women's World Cup and the 2032 Olympic Games.
II. Main tasks
(i) Establishment of a sound organizational management system
1. Improving the management system of women's soccer. Strengthen the Party's leadership of women's football work, and establish and improve the Party's organizational structure in football associations, women's football clubs and women's football teams at all levels. Sports departments and football associations at all levels should take the development of women's football as an important task and establish a full-time team for the management of women's football. Local football associations with conditions should set up women's football departments, and those with immature conditions should have full-time women's football management personnel. Local football associations should set up special committees for women's football and better play the role of professionals and social figures. (CFA, 2022)
2. Constructing a systematic mechanism for the co-development of regional women's soccer. Adhering to the principle of leading by example, efforts will be made to cultivate key regions such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the three northeastern provinces, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which have a better foundation for the development of women's football, so as to radiate and drive the development of women's football in neighboring regions. Increase policy support and financial investment in regions with a weak foundation for the development of women's soccer and potential for the development of women's soccer, so as to form a new pattern of regional women's soccer development. (General Administration of Sport, Ministry of Education, CFA, Ministry of Finance, 2025)
(ii) Strengthening the construction and management of the women's national soccer team
3. Strengthen the construction of a large national team system. Clarify the tasks and objectives of national teams at all levels for major world tournaments in the near, medium and long term. Coordinate the establishment of a large national team system with the women's national team as the leader, the U20 women's national youth team, the U17 women's national junior team and the U16, U15, U14 and U13 women's national training teams in an orderly manner, dredge up the channels for selecting materials, and realize the advancement and development of the national teams of all age groups. (CFA, 2022)
4. Innovative training concepts. National teams at all levels resolutely follow the scientific "three from one" training principles (from difficult, strict, from the actual combat, adhere to the large volume of training), adhere to the physical first, make up for the shortcomings, reference to high-level men's football training form, combined with the characteristics of women's football players, the formation of a relatively unified, world-advanced technical and tactical methods of the national team, to create a good battle and excellent style of national team. The national team will be able to fight well and have a good style of play. (CFA, 2023)
5. Optimize the form of running national teams. Adhere to the combination of state-run and social-run, and actively explore the joint building of national teams at all levels with localities, universities and clubs. Do a good job with Wuhan, Chengdu, Dalian and other key areas of women's football to build a pilot women's football youth national team, the team will be built in the school, by the CFA stationed in a high-level coaching team, out of a new way of integration of sports and education in the construction of the national team. (General Administration of Sport, CFA, Ministry of Education, 2025)
6. Improve the mechanism for selecting coaches and athletes. Adhere to the principles of fairness, selection according to "winning" standards, and team formation according to "winning" guidelines. The CFA has set up a working group composed of experts to select athletes for the national team, with clear selection standards and methods. The CFA has improved the selection criteria for coaches, emphasized the selection of coaches at the grass-roots level and high-level professionals in the world to enter the coaching team of the national team, and strengthened the assessment of tenure objectives. Adhere to open, fair and transparent selection, improve the scouting system, and establish a talent pool of athletes for the national team. Establish a dynamic selection mechanism to select a number of players in multiple directions to form a healthy competition. (CFA, 2022)
7. Strengthening the style of building the national team. The party should do a good job of building up the team, and should build its branch in the national team. Adhere to the ideological construction of the team, the cultural shaping of the team and the rule of the team with an iron fist, carry out in-depth education on patriotism and collectivism, carry forward the spirit of the "Clanging Roses", which is characterized by a high degree of solidarity, hard training, tenacity and hard work, and striving for the country's glory, so as to enhance the national team members' sense of mission, sense of responsibility and sense of honour. (CFA, long-term)
8. Implementing the "Tree Rivals" program. Adhering to the "Invite In" program, a number of high-level women's soccer players from around the world have been invited to China to accompany them in training and matches. Encourage localities to actively organize women's football world events, and hold traditional women's football world events such as Shandong Weifang Cup and Chongqing Yongchuan Four-Nation Tournament, so as to accelerate the improvement of the competitive level of the women's football national team. (General Administration of Sport, CFA, 2025)
9. Implementation of the "going out" world training program. Establish and improve the coordination mechanism between the national team's training and preparation and the healthy development of the operational league. Scientifically formulate the competition program for the national team, increase the intensity of overseas training and competition, and participate in at least 30 world tournaments each year, so as to hone the team through high-level competitions with the world's strongest teams. Increase the policy and financial support for the overseas development of women's soccer players, and encourage national team members at all levels to participate in high-level overseas leagues. (CFA, 2025)
10. Enhancement of service guarantee capabilities. Coordinate the use of domestic and foreign resources, establish multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary composite safeguard teams, carry out the construction of big data, intelligence collection, medical rehabilitation, technical and tactical analyses, psychological counseling, nutritional research, etc., and strengthen scientific and technological support and comprehensive safeguards for national teams at all levels. Strengthen anti-doping education and management, and strictly implement relevant policies and regulations. Set up an incentive fund for the women's national team and implement various guarantee systems. Do a good job in the injury protection, special work training and retirement organization of the players of the women's national team, and promote the active support of the community for the work of the women's national team. (General Administration of Sport, CFA, 2022)
(iii) Improving the women's soccer competition system
11. Strengthening competition system planning. Standardize the development of women's soccer leagues, actively develop the China Youth Soccer League (for girls) and youth women's soccer leagues at all levels and in all categories, improve the structure of competitions, expand the scale of competitions, increase the variety of competitions, and form a stable system of competitions, with a clear hierarchy and an orderly connection,
