East China's Zhejiang province established the Zhejiang Soccer Management Center on Feb 27 to advance soccer development and position itself as a leader in China's soccer reform. 

The center will oversee elite team management, youth training, and domestic and international competitions while promoting soccer at all levels, including school, professional, and grassroots programs.

Plans are already underway to form a high-level provincial team, benchmarked against top domestic and international standards. Efforts will also focus on assembling expert coaching, sports science, medical, and education teams to build a modern training system tailored for youth development.

The Sport Bureau of Zhejiang Province has signed agreements with multiple districts and counties to develop soccer pilot programs, and a youth training camp is currently underway in Shaoxing. 

At the launching ceremony on Feb 27, Chinese Football Association Vice President Xu Jiren praised Zhejiang's progress, citing its improving youth training system, the rising influence of the Zhejiang Super League, and growing success in professional and women's soccer. He called for a more integrated approach to planning, resource allocation, and management to further expand soccer participation and talent development.

An official of the Sport Bureau of Zhejiang Province emphasized that revitalizing soccer requires collaboration across sports, education, and other sectors. The province aims to establish a structured framework to support youth training, league development, infrastructure improvement, and talent cultivation. By 2030, Zhejiang seeks to have more than 30,000 players engaged in structured amateur training.

Going forward, the province will enhance management efficiency, strengthen youth and professional soccer, expand school programs, boost grassroots participation, and improve soccer infrastructure, laying a solid foundation for sustainable development.