China has made these grand plans to improve football in the nation, determined to become a world soccer super power. So what does it mean to the soccer industry and what economic implications does it have? 

China has unveiled a blueprint to get 50 million people playing soccer, build at least 20,000 football training centers and 70,000 pitches all by the end of this decade. 

All of that is obviously not just about soccer, so why such ambitious plans? China has many soccer lovers, but its men’s team is only sitting at 81st in the FIFA world rankings out of 204 nations. 

President Xi Jinping’s proclamations about his love for soccer has spurred unprecedented investment in the Chinese Super League, which spent a total of U.S.$300 million in the winter alone on top foreign players. 

Experts say that building a strong league and also a better football culture is key to have better Chinese players in the future.