The Chinese government will take a more hands-on approach to soccer because of the nation’s prolonged lack of achievement in the sport.

Five cities-Qingdao, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Dalian and Wuhan- have been chosen by the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Football Association (CFA) for a pilot development programme.

According to CFA Vice-President Wei Di, his association is now working with the five cities to achieve specific targets.

Those targets include the improvement of the local soccer associations, training, competition and evaluation systems and the policy-making of the local sports authorities.

“The pilot cities had to have a strong soccer history, a considerable foundation, the support of local government and an energetic local association,” Wei said.

“We reached specific agreements with these five cities after a lot of research and discussion,” he said. “We expect to advance the programme to the provincial level next year.”

Wei said the CFA has allocated US$1.6 million to the five cities this year to help them organise more soccer activities and encourage retired players get involved in coaching. The CFA said it is likely to provide more funds in 2013 for venue construction and renovation.

The CFA’s decision to its resources with local soccer bodies and sports bureaus could be a significant step forward in giving more associations a say in the sport’s decision-making process.

“The CFA is changing the way it works. Instead of sending instructions to local associations, it is bringing all parties together to discuss how to improve Chinese soccer and boost the sport’s development,” said Gu Jianming, President of the Chengdu Football Association. “I think this is a major change for the CFA.

“As the head of a local association, my responsibility is to find out how to popularise soccer around the city, and to serve people and fulfill their needs in participating in the sport. The pilot cities will benefit (from the program), and the CFA will support them by supplying policies, capital and talent evaluation (of players, coaches and referees).”{jcomments on}

Singapore Sports Council has appointed six new members.

In a statement, denture the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports also announced the reappointment of its Chairman, Richard Seow, and Deputy Chairman, Cheah Kim Teck.

The six new members are Mr Kon Yin Tong, Lim Eng Lee, Mr Hugh Lim, Mr Razali Saad, Prof Tan Cheng Han and Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo.

They replace BG Chia Choon Hoong, Dr Janice Khoo, Mr Lee Hong Chuan, Ms

Ong Toon Hui, Dr Saiful Nizam bin Subari and Dr Benedict Tan, who have stepped down

In addition to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, six other members- Mr Bernard Tan, Ms Liew Wei Li, Mr Low Teo Ping, Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Dr Teo-Koh Sock Miang and Mr Yam Ah Mee- have been reappointed.

The newly-appointed and reappointed members will serve two-year terms in office. {jcomments on}

Chantal Petitclerc, one of Canada’s most decorated athletes of all time, has been appointed Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

The only Canadian athlete to win gold medals at Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games, Petitclerc holds world records in three different wheelchair racing events.

“I have such a strong attachment to the Commonwealth Games, dating all the way back to 1990 when I was a silver medalist in Auckland, New Zealand-the first time that events for elite athletes with a disability were included on the sport programme,” said Petitclerc, whose appointment was announced today on CBC’s Sports Day in Canada broadcast. “In 2006, I was honoured to serve as Team Canada’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. It was truly one of the highlights of my career.”

Petitclerc also has two 800-metre gold medals from the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England (2002) and Melbourne (2006). Her trophy case includes a staggering 21 Paralympic medals (including 14 gold) and the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadian athlete of the year.

“There are so many reasons to be thrilled with Chantal’s appointment as our Chef de Mission in Glasgow,” added Dr. Andrew Pipe, President of Commonwealth Games Canada. “A former flag bearer, multiple medalist, and someone with a deep appreciation for the athlete experience at the highest levels of international competition. Not to mention the fact that Glasgow 2014 will feature more events for elite athletes with a disability than any previous Commonwealth Games.”

Dr. Pipe went on to praise Petitclerc’s proven abilities as a spokesperson and motivational speaker. “Should Canada decide to launch a bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Chantal will most certainly be one of our most influential ambassadors,” he said.

Petitclerc will assume her duties immediately in preparation for a first site visit that is expected to take place in February.

The African continent has produced an amazing list of players that have graced football’s biggest stages in recent years such as Yaya Touré, Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, Frédéric Kanouté and Nwankwo Kanu with many more plying their trade in leagues across Europe and the rest of the World. But what does the career path of today’s African stars look like? For every player making it to a top European league, how many players are left behind?

Soccerex will be tackling these issues as part of an in-depth panel on the Lifecycle of an African player for the inaugural Soccerex Seminar Lagos, 27–28 September 2012.

The panel will dissect these issues and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the next generation of African talent with an expert group of speakers that will include Anthony Baffoe, the Founder and General Secretary of the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana. Anthony has enjoyed a successful and popular football career during his time in the German Bundesliga playing for FC Köln and Fortuna Düsseldorf. He also played for Ghana at the African Cup of Nations in 1992 and 1994. Besides his role at the PFA in Ghana, he holds various functions for CAF and FIFA including as FIFA ambassador against racism.

Joining him will be a representative from the Congolese giant Tout Puissant Mazembe. TP Mazembe has reached international fame by becoming the first African club to make it to the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2010 by beating Internacional of Brazil. They were the first club outside of the powerhouses of Europe and South America to make it to the final.

Scandinavia, well-known for brining talented players from abroad, nurturing them and moving them on to the larger stages of Europe, will be represented by Rolf Magne Walstad, the Sporting Director at Brann Bergen. The club is known for its track record of identifying talent from Africa and currently have Kim Ojo, Bentley Akabueze and Oumar Niasse in their ranks. Rolf himself has a deep understanding on African football and was Sporting Director at FC Lyn Oslo when they signed Nigerian John Obi Mikel who went on to gain 160 appearances for Chelsea.

They will be joined by Marko Saranlinna, an established FIFA Player Agent from Finland who has in particular worked with young African players searching for a way towards European club football for more than 10 years.

The session will be part of an agenda designed to promote industry best practice and highlight the growth potential of the region. The conference line up for the event will address key regional and international issues such as Football in West Africa, The Business of Football, Doing Business in West Africa and Social responsibility.

For more information on the Soccerex Seminar Lagos please go to www.soccerex.com/lagos.