LaLiga & CFA Unveil GoalFuture Project

LaLiga and the Chinese Football Association (CFA) have come together in Beijing to present the GoalFuture project, which seeks to establish a system to aid elite player and coach development, whilst strengthening the ties between the organisations with a view to developing competitions and promoting youth football.

The initiative, which features programmes relating to both the male and female game, has been launched in an effort to build on the achievements of the permanent training centre that the CFA and LaLiga opened in Madrid last year and which has received visits from China’s Under-14 and Under-17 men’s teams and the nation’s Under-15 women’s side.

The partnership will see LaLiga provide its member clubs with up-to-date information on the progress of young China-based talents. Meanwhile, Chinese footballers and coaches will have the chance to improve their game during stays at clubs competing in the greatest league on the planet.

LaLiga’s country manager for China, Sergi Torrents, had the following to say about the link-up: “This agreement represents a logical continuation of the work we’ve been carrying out in China for a number of years now. We always look for our projects to be mutually beneficial. In this case, we’re helping Chinese football to grow and develop from the bottom up, whilst also creating windows of opportunity for LaLiga clubs in the country. We’re convinced that GoalFuture will deliver on both fronts.”

As a result of the collaboration, the LaLiga clubs, who are set to receive informative sessions over the coming weeks, will be offered more in-depth data on the brightest young talents in Chinese football. As noted by LaLiga’s director of marketing and international development, Oscar Mayo, such insight “could offer the LaLiga clubs some massive opportunities.”

“We can point to Lei Wu as a prime example of what can be achieved with a good scouting system. We’re sure that, with the right information and monitoring, other Chinese players will follow in his footsteps. Where required, we at LaLiga will advise both parties, although under no circumstances will we involve ourselves in any transfer negotiations,” declared Mayo.

The working groups established as a part of the project are set to begin their coordination and scouting endeavours during the course of September. However, no dates have currently been set for the arrival of players and coaches to Spain, given that, as explained by Torrents, “the aim is to reach agreements that benefit both the clubs and the players.”