This undated photo shows visitors taking a walk on the ancient city wall in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. (LIU XUAN / XINHUA)
XI'AN - Yang Wen, director of the mass sports department in Shaanxi sports bureau, told Xinhua recently that the province in northwest China will build 1,000 football pitches in next ten years.
Shaanxi had issued a guideline to boost local sports development on March 5, aiming to become a sports powerhouse in the country by 2035. According to the guideline, by 2035, Shaanxi will make its per capita space for sports reach 2.5 square meters, and 17 million people will take apart in sports activities frequently.
ALSO READ: Chang'an Athletic to exempt tickets for Shaanxi medical workers
"In order to reach our goal, we decide to build 1000 football pitches in next decade. We will also construct stadiums, indoor swimming pools, gymnasiums and mass sports centers in every cities even counties of Shaanxi in next 15 years," Yang said.
In order to reach our goal, we decide to build 1000 football pitches in next decade
Yang Wen, Director of the mass sports department, Shaanxi sports bureau
Yang explained that the newly-built football pitches should be normal pitches, five-a-side pitches or the ones for playing cage football.
Shaanxi will host China's National Games in 2021. Yang said that all the 53 venues for the major event are expected to hold mass sports activities after the 14th National Games.
READ MORE: Football propels rural Chinese girls forward
"Besides the National Games venues, Shaanxi will built sports parks and sports corridors to satisfy our citizens' growing needs of fitness," Yang added.
Comparing with China's coastal provinces in the east and the south, Shaanxi is less developed. But the province is well known for the popularity of football.
