The seventh Chinese City Children's Football League opened its Xining division on October 31 at Shanchuan School in Xining, according to 中国新闻网. A total of 395 students from primary schools across the city are taking part.
The Xining stop is the only division of this year's national league located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, 中国新闻网 reports.
Ma Yanzhao of the Xining Municipal Sports Bureau's competitive sports section said the event is built around a "health first, happy football" approach, according to 中国新闻网. The organizers have lowered the threshold for entry and set up mixed-gender groups, the report said, in an effort to encourage more girls to play.
According to the same report, the aim is to bring football into more schools and communities, to keep improving Xining's competition system for young players, and to build a pool of quality youth football talent for the city.
The details released so far are limited to the opening date, venue, participant numbers and the organizers' stated goals. Match results, the competition format and the length of the Xining division's schedule have not been disclosed in the reporting.
Watch for further updates from organizers on how the Xining division progresses and on results from its mixed-gender groups.
