Valencia CF Partners Former Chinese International Footballer Sun Ji to Open China’s First Valencia CF Soccer School Valencia CF and Growable Sports announced a 3-year partnership to open China’s first

Valencia CF Soccer School in Shanghai today. Valencia CF Chairwoman Ms. Layhoon Chan and former Chinese international footballer –and CEO of Growable Sports- Mr. Sun Ji made the announcement at a ceremony attended by over 300 guests, including government officials from the Shanghai Municipal Physical Culture Bureau and representatives from local schools, UN Women and LaLiga.

Valencia CF possess one the most successful youth football academies in Europe. A number of top players have come up through the ranks at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna, Valencia CF’s training facility. Layhoon Chan said of the partnership: “Growable Sports’ youth football training programmes are very popular with the youth of China. We are happy to partner with them because they are focused on imparting the values which football can teach our youths, and instilling a passion for the game in children. Their values are very much aligned with those of the Valencia CF Academy.”

The Growable-Valencia CF football development plan will focus on youth development, the training of coaches, exchange visits and friendly matches.

“Valencia CF’s youth academy is amongst the top of all European football clubs. We are ready to learn from their valuable expertise and advanced football knowledge,” said Sun Ji.As part of the programme, two professional youth coaches from the Valencia CF Academy will be based in Shanghai to create a complete training system, based on the average physique of Chinese children.

About Valencia CF

Valencia CF is one of the most successful and well-known football clubs in the world. It is

placed in the twentieth position of the UEFA rankings for club competitions, ahead of

Manchester United, Liverpool, Ajax, Inter Milan or AC Milan.

Founded in 1919, Valencia CF have won more than 20 major titles, including six La Liga

Championships, seven Copa del Rey trophies, one Spanish Supercup, three UEFA Cups,

one UEFA Cup Winners Cups and two UEFA Supercups. The club reached eight major

European finals, including two consecutive UEFA Champions League finals in 2000 and

2001.

The club plays in the 52,000-seat Mestalla, one of the oldest stadiums in European

football. Opened in 1923, the stadium was renovated in the summer of 2014, and is

considered one of the top 20 stadiums in European football. Plans are underway to move

to the 65000-seat New Mestalla in 2019, in time for the club’s 100th anniversary.

About Valencia CF Academy and the Academy Director

Since its inauguration in 1992, Valencia CF’s Academy has been one of the most

successful football schools in all of Europe. It is considered to have some of the best

facilities on the continent, and features a space of 180,000sqm divided into 8 eleven-aside

football pitches, 6 eight-a-side pitches, a residents’ hall for players, study rooms,

gyms, swimming pools, a physiotherapy area and much more.

Players such as José Luis Gayà, Paco Alcácer, Jordi Alba, Juan Bernat, Isco Alarcón,

David Silva, Pablo Hernández, Miguel Ángel Angulo, Gaizka Mendieta, David Albelda,

Curro Torres, David Navarro, Javier Farinós, Andrés Palop, Juan Sánchez, Fernando

Gómez, Paco Camarasa, Javi Navarro, Fernando Giner and Voro González have all come

up through the Valencia CF Academy.

All the academy teams compete at the highest level in Spanish football, under top coaches

and with a multidisciplinary training methodology focused on integral education for players.

Former international footballer José Ramón Alesanco was appointed the Director of

Valencia CF Football Academy in 2015. Alesanco has a national coaching license

conferred by the Spanish Federation. He was the head of the School of FC Barcelona from

1993 to 1996 and from 2005 to 2010. He was also a member of the technical department

with Johan Cruyff, Bobby Robson and Charlie Rexach while he was the technical

secretary of FCB. As a player, Alesanco won a European Cup (former UEFA Champions

League), two European Cup Winners Cups, one European Super Cup, four league titles,

four King Cups, three Spain Super Cups and two Leagues. He was international with the

Spanish national team 34 times and played in the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

About Sun Ji and Growable sports

SUN Ji is a famous Chinese footballer. He was born in Shanghai in 1982, and started

football training at a very young age. As a right half back and right back, he played for the

Shanghai Greenland Shenhua Football Club and the Hangzhou Green City Football club.

He also served in the Chinese National Football team from 2006-2008. Now he is vice

president of the Pudong New District Football Association of Shanghai, and is also a guest

presenter on STV Great Sports.

Valencia CF, SAD. Plaza del Valencia Club de Futbol, 2-46010 Valencia. T: +34963372626.

Content provided by Valencia CF, via Reuters.