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• Week-long coaching clinic in Shandong Province supported by Club legend Ledley King

• Club committed to supporting development of grassroots football in China, in line with government objectives

• Tottenham Hotspur Global Coaching team to share ideas and philosophies with players and coaches of Chongding FC

The Club has teamed up with Qingdao Chongding FC for a week-long football clinic as part of our ongoing grassroots work in the region.

Club ambassador Ledley King, will be supporting our Global Coaching team during the visit, and kicked off the programme today (Monday, November 16) alongside Qingdao’s Mayor, Ms Xin Luan.

The coaching team will be working closely with players and coaches from Chongding FC, sharing ideas and passing on the Club’s unique coaching philosophy.

With President Xi Jinping committed to developing the game at all levels in China, this week is the latest in a line of initiatives involving the Club supporting these goals.

Ledley said: “Tottenham Hotspur has a great track record of supporting grassroots football development around the world and China has become a key focus for us in recent years.

“Our long-term commercial partnership with AIA has given us a great foothold in the Far East region to develop sporting initiatives and the chance to work with Chongding FC is the latest step.

“I have been to China a number of times in recent years and am encouraged by how the game is continuing to develop and improve every time I visit.”

The Club was previously involved in China’s ‘Football Dream’ initiative - a partnership with FC Internazionale to unearth young talent from regions across China with the ultimate reward of a coaching experience in Europe.

Through its partnership with the pre-eminent life insurance provider in the Asia-Pacific region, AIA, the Club is also a keen supporter of the company’s China Youth Football Development Programme, providing underprivileged young people across the country with access to the sport.

Meanwhile, the Club also has a growing fanbase in the region, with over 180 million fans in the Far East. This includes five Official Supporters Clubs in China and is supported by popular Chinese social media channels and a Chinese-language website to further engage its fans.

Chongding FC has over 400 registered players of all standards, plus programmes for 1,000 students aged between 4-16 at 25 schools in the local area. Yanzhi (Michael) Zhang, CEO of Chongding FC, a holder of the MBA (Football Industries) from the University of Liverpool and a former International Business Development manager of Everton FC, welcomed Tottenham Hotspur to Qingdao: “These are exciting times for football in China. We are delighted that Tottenham Hotspur are visiting us and will hope their contribution will help us achieve our football development objectives."

Daniel Fletcher, Director of FMMI who work closely with Chongding FC, says: “Chongding FC is committed to the development of grassroots in the region and Tottenham do some great work internationally in this area. This is a great opportunity for Tottenham to get to know the set up in the region and for Chongding FC to learn from Tottenham’s experience.”