(Reuters) - Barcelona will open a soccer academy in southern China this year in partnership with local developer Mission Hills Group, the La Liga club said on Friday. "The FCBEscola in Haikou will be staffed by FCB coaches and will follow the same training methods used by the FCB youth teams," the release said. "The school opens its doors to its first students this summer, with its first full season training beginning in September." The tie-up with Hong Kong-headquartered Mission Hills, which runs the world's largest golf complex located outside the southern city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province, would also include an "interactive FC Barcelona experience area" at a new tourism and leisure development in Haikou. A number of foreign clubs and companies have sought to leverage off China's ambitions of becoming a global power in world football.

Source: The Star February 24, 2017 07:53 UTC