In 2015, a national reform plan was implemented by the central government that covers not only professional clubs and leagues but also campus and grassroots football, to develop football (soccer) in China. 1- According to the plan of China's Ministry of Education (MOE), 2-football will be nationally promoted among school students and youth. Furthermore, MOE plans to select 20,000 primary or middle schools in which the sport would have been promoted by 2020. Then, this number would be increased to 50,000 by 2025. Given the obvious health benefits of football,3 such as improvements in cardiovascular function, body composition, bone mass and bone mineral density, and functional capacity, national football promotion in schools can help improve the physical fitness and health of Chinese children and adolescents. The 2014 Report on National Fitness Survey released in November of 2015 indicated that obesity in Chinese children and adolescents continues to rise.4 Thus, this national football promotion can eventually play an important role in obesity control among Chinese school students with the aforementioned benefits of football on body composition.
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