English Premier League lends training expertise to China's "Cun Chao"

GUIYANG, China -- The English Premier League launched the Premier Skills project in Rongjiang county, Southwest China's Guizhou province on Tuesday, in an attempt to help train local football coaches in the birthplace of the Village Super League.

Organized and played by locals, the Village Super League, dubbed as "Cun Chao" by Chinese netizens, went viral during the past several months and miraculously attracted more than 50,000 spectators per game.

Premier League stars including Jorginho, Kai Havertz, and Cody Gakpo sent in their best wishes via video during the project's opening ceremony. Warren Leat, the British Council's football development manager, then began conducting the four-day training for 44 coaches who are also players in "Cun Chao."

This is the Premier League's first collaboration effort with the Village Super League, after the two leagues signed a strategic cooperation agreement in September at the China International Fair for Trade in Services.

Hu Zhaoheng, the Premier League's head of media sales and content partnerships (China), stated that the cooperation between the Premier League and the Village Premier League would inspire more young people to play football.

"I believe that in Rongjiang, a place with a long history, there will be more next generations who love football," said Hu. "I hope there will be more football communication at the community level between China and the UK in the future."