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Borussia Dortmund launch their Beijing football academy on March 1, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Borussia Dortmund

Chinese players partcipate in a training session with players from a German club as part of the Bundesliga Dream projecct in March 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Bundesliga

In recent years, as public attention shifts to youth people's football skills development, more top-tier European leagues and clubs have set up football academies in China to nurture sports talent.

German Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund is the latest club to join in the campaign, as it established a football academy in the Chinese capital of Beijing, raising the number of Borussia Dortmund academies in China to five. 

"We are fully convinced that you have to be on the grounds that you have to be next and close to the people. The more grassroots you are, the better it is," Carsten Cramer, Managing Director of Borussia Dortmund, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview recently.

"An academy is the best opportunity to get in contact with young football players in order to educate them in playing football, but also to gain them as potential new supporters of our club."

While Dortmund boasts eight Bundesliga titles and one European Champions League trophy, its youth training system is even more revered by Chinese fans. 

From current sensations like Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham to well-known names such as Mario Goetze and Marco Reus, the club's reputation for developing young talent is widely recognized.

"We do have a good reputation regarding the education of young players, developing them to superstars," Cramer said. 

However, he noted that establishing academies in China does not simply mean replicating the German model.

"It has to be balanced, not just copy and paste the German system without recognizing that Chinese players and their educational context are different," he said.

Interest is the key

Cramer believes that the key to youth football development is ensuring that kids are genuinely interested in the game.

"Sometimes it takes more time. You have to be a bit more patient. You can't simply educate a kid and expect them to immediately perform the way you envisioned. What's important is that they have fun, stay motivated, and remain excited. As long as that intrinsic motivation exists, it's just a matter of time before the education translates into success," he remarked.

Although not every child will make it to the professional level, Dortmund's academies in China are dedicated to identifying talented players and offering them a pathway for further development, Cramer noted.

Dortmund once frequented China to engage with Chinese fans by playing friendlies during the summer season break, but in recent years, such trips were not possible for multiple reasons. 

"We would love to come to China and we tried to come to China in 2024. If invited, we would come immediately, but maybe not this summer because of the Club World Cup," Cramer said.

The club is one of the only two German clubs that have qualified for the Club World Cup.

"We had very positive experiences when we played our last friendlies in China. It's not only our aim to play against other European clubs. We will also play against local clubs because we want to bring the first team to the people. We want to make our club tangible and accessible."

Not the only German club

In 2019, the Bundesliga opened its office in Beijing. Additionally, five Bundesliga clubs have also established a permanent presence in China, surpassing any other European league in the country. 

Dortmund is not the only Bundesliga club investing in youth development in China. Eintracht Frankfurt also established its own football school in South China's Shenzhen city in November 2024.

The Bundesliga has been deepening its collaboration with China, offering young Chinese talent greater exposure to German football. 

The Chinese national under-16 team embarked on a two-week training program in the Bundesliga in 2024, when they trained and competed with the youth team counterparts from Bundesliga clubs Borussia Moenchengladbach, VfB Stuttgart, and Bayer Leverkusen.

Their development was evident on the international stage. 

In the AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers held in October 2024, the Chinese team delivered an outstanding performance that saw them advance to the main tournament. Notably, eight players who took part in the project earned spots in the national squad, collectively contributing seven goals and seven assists while playing key roles on the pitch. 

The program will continue in 2025 with details to be released in late March. The Chinese players who stand out will have the opportunity to extend their stay for an additional week of integrated training.

Sun Fulian, an official with Bundesliga's China Office, said the program aims to inspire more young Chinese players to continue their sports dream.

"Having the program is to inspire young Chinese players to stay committed to their dreams, allow German coaches to discover more shining talents from China and lay the foundation for Chinese players to return to the Bundesliga," said Sun.

To date, Yang Chen of Eintracht Frankfurt from 1998 to 2001, Shao Jiayi of 1860 Munich from 2002 to 2004, Energie Cottbus from 2006 to 2009, and Hao Junmin  of Schalke 04 from 2009 to 2011 are the only Chinese players to have appeared in the Bundesliga. 

Cramer is also a firm believer in such mutual benefits of cultural exchange between Germany and China. 

"I'm very sure that the Chinese [players] can benefit from the Germans, and the Germans can also benefit from the Chinese," he said, noting that such an exchange of knowledge has the power to make both nations "more powerful."

He underscored that football remains an bridge that unites people despite geopolitical volatilities.

"Even if the countries do have geopolitical issues, football can be a cultural and political bridge," he said. "We offer sport to the people, and sport is really able to bond people together and not separate them."

Carsten Cramer Photo: Courtesy of Borussia Dortmund