The 2019 Chinese Super League season recently concluded, with Guangzhou Evergrande becoming the league’s first-ever “eight-time champion.” Notably, three players from Evergrande’s championship squad — Bu Grahan, Luo Hanbo, and Cai Mingmin — all came from the Evergrande Football School. Meanwhile, the final title battle of China’s 2019 football season, the “Chinese FA Cup,” went to Shanghai Shenhua, marking their second FA Cup win in three years. With a strong focus on youth development, Shenhua’s U19 team claimed both the U19 B Group Championship in the Elite Youth League and the U19 FA Cup, turning the club’s potential revival into a reality. According to data from fDi Markets, a statistical arm of the Financial Times, European clubs have significantly increased overseas investment in terms of both capital and number of projects over the past year or two, a trend linked to growing emphasis on international youth football academies. In China, more and more homegrown youth players are stepping up and becoming valuable assets for their clubs.
Scene from Evergrande’s championship victory in the final match of the 2019 CSL season
China’s Football Development Built on Youth Training, With Equipment Market Following Suit
Youth Football Training Was Once Neglected and Unsystematic in China; Compared to the Vast Population, the Talent Pool Remains Sparse. Although the national team has opened the door to naturalized players, only locally trained talent can ensure a healthy, generational transition and build a sustainable future for Chinese football. At the recent Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines, Vietnam’s U22 men’s team reached the finals undefeated. In response, Xinhua News Agency published an editorial stating, “The landscape of Southeast Asian football is changing — China should learn from Vietnam’s serious approach to youth training.” Faced with the once-joking prophecy by former national player Fan Zhiyi that “if this continues, we’ll lose to Vietnam,” youth training has now been elevated to an unprecedented level of importance. Facts have proven that youth training is indeed the foundation of national football development. France, which won the 2018 World Cup, boasts the national training base — Clairefontaine, managed by the French Football Federation — which recruits students annually and supplies talent to club academies. This virtuous cycle has produced generations of outstanding players, laying the groundwork for France’s return to the top after 20 years.
At the 2019 Chinese Super League Annual Awards Ceremony, Beijing Guoan, Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, and Shandong Luneng Taishan were jointly honored as “Best Youth Training Clubs.” This recognition was based on their performance in the Elite Youth League, the contributions of U23 players in the CSL, and their overall efforts in youth development. Interestingly, these four top youth training clubs also claimed the CSL and FA Cup titles as either champions or runners-up, making them double dominators in both competitions and youth training. Upon reflection, this is no coincidence — the competitive advantages brought by youth training investments to clubs are evident. It has become an industry consensus that a club’s success hinges on nurturing young talent.
Award ceremony for “Best Youth Training Clubs”
As the youth football training market continues to thrive, it naturally requires more professional and diverse football equipment to support it. Take the aforementioned four clubs as examples: currently, equipment for players aged U13 and above is provided by Nike, the clubs’ existing sponsor, while those under U12 are sponsored by 361° Kids. However, there remains a significant unmet demand for equipment among numerous youth training clubs. With many domestic brands focusing on children’s sports, why is 361° Kids the one venturing into the youth training sector?
Entering the Youth Football Market: Many Domestic Sports Brands Have Fallen Short
The domestic youth football equipment market is far from untapped, and the field of youth training is not lacking in pioneers. Numerous domestic sports brands have made attempts in football:
In 2015, Anta launched its “Just Play” football strategy, covering campus tournaments, coach training, and equipment. In 2017, it partnered with the China Teachers Development Foundation and Beijing Boya Tiancheng Culture & Sports Development Co., Ltd. to create the “China Campus Football Teachers Training Program.” That same year, Li-Ning signed a strategic cooperation plan with the Wuhan Football Association, focusing investments on youth football. In 2016, Xtep unveiled its football strategy “Blade Plan,” committing to youth football development with a goal of serving 5 million young players in five years. It has since partnered with the Chinese High School Football League, applying university football promotion experience to high school competitions.
While there is a shared optimism about youth football training, the results of these brand efforts have generally been minimal, with most scaling back operations. The reasons likely lie in timing and strategy. Timing-wise, entering the market too early was hampered by China’s weak football foundation and nascent youth training environment. Strategically, youth training is a long-term commitment, and companies that set overly short return horizons often lose patience when immediate business growth is not apparent.
So, are there other possibilities for entering the youth football market? 361° Kids’ sponsorship of four major football clubs seems to offer a different answer.
Sustaining Rapid Business Growth — How Did 361° Kids Break Through?
Hu Bing, General Manager of 361° Kids, stated in an interview with CCTV that over the past three years, the football category within 361° Kids has seen rapid business growth, with youth football contributing over 16% to the brand’s overall business. In a field where many domestic children’s sports brands struggle to make headway, 361° Kids’ performance in football is surprisingly strong.
A look at the brand’s recent moves suggests that 361° Kids’ youth football ecosystem may already be taking shape. Since August 2018, 361° Kids has successively partnered with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua Youth Training, Beijing Guoan Youth Training, Luneng Youth Training, and Evergrande Football School. In addition to providing professional football gear for U7–U12 players across these four clubs, it has also engaged in deep collaboration on youth training promotion and youth football product development. To allow players to receive intensive training from football powerhouses and gain experience in top-tier international competitions, Evergrande Football School established a campus in Spain in 2014 — 361° Kids now sponsors equipment for that campus as well.
Press conference for the 361° Kids & Evergrande Football School Strategic Partnership
Yan Xiang, Director of Shenhua Youth Training, mentioned that 361° Kids does not simply supply existing products to young players, but rather creates customized gear — including exclusive home and away jerseys and training kits — tailored to the climate and turf conditions of the club’s city. The brand also provides dedicated footwear and accessories, along with a feedback channel for young players. Most football shoes on the market are designed based on adult foot databases, but 361° Kids refines its products through feedback from young athletes, correcting gaps between design and real-world performance, then redevelops and markets professionally tested gear.
Additionally, the “Discover New Football Stars” program jointly launched by 361° Kids and Evergrande Football School connects 361° Kids’ membership system with the school’s admissions process. Evergrande reports that two 361° Kids members have already passed its admission assessments. This pathway continuously “nurtures talent” for both the school and Chinese football. For young football enthusiasts, the opportunity to engage in professional training adds strong brand appeal.
361° Kids is also collaborating with clubs on tournament initiatives, organizing occasional youth football invitational matches. Beyond gear and training, these young players gain more match experience. The brand has revealed plans for a football summer camp program, expected to launch in summer 2020, offering even richer experiences for young athletes.
2019 Xiamen 361° Kids Cup Youth Football Invitational Tournament
361° Kids Sponsored the 2019 “Greenland Shenhua Cup” Jiangzhen Middle School National Youth Football Invitational
Thus, unlike its competitors, 361° Kids’ football strategy focuses on three core pillars — “professional products, premium resources, and football experiences” — to break into the youth football market. This may be the key to its success.
Both Passion and Business — Growing Together with a Generation of Young Footballers
China’s “Overall Plan for Football Reform and Development” sets a target of 50,000 campus football specialty schools and 50 million youth participants nationwide by 2025. The 2020 goal of 20,000 specialty schools has already been achieved three years ahead of schedule. The significance of youth training goes beyond supplying first-team players — it’s also about expanding the overall football population. Currently, around 3 million youths regularly receive training, with the football training market valued at nearly 7 billion yuan. This includes professional club academies, training camps founded by retired players, campus programs, and a surge of various other football camps.
The future of Chinese football lies with the next generation, and youth training is how we cultivate that generation and prepare for the future. Companies entering the youth training market must have the vision to grow alongside these young athletes. From an ecosystem perspective, 361° Kids appears ready. Recently, German youth coach Jordi commented to Xinhua on China’s football prospects: “China could become one of the world’s top-performing nations if it follows its own methods, nurtures children from a young age, and improves the national youth training system. Given the huge number of children passionate about football in China, the potential is enormous.” Indeed, while the base of football-loving Chinese youths is large, more businesses need to commit to long-term investment and earnestly develop the sport for China’s football future.
Convergence and Differentiation in Children’s Sports Brand Strategies
Over the past decade, China’s children’s sports market has matured in categories like running and basketball, with those markets now saturated. This year, both Anta Kids and Xtep Kids participated in fashion week shows, shifting their brand strategies toward trendy sports. While the trendy segment holds a large market share, competition is intensifying. In contrast, 361° Kids has focused on football as its strategic point, promoting itself as a leader in youth football gear. Alongside its confidence in the football category, the brand seems intent on carving out a differentiated strategy. On how to further awaken the sleeping giant of the youth football market, 361° Kids stated at its launch event that it will continue to invest in top-tier domestic youth football resources and promote ecological synergy among different training systems.