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BEIJING, Jan. 23-- Viva China's Li Ning Sports Park played host to a launching ceremony here on Tuesday for the Feyenoord Viva Football Academy, a new joint project between Viva China and Dutch Eredivisie champions Feyenoord. The newly-established Feyenoord Viva Football Academy will roll out training centers across China that will foster youth talent, train coaches and provide a boost to local footballing infrastructure. The agreement also aims to complement the development of Li Ning Sports Parks across China, which will play host to a variety of related community projects. Present at the ceremony were Li Ning, chief executive officer and chairman of Viva China, and Mark Koevermans, chief commercial officer of Feyenoord. The two sides stressed their commitment to developing a nationwide youth training program, along with speeding up the development of the domestic football industry in China. Li hailed the newly-inked agreement and noted its unique function as a component of China's overall football strategy. "The Chinese government has been providing the utmost assistance in the promotion of football across the country," he said. "Benefiting from favorable national policies that help promote youth football training, our Group, together with Feyenoord... will offer world-class and highly-regarded training programs to people from all walks of life," Li added. Li also explained that the agreement is part of a larger effort on the part of his company to expand the scope of its sports businesses. | 
