The 3rd China Football Expo will be held in the city in July year, the Chinese Football Association announced.

Scheduled to run from July 15 to 18, the Beijing event will see more than 200 leading football clubs, major sponsors and football-related businesses and some of the top names in the game’s administration.

With the theme of "Youth Program – the future of football," the occasion is also expected to give China's fledgling football industry plenty of opportunities to learn about the most recent developments and trends in the game, the organizers said.

Zhang Jilong, the association's senior vice-president, said: "As the most economically dynamic city in China, Beijing should be an appropriate place to showcase the future of the country's football industry against the backdrop of our fast economic development."

China began to reform its football industry in 1992 in order to make market-driven and set up a professional league and clubs. Though noticeable progress has been made in that regard over the past nine years, many still look forward to bolder moves to activate the industry.

"We believe the event can be a valuable gathering of the international football community to explore market potential and share ideas on soccer-related issues, especially youth program." noted Zhang.

The biennial event will be staged at the Beijing International Convention Center and will feature some of the top names in the game's administration, including Joseph S. Blatter, president of the international federation FIFA and Peter Velappan, general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation.

Also, high-level 3rd World Conference on Football and technical symposiums will be arranged during the event to discuss a variety of issues in the game, ranging from improving the league system to the outlook of the global soccer industry.

The 2nd China Football Expo was staged in Shanghai last year and attracted more than 80,000 visitors and 75 exhibitors from 13 countries and regions, including Japan, Germany and the United States.

Source: Fairlink Exhibition Services Ltd.