CRI听力:American Football Coming to China

It looks like American football is increasing its effort to enter the Chinese market.
 
The International Federation of American Football has announced plans to develop the sport and increase the exposure of football in China.

The IFAF in connection with NFL China has appointed Nathan Jones as its country administrator for China.

Jones talks about what they are trying to do to develop America's most popular sport in the world's most populous country.

"What we are really trying to do in China is focus on developing the game itself. We will be working to get more players involved, to train coaches, train referees provide access to more of the things that are most needed for the sport to develop in China."

Having already established the first adult American football team in China it is his hope that he can continue to develop an adult and youth league system in China.

There are of course already adult and youth level teams for both tackle football and flag football.

But the eventual goal being that China will one day have an organized system of competition between teams in China and that they will be will be able to compete on the international level.

"The Sport needs to develop quickly and a really healthy way is to have a platform for competition so that the teams, apart from practicing they can really participate in games they can feel proud of being a part of their victories. We want try to make that happen you know as soon as possible."

So can American football duplicate the kind of success it sees in the United States in China?

"I'm very confident that the sport is going to grow here develop quickly there is going to be a very strong fan base for the sport there's some excellent talent that needs to be discovered and nurtured here. We’re going to see more Chinese athletes in semi pro and professional football in other leagues in Asia, Europe, and the U.S."

Football in China won't develop over night but with time and the resources football can become a beloved sport in China.

For CRI, I'm Nate Schlabach.