The 2018 World Cup in Russia has ignited the world’s enthusiasm in football, while in Shanghai, the 2018 China (Shanghai) International Youth Football Invitational concluded on July 14. On July 15, the Waasland-Beveren U17 Football Team from Belgium, one of the participating teams, spent a memorable day in Shanghai before returning to their homeland.

The invitational took place from July 8 to 14, gathering sixteen U17 men’s teams from 10 countries and regions, who competed against and made friends with each other, promoting youth football exchanges between China and other countries.

Organized by the China-EU Culture & Humanity Fund of the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Foundation, the Belgium U17 football team was able to compete in the invitational for the second year and was sponsored by YungPark Capital, a financial investment group under Penta Global Adviser. On July 14, the Waasland-Beveren Football Club even signed an agreement of cooperation with the Shanghai Putuo Youth School Football Elite Training Camp. At noon on July 15, at Shanghai’s Supreme Tower Hotel, YungPark Capital hosted a farewell lunch with the theme of “Goal! The Dream Begins” for the team’s 24 teenage players and their coaches. With the songs of previous World Cups playing, everyone present at the event became excited. Paul Lambert, Consul General of Belgium in Shanghai, Lin Qiang, President of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, and Xu Yuxin, Director of the China-Europe Cultural Exchange Fund of Shanghai Overseas Chinese Foundation, and Li Xiao, former chief striker on China’s national football team and a Shanghai Shenhua veteran, also attended the farewell lunch.

(A farewell lunch is hosted for the Waasland-Beveren U17 Football Team.)

(Paul Lambert, Consul General of Belgium in Shanghai, makes a speech at the farewell lunch.)

YungPark Capital also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Waasland-Beveren Football Club, expecting to take this year’s invitational as a starting point to further support the activities of China and Belgium on football youth training and performing its social responsibility with practical actions, thus contributing to the long-term development of both countries’ youth football. A specific cooperation plan will be formulated within this year. The two sides also presented gifts to each other. The Belgian U17 team sent a jersey with the logo of YungPark Capital and a football signed by all members of the team. In return, YungPark Capital sent a set of incense burners to the team. Then the two sides toasted together to celebrate the successful conclusion of the 2018 invitational.

(YungPark Capital signs a MoU with the Waasland-Beveren Football Club.)

(The Waasland-Beveren Football Club gifts a football signed by all members of the team.)

The team was going to return to their homeland that night, but the kids still wanted to stay in Shanghai. So before they left the city, they went to a small shopping market in Pudong and bought many Chinese goods. And they are really good at bargaining.

Finally the team was invited to No. 76 Xingye Road, the former site of the 1st National Congress of China's ruling Communist Party (CPC), where they were told a brief history of the CPC.

(A group photo of the team)

(The football team pays a visit to the former site of the CPC’s 1st National Congress.)

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Education, All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, the 2018 China (Shanghai) International Youth Football Invitational was organized by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau, Shanghai Returned Overseas Chinese Federation, Shanghai Overseas Chinese Foundation and China Middle School Sports Association. Since its first edition in 2015, it has attracted forty-four U17 football teams from 16 countries and regions all over the world. It is believed that more frequent exchanges and cooperation in youth football will usher in a new era for China’s football development, especially with world class footballing nations like Belgium, whose world cup third place finish was their best ever.