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Mission Hills To Build Barcelona-Backed Academy On China's Hainan Island

The owner of the world's biggest golf resort "is joining China's rush to football investment" by building a Barcelona-backed academy aimed at breeding a new generation of "national heroes," according to Talek Harris of the AFP. Mission Hills, which has two "giant golf complexes" in China's south, hopes to house more than 1,000 children at its under-construction facility on Hainan island, which will also be a training center for China's national team and top clubs. Mission Hills Vice-Chair Tenniel Chu said that Barcelona is on board as a "strategic financial partner" and "will provide coaching expertise at the new academy." Views "are mixed on the hothouse approach to producing players" but Chu said that the new academy, at its Haikou golf resort on Hainan, "will be able to tap an enormous new market" following Chinese President Xi Jinping's decree. China's 83rd-ranked national team "will use the academy as a winter training base." The country's "well-heeled top three clubs" -- Guangzhou Evergrande, Jiangsu Suning and Shanghai SIPG -- will also train at the facility during the Chinese Super League's offseason (AFP, 12/1). PALCO 23 reported "little by little, more details are being learned about the project Barcelona wants to develop in China with Mission Hills." The club and Mission Hills will invest a total of €8M ($8.6M) in the construction of the complex. Barcelona "will contribute half of the resources necessary for the work," which will include a thematic space similar to the Camp Nou Experience, with a "store and interactive museum." Barcelona members "will vote on the contract at an extraordinary assembly on Dec. 18." The club is predicting that the academy will generate around €100M ($107M) in the first 10 years. Barcelona will keep 15% of revenue "from royalties for allowing the use of its brand, as well as 50% of profit generated by the team store" (PALCO 23, 12/5).

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