Photos: LFC China Academy opens
Liverpool's new Chinese football Academy officially opened for the first time today as two groups of aspiring young footballers were invited to take part in a special coaching session with Ian Rush.
The new Academy, based in Guilin City in Southern China, was officially unveiled on Friday at a press conference with the club's partner, Kingsborn Holdings, and today, hundreds of Liverpool fans travelled to the venue to meet Rush and watch the first training sessions.
LFC sales director Olly Dale was one of a number of club officials who had travelled to China to attend the grand opening and he today insisted that the Reds will coach the young Chinese players in the same way that our players are taught at the Academy in Liverpool.
[SLIDESHOW]
"Our Academy has set a benchmark for the development and nurturing of young talent," Dale told Liverpoolfc.com.
"The Liverpool FC Academy in Kirkby has already produced a number of world-class players including Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. The philosophy is to develop outstanding players and good human beings.
"Not only do we support the development of skill and technique in young footballers, but we also help them fulfill their potential off the pitch.
"Just last season, seven Academy players made their first-team debuts and in the same season, Liverpool players were England captains at all levels - Gerrard with the first team, Jordan Henderson with the U21s, Andre Wisdom with the U19s and Jordan Rossiter with the U16s.
"This new Liverpool FC International Football Academy will deliver exciting football programmes for players in China and our aim is to provide young players with a platform to show off their potential and learn new skills and techniques in a fun and safe environment.
"We apply the same coaching principles on all our football programmes so when a player plays here at the LFC Guilin Academy, they will be coached in exactly the same way as players are in Liverpool - 'The Liverpool Way'."
To see more pictures from Liverpool's trip to China this week, click here to view our Facebook album.
Click here to follow LFC on Sina Weibo.