Prince gets a kick out of school visit
Print Edition
BRITAIN’S Prince William practiced a spot of sports diplomacy in China yesterday, striding onto the football pitch at a Shanghai high school.
Wearing a dark blue suit, he stopped a stray ball, tapped it twice with his shoe before giving it a confident kick on the artificial turf.
His trip to China, the highest-profile royal visitor since Queen Elizabeth II in 1986, has been laden with symbolism as Britain attempts to improve diplomatic relations with China. On Monday, William reached out to President Xi Jinping, telling him: “I also gather you’re quite a football fan.”
Xi last year recommended that all Chinese children learn to play the game.
William — an Aston Villa supporter — chatted with students taking part in a football clinic at the Shanghai Nanyang High School, part of a program run by the British Council and the English Premier League.
Li Ziyu, 11, exchanged a “high five” with William as he told him about his love of the game.
Last week Beijing unveiled a government initiative to improve the poor showings of its national team, in part by fostering young talent.
It currently shares 82nd place in FIFA’s latest global rankings with Guatemala.
“The game is evolving here,” said Paul Hughes, head coach for the global program Premier Skills, which ran the school event. “Sometimes it’s about enhancing the game from the bottom. With that, more children are going to get the opportunity to participate.”
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