LALIGA Academy Shanghai inaugurates its new high-performance facilities with the presence of LALIGA Leg-end Javier Saviola

In addition to Saviola, Carlos Ng, CEO of Tingho Holding, unveiled the main new features during the event: high-performance facilities, a Spanish Technical Director with the highest level of training and extensive experience in LALIGA projects, including China, and the project currently underway to design the best opportunities for Academy students to compete, which will include regular participation in tournaments and other competitions and the possibility of training stages in Spain. The event was also attended by Sergi Torrents, Managing Director of LALIGA Greater China; Xing Jianping, Party Secretary of the Shanghai Football Association; and Li Jiang, Director of the Songjiang District Sports Bureau, together with other distinguished guests.

The Academy will host young talents from China aged up to 17, who will train under the highest standards of global youth football through the LALIGA Football Methodology, which brings together the elements that have made Spanish football academies global leaders in youth football.

LALIGA's Methodology focuses on the development of the players from an integral perspective, covering four essential pillars: tactical-cognitive, technical-coordinative, physical-conditional and psychological-socio-affective. As Javier Saviola explained during the visit, this type of Methodology also emphasises the stimulation of talent and the individualisation of the training process, considering that each player's development process requires different needs. This holistic approach, according to the LALIGA Legend, can make a difference in today's football.

The inauguration of the academy, the first LALIGA academy in eastern China, revealed the state-of-the-art facilities where young students will train starting next season: two 11-a-side natural grass pitches with changing rooms, showers, storage rooms and a medical centre; and a 7-a-side indoor football pitch. 

These pitches will be equipped with camera towers to record training sessions and matches and carry out video analysis with the coaches in the classrooms of the 200m2 Reception Centre. Technology applied to sport will play a very special role, as GPS technology will also be used to collect performance data to help enhance the players' talent. Tianma Country Club also has other facilities such as a gym, tennis courts, swimming pool, baseball court, etc.

The academy's sporting project will be coordinated by a LALIGA Technical Director, Víctor Campo, who has extensive education in Sports Sciences and a UEFA PRO coaching licence. He will lead the technical part, thus ensuring the application of the training concepts of the Spanish competition in the programmes taught.

Víctor Campo revealed that he will coordinate daily with the LALIGA Football Projects team in Madrid through the LALIGA Academy Manager platform, a program developed in-house to coordinate from LALIGA HQ the more than 840 sports projects in 57 countries managed by the Spanish competition to promote youth football at a global level. This platform is also used by many of the LALIGA clubs to manage their own academies. He also insisted that the key to the success of Youth Football in Spain is the emphasis on understanding the game, which is something that the Academy wants to promote. Based on his past experience in China, he also emphasised that Chinese talent is exceptionally disciplined.

“Bringing LALIGA Academy to a world-class city like Shanghai is a major step in our long-term commitment to football development in China, it’s about helping young kids grow through the game. By playing football and taking part in regular competitions, kids develop key values like discipline, a competitive mindset, respect for rules, and the ability to connect with others. These qualities will stay with them in whatever path they choose. Thanks to our partnership with Tingho Holding, with top-tier facilities, expert coaches, and the proven LALIGA Methodology, we give every kid in Shanghai the opportunity to thrive through football.” said Sergi Torrents, Managing Director of LALIGA Greater China.

“LALIGA Academy Shanghai aims to integrate actively into the local football community by offering youth training programs, competitions, and coaching development initiatives. It aspires to become a connector of sports, culture, commerce, and tourism—leveraging football IP to link matches, technology, and cultural tourism industries. The goal is to inject vitality into the city and extend the benefits of sports to society as a whole. ” said Carlos Ng, CEO of Tingho Holding and Head of LALIGA Academy Shanghai.

The talent pool that Spanish academies produce year after year complement the arrival of established stars from abroad. In fact, in the latest CIES report on the participation of youth players in first teams, LALIGA clearly stands out among the five major European leagues, occupying the top seven positions in the ranking (Athletic Club, FC Barcelona, RCD Espanyol, Real Sociedad, Valencia CF, Real Madrid and RC Celta), and adding one more (8) in the top ten, with CA Osasuna. These are the results of work that has been carried out for years in the youth football and youth academies of LALIGA clubs, and which LALIGA seeks to export to support the growth of world football.