Chinese investment in football continues as Freestyle Football receives £180,000
China's growing interest in football has extended beyond even traditional forms of the beautiful game.
Freestyle Football Limited, the commercial arm of freestyle football's governing body, has received a £180,000 investment from the Shanghai XiaoYuan Culture Communication Corporation for a 10 per cent stake.
The firm owns schools in China, Australia and Cambodia and has an agreement with the Freestyle Football Federation to introduce educational programmes and help develop Chinese children's skills.
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Its investment in Freestyle Football Ltd follows high-profile investment from other Chinese firms in Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.
China president Xi Jinping has signalled his intention to turn the country into a "soccer powerhouse" as part of his plans to develop a domestic sport economy worth $850bn (£588.7bn) by 2025.
Freestyle football combines choreographed routines set to music with head-to-head showdowns of skill between two players.
"Xiaoyuan are a perfect match for us, because of their commitment and enthusiasm for the roles education and sport play in the lives of young people around the world," said Freestyle Football's chief executive Dan Wood.
"They have a number of useful resources that will also help us to grow freestyle football across their vast home country of China, which is very exciting for the future of the sport. This investment will enable us to build a sustainable future for freestyle football."