Connection between Benfica and CQFA with impact on Chinese youth football

The success of the partnership established in 2019 between Sport Lisboa e Benfica and the Chongqing Football Association (CQFA) is notorious and is also consolidated with the realization of the Chongqing Youth Football League, organized by the CQFA.

Aiming to organically increase the youth football ecosystem in this Chinese province, the technical coordination of Sport Lisboa e Benfica challenged CQFA to develop a youth league in Chongqing, the first at a national level. The success of this League has inspired the CFA, China's largest football organization, to mandate the organization of annual Leagues by all football associations in the country.

For the second year in a row, a Youth Football League was organized by CQFA for the age groups born in 2008 and 2009. Twelve teams participated in this competition, two of which were from Benfica - one formed by a mix of youngsters born in 2008 and 2010 and another with players from 2009, coached by Fernando Costa, Sport Lisboa e Benfica's technical coordinator for this project, who is also responsible for all the training of the other age groups.

In the 1st phase of the competition (with 12 participants), the CQFA/Benfica 2009 team, which played the whole competition against older players, came in 2nd place, with 9 wins and a draw; the 2008/10 team finished in 5th place. In the 2nd phase, the top six teams played against each other to determine the champion. The CQFA/Benfica 2009 team won the League with three wins and two draws (10 goals scored and five conceded); the CQFA/Benfica 2008/2010 team finished in 5th position.

At the end of the season, in July, all the other CQFA age groups (2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011) participated in 8-a-side Football tournaments and were crowned champions.

NATIONAL COMPETITION IN CHANGCHUN

Having won the Youth Football League, Benfica's 2009 team is representing Chongqing in the national competition (facing teams one year older), in Changchun, North China.

The competition, with 62 competitors from all over the country distributed in eight groups, is in its first edition (since it is the first time there are leagues organized by the associations) and runs from August 1 to August 22 with all the champions of the leagues from the other cities.

Group E, with seven teams, was won by Benfica, with a balance of five wins and one loss, as the result of 15 goals scored and two conceded. The first two teams in each group will advance to the final phase.