Chinese men's under-20 national football team players train in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, on January 7, 2025 to prepare for the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup set to be held in Shenzhen in February. Photo: VCG

A Chinese football professional league union, an independent organization to manage the country's professional leagues, has been approved for establishment and will be established by the end of January, Chinese Football Association (CFA) president Song Kai announced at a CFA members congress on Thursday, marking a milestone step for the governing body to delegate the operation of professional leagues to an independent organization, according to a report by the Beijing Daily.

While delivering a report at the congress summarizing Chinese football development in 2024, Song said that the establishment of the independent organization will be a milestone achievement in the governance of professional leagues in China and a significant breakthrough in the reform of separating the administration of Chinese football from the operation of leagues.  

This is a crucial way for China to keep up with the development of international football, and is poised to pave the way for the enhanced transparency, efficiency, and overall development of the professional football ecosystem in China, Luo Le, a Phd in Sports Humanistic Sociology, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Currently, the proposal for the establishment of the association has been approved and it is expected to be registered in Beijing around the Spring Festival, the Soccer News reported on Thursday. 

The new independent legal entity will primarily be responsible for the organization of competitions and commercial operations for Chinese professional leagues at three levels, the Soccer News reported. 

It has long been anticipated. At a seminar on Chinese football development held in December in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Song revealed that the reform splitting administration from the operations of professional leagues will be implemented in early 2025. The CFA will no longer participate in league management but will instead focus on the development of the national team, youth training, and community football.

The reform began in 2015, when a plan for the reform and development of Chinese football was released, stating that the CFA would fully transition to an "association" officially disconnected from the General Administration of Sports.