Genbao Football Base () is the

training ground A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important ...

Shanghai Port F.C. Shanghai Port Football Club (), previously Shanghai SIPG (), is a Chinese professional Association football, football club based in Shanghai, that competes in . Shanghai Port plays its home matches at the Pudong Football Stadium, located within ...

and home to the base's own youth academy. Located in

Chongming District Chongming District () is the northernmost district of the provincial-level municipality of Shanghai. Chongming consists of three low-lying inhabited alluvial islands at the mouth of the Yangtze north of the Shanghai peninsula: Chongming, Cha ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China, the base is named after its founder and owner, Xu Genbao, a prominent Chinese football manager and a former international footballer. The construction of the base started in 2000, after Xu Genbao quit his managerial position at

Dalian Shide Dalian Shide was a professional Chinese football club based in Dalian, Liaoning province, China who played in China's football league system between 1955 and 2012. Their home stadiums were the 55,843 capacity Dalian People's Stadium and then lat ...

in 1999 and determined to devote himself to youth football. In 2000, the base, while still under construction, saw the first batch of young players aged between 11 and 12 enrolled into the academy. Some of them formed Shanghai East Asia F.C. (now

Shanghai Port The Port of Shanghai ( zh, c=上海港, p=''Shànghǎi Gǎng'' ; Wu; ''Zånhae Kån'') is located in the vicinity of Shanghai, comprises a deep-sea port and a river port. The main port enterprise in Shanghai, the Shanghai International Por ...

), which was founded by Xu Genbao in 2005, and went on to win the 2007

China League Two The Chinese Football League 2 (), or China League Two, is the third-tier association football league of the People's Republic of China. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association and operated by the Chinese Professional ...

and the 2012

China League One The Chinese Football League 1 (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (), is the second level of professional football in China, under the Chinese Super League. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association ...

. The club is currently playing in the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

, the top division in China. The base has produced several Chinese international football players including Jiang Zhipeng,

Zhang Linpeng Zhang Linpeng (; born 9 May 1989) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays as a defender for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port. Zhang is known by the nickname “Zhangmos” for his similarity in looks and playstyle to Sergio ...

, Yan Junling, Bai Jiajun,

Wang Shenchao Wang Shenchao (; born 8 February 1989) is a Chinese footballer who currently plays as a defender for Shanghai Port in the Chinese Super League and the China national team. Club career Wang Shenchao started his football career when he joine ...

Cao Yunding Cao Yunding (; born 22 November 1989) is a Chinese former footballer who played as a right-footed left winger. Club career Cao Yunding started his football career when he joined the Genbao Football Academy in 2000 and was promoted to Shan ...

, Jiang Shenglong, Zhu Chenjie, Fu Huan,

Chen Binbin Chen Binbin (; born 10 June 1998) is a Chinese footballer who plays for Nantong Zhiyun, of the China League One. Club career Chen Binbin started his football career when he joined Shanghai SIPG's youth academy in 2014 after Shanghai Internat ...

Cai Huikang Cai Huikang (; born 10 October 1989) is a Chinese former footballer who played for Shanghai Port. Club career Cai Huikang started his football career when he joined the Genbao Football Academy in 2000 and was promoted to Shanghai SIPG's ( ...

, Xu Haoyang and

Wu Lei Wu Lei (; born 19 November 1991) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port and the China national team. Wu is widely regarded as one of the best Chinese players of his generation ...

. Inside the base, there are three and a half standard sized football pitches, as well as an indoor football arena covered with

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...

. It also includes a dining, banquet and dancing hall, numerous activity rooms, and sixty-four guest rooms and two luxury suites at a three-star standard. The facilities can be rented out for conventions and functions. The site covers a total area of 4.7 hectares and is adjacent to Dongping National Forest Park.

References

External links

(Chinese)根宝足球基地
Football venues in China Sports venues in Shanghai 2000 establishments in Shanghai {{PRChina-sports-venue-stub