ANKARA

China will establish a professional football league union in January to manage the Asian country's football divisions.

"The plan of a Chinese football professional league union has already been approved, and we will try to establish the organization by the end of January," Chinese Football Association (CFA) President Song Kai said in his work report at the CFA general assembly on Thursday.

Song's report said there are now 148,700 football pitches in China, and the country has 92,979 elite youth players, which has increased by 6.3% year-on-year.

Chinese daily Global Times reported that Song said the establishment of the independent body will be a "milestone achievement" and a "significant breakthrough" in the governance of professional Chinese leagues.

In 2015, the Chinese government announced a 50-point plan to reform Chinese football.

This plan has outlined reform in many aspects, such as the Chinese football management system, professional clubs, professional leagues, national teams, and grassroots football players, creating thousands of football schools and pitches to build a strong football country.