Football, or soccer, as some call it, is arguably the world's game. It's one reason why China started building a new football education system five years ago. A system that includes an annual football summer camp to select the best football players in the nation for the top teams. CGTN reporter Ning Hong went to Qingdao in eastern China where some intense competitions are underway.

They're China's best high school football players and they're here for one purpose, to be part of an annual dream team. The student-athletes come from across the country. Through a ten-day intensive training and competition, a team will be selected as the best team of the year. It's a golden opportunity to get serious looks from colleges and professional football clubs.

MAI WU LA MU, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE XINJIANG UYGUR AUTONOMOUS REGION "I started playing football in primary school and made it all the way to a provincial team, I was a sub at first, then on the main team."

This is the new mechanism that China strives to develop, building a campus competition system in compulsory education across the country. After five years of efforts, China currently has more than 20,000 schools with featured football classes, and the health of children in these schools has improved significantly. The system is also recruiting reserve players for China's football competitions.

WANG DENGFENG, DIRECTOR DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL, HEALTH AND ARTS EDUCATION, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION "These children are students from ordinary schools, they can join the club at any time, and they can stay in school until they play in a collegiate league or even on the national team. It's a new, unprecedented mechanism."

This new system is drawing attention from the world's leading clubs. FC Bayern Munich is working closely with China in football training and selection of players.

KLAUS AUGENTHALER, INTERNATIONAL YOUTH COACH FC BAYERN MUNICH "This year the Chinese team finished third in the Bayern Youth Cup U15 and we can see that change."

The chance to train with coaches from the world's leading clubs is not so rare now.

ABEL LORENZO UEFA PRO COACH "These students have relatively good stamina and skills, the quality of tactics coordination is not so good, but it is understandable as they come from different regions for this summer camp."

NING HONG QINGDAO, SHANDONG PROVINCE  "The chance to communicate with the world's top coaches is rare, but the training is becoming increasingly common in China's football schools. With continued investment, China is turning the sport into a national one, improving the overall quality of its football players as more schools join football education. NING HONG, CGTN, QINGDAO."