"We will continue this program in Shanghai and Changchun. Our intention is to promote and help the young people play better soccer. This is the basis of our efforts to promote soccer in China," said Jochem Heizmann, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group China on Wednesday at a youth football training session in Beijing.

"We can see the great passion that Chinese football fans have and we want to educate not only on the professional field but also on the football field," he added.

The training series will involve 400 young boys and girls. After the session in Beijing on Oct 15 and 16, the German coaches will continue to provide two-day training in Shanghai and Changchun, Jilin province, starting from Oct 17 until 20, with the support of FAW-Volkswagen and Shanghai Volkswagen.

Referring to the training program, Heizmann said: "We will continue with the Rainbow Bridge program to support youth sports, especially soccer."

It is a follow-up of a Chinese junior football camp in Germany, which was also sponsored by Volkswagen in March, when 20 junior football players and their coaches from China received professional training from VfL Wolfsburg in Germany.

It is part of the Rainbow Bridge Project sponsored by Volkswagen that includes sponsorship of men's and women's junior football teams in Zhidan,Shaanxi province, Hong'an, Hubei province, and Jinggangshan, Jiangxi province.

Chinese and international young players stand together during the football training session in Beijing, Oct 15, 2014. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

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