At this moment, Wu Hao heard Zhinao mention a ten-year timeline. Although he felt it was a bit long, he decided to listen to its detailed plan first. After all, Zhinao’s computational abilities far surpassed his own.

At the same time, Zhinao had reviewed the development history of world football and the systematic development and training methods used in European and American countries. It then came up with a development plan tailored to their country’s specific situation.

“Okay, tell me, where should I start if I want to develop football?” Wu Hao asked.

“BOSS, the first thing you need to do is acquire a domestic football club that qualifies for the Super League. Then, transform this club into a ‘phenomenon-level’ club, also known as a ‘giant.'”

“The conditions for becoming a ‘giant’ club include the following key points. First, there must be sufficient financial support. Second, the club must have its own stadium and training facilities. Third, there must be youth training academies at various levels. Fourth, you need close cooperation with major European clubs to ensure that your players can go to European clubs for matches. Only through continuous player exchanges can you truly become a ‘giant.’ Of course, you must also ensure that your connections with domestic government officials are strong enough to prevent interference that could hinder the club’s development.”

“As long as your club meets these conditions, it will drive the development of the other clubs in the country. This is the only way to truly develop domestic football. After all, your personal abilities are limited; you can’t support the entire development of football in the country alone. Your role is to create a ‘phenomenon-level’ club.”

Hearing this, Wu Hao vaguely understood. He knew that a ‘phenomenon-level’ club was world-class, with enough influence to amaze people worldwide.

“Your plan is good, and it aligns with my own ideas. So, among the dozen or so domestic clubs qualified for the Super League, which one do you think I should acquire?” Wu Hao continued to ask.

“BOSS, currently, the most suitable club for you to acquire is Lifan Football Club, located in Shuangqing City. There are several main reasons for this. First, the current owner is inclined to sell the club. Second, Shuangqing City has a strong football market. Third, the club owns its own stadium and training base in the city center.”

“Among the dozen or so Super League clubs in the country, it has a significant advantage over the others. That’s why it’s the best choice for you.”

It must be mentioned that most football clubs in the country do not have their own stadiums. The only two exceptions are Lifan in Shuangqing City, which has its own stadium in the city center. However, the stadium has long since become unusable for matches and has been turned into a parking lot and driving school. The other facilities are also in disrepair, rendering the entire venue practically useless.

The other club with its own stadium is Tianjin’s TEDA. This stadium covers 75,000 square meters and can accommodate 37,000 people. It’s one of the few professional football stadiums in the country. However, the downside is that it’s far from the city center, and the attendance rate is relatively low.

In terms of professional football stadiums in the country, there are really only three. The first is TEDA Stadium, the second is Hongkou Stadium in Shanghai, and the third is Longquan Stadium in Chengdu.

Ironically, despite having a professional football stadium, Chengdu doesn’t even have a professional team.

These three stadiums aren’t very large, with seating capacities of just over 30,000. Only Hongkou Stadium is close to the city center, while the other two are somewhat remote.

For a city, if a venue that hosts events with tens of thousands of people is too far from the city center, it significantly dampens people’s interest in attending matches.

After all, the long distance and inconvenient transportation alone are enough to deter many fans from going to the stadium.

Unless it’s a super event, like a match between Real Madrid and Manchester United in China, passionate fans will still attend, even if the venue is far away.

But considering the current level of the domestic Super League, it’s clearly not worth that kind of enthusiasm. Many fans won’t even bother to watch it on TV, let alone go to the stadium. The level of play is simply so dull that it puts people to sleep.

Regarding Lifan Club’s stadium in the city center of Shuangqing City, it was bought for 80 million yuan when Lifan took over the club after negotiations with the local government. The stadium and surrounding commercial properties cover a total area of over 100,000 square meters. By 2008, this land was already worth 2 billion yuan. However, the stadium has become a burden for Lifan, as it’s too rundown for matches to be held.

Lifan doesn’t have the resources or vision to renovate the stadium. Additionally, the local government built a larger Olympic Sports Center in the city center, so Lifan has been holding its home matches there for years.

The Olympic Center is also in the city center, and transportation is very convenient. Despite the track surrounding the field negatively affecting the viewing experience, it hasn’t dampened fans’ enthusiasm. When Lifan was pushing for Super League qualification, the highest attendance reached over 40,000, nearly 50,000.

This attendance rate is extremely rare in the country, considering it’s a domestic football match that can’t compare to the top European leagues.

As for the stadium and land owned by Lifan, the agreement signed with the local government specifies that the land can only be used for sports facilities. Even though the land is now worth billions, it can’t be redeveloped. Otherwise, this prime land in the city center would have already been used for real estate.

A few years ago, Lifan even tried to unload the club and was willing to sell the stadium back to the government for less than 20 million, but the offer was rejected.

The government of Shuangqing City wasn’t foolish. Why would they take back such a burden? After all, they still had an even worse stadium on the opposite bank of the river that they hadn’t figured out how to deal with. That stadium had long since become a dangerous building, and the field had turned into a vegetable garden.