- Title: CHINA: David Beckham unveils charity fund for youth football in Beijing
- Date: 21st April 2014
- Summary: BEIJING CHINA (APRIL 21, 2014) (REUTERS) CEREMONY IN PROGRESS BACK OF DAVID BECKHAM'S HEAD AUDIENCE FROM BEHIND BECKHAM STANDING UP AND WALKING ON-STAGE BECKHAM WALKING TO THE PODIUM BECKHAM STANDING AT PODIUM WITH CHAIRMAN OF CHINA SOONG CHING LING FOUNDATION HU QILI AND HEAD OF CHINESE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CAI ZHENHUA VARIOUS OF BECKHAM AND HU HOLDING UP THEIR HANDS CAMERAMAN FILMING BECKHAM ON STAGE WITH HOST (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLISH FOOTBALLER DAVID BECKHAM SAYING: "Obviously I'm very proud of my involvement with the foundation. Everybody knows how important youth and the children are to myself. I have four beautiful children myself. So I know how important children are. It sounds obvious, but they're our future." CHILD IN BECKHAM JERSEY SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE NUMBER ON BECKHAM JERSEY (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLISH FOOTBALLER DAVID BECKHAM SAYING: "I'm very proud of my association to the Super League. It's one of the things I was very proud to be involved in, and (I) will continue to be involved in the youth system, and this is obviously part of my involvement with children, with the foundation, and giving children the opportunity to live a great life and the opportunity to play in great facilities that they're going to be very happy with." AUDIENCE BECKHAM ON STAGE/BECKHAM HOLDING UP SIGNED FOOTBALL WITH TWO YOUTH SOCCER PLAYERS SIGNED FOOTBALL/BECKHAM'S FACE SCREEN WITH BECKHAM'S NAME IN CHINESE REVOLVING VARIOUS OF BECKHAM AND OTHERS LINED UP ON STAGE FOR PHOTOS
- Embargoed: 6th May 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA3C6ZCZOTKR35VEY6EF3C3ZVIY
- Story Text: Retired British football player David Beckham announced a charity fund for youth football in China on Monday (April 21) in Beijing, based on a donation he and his wife Victoria Beckham made last year.
The Beckhams donated a Jaguar sports car and six football jerseys for a charity auction during a visit to China in June last year, raising 2.58 million yuan ($415,000) for the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a large government-affiliated charity.
The Foundation and the Beckhams have decided to use that donation to form the "Youth Football Fund Supported by David Beckham".
Last year, Beckham also took on the role of global ambassador for the Chinese Super League, the country's top football league, after it was plagued by a series of match-fixing scandals.
"Obviously I'm very proud of my involvement with the foundation. Everybody knows how important youth and the children are to myself. I have four beautiful children myself. So I know how important children are. It sounds obvious, but they're our future," Beckham said at the unveiling ceremony in the Great Hall of the People.
"I'm very proud of my association to the Super League. It's one of the things I was very proud to be involved in, and (I) will continue to be involved in the youth system, and this is obviously part of my involvement with children, with the foundation, and giving children the opportunity to live a great life and the opportunity to play in great facilities that they're going to be very happy with," he added.
Already, one million yuan ($161,000) has been earmarked for youth football in China's far western Xinjiang region, which has a history of ethnic unrest. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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