A rendering of the football club in Haimen [Photo/ntjoy.com]

A ceremony marking the start of construction on a football club was recently held in the Haimen Economic Development Zone in Haimen, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. 

The project was launched in response to the local government's call to combine the sports industry with environmental development. The club is meant to become one of Asia's top football training centers.

The football club is located in the Jiangong Late Science and Education Town and covers an area of more than 77,700 square meters. It has received about 1 billion yuan ($143 million) in investment.

The club is designed as a multifunctional complex consisting of a standard football field, a football-themed hotel, and other supporting facilities.

The club is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021 and will become a key venue for medium and large-scale sporting events and professional training. It will also be open to the public for recreational use.