China will get its first professional rugby union competition as part of a $100 million investment in the currently low-profile sport by e-commerce giant Alibaba Frank Thomas Jersey , the firm and World Rugby said Wednesday.


As well as professional men's and women's 15-a-side leagues, a national sevens program will be set up, the two said in separate statements. The money will be spent over 10 years.


But rugby has heavy handicaps to overcome in the world's most populous country.


Fewer than 80,000 Chinese play the sport and it is far less popular among spectators than football or basketball. Its Chinese name translates literally as "English-style olive ball."


World Rugby would not specify the size of the league, or when it would start.


The chief executive of Alibaba's sporting arm Alisports, Zhang Dazhong, said the game had "undoubted potential" to become a "mass-participation sport" in China.


The two bodies plan to cultivate one million new players through school programs and train 30 Early Wynn Jersey ,000 coaches and 15,000 match officials in the next five years, according to the statements.


"We will work tirelessly to promote the development of rugby in China," Zhang added.


China's national rugby captain Ma Chong welcomed the investment. "As an athlete, I finally see hope for this sport," he said.


Ma, 24 Derek Holland Jersey , makes just over 3,000 yuan (less than $500) a month playing for the Shandong provincial side.


"To be honest, until now I haven't thought that I could support my family playing rugby. But with a professional league, I can actually make it a profession without burdening my family too much," he said. "I really enjoy rugby, it brings me a joy that nothing else can."


But Xu Yaojun, president of amateur club Guangzhou Longhua Carlton Fisk Jersey , cautioned that funding was not enough to guarantee success.


"This investment is definitely good news," he said. "But money is only part of what is needed to develop the game, the whole social system in China, including the education system, all needs to be involved. We need patience in this."


The announcement comes after Alibaba unveiled a tie-up with World Rugby to increase the game's visibility through its Internet video platforms in April, when World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper said that China has ambitions to host the Rugby World Cup.


Gosper said in a statement on Wednesday that World Rugby's "strategic mission is to grow the global rugby family. China is central to that mission."


Many firms in China are investing in sports, anticipating a massive growth in leisure industries as China's economy rebalances toward consumption.


Rugby has increased its profile in Asia thanks to its inclusion in this year's Olympics and the upcoming 2019 World Cup in Japan Carlos Rodon Jersey , as well as the growing world sevens series.

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