By Pac-12

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott announced that the conference, University of Utah, Arizona State University, the Chinese Scholarship Council and the Federation University Sports China (FUSC) have developed a coaching education program for coaches from FUSC member colleges.

For three months in the fall of 2016 as part of the Pac-12 Global Initiative, coaches from both universities will train 200 Chinese coaches on techniques in men and women’s basketball, track and field, swimming and cheerleading.

The two Pac-12 universities will develop and operate the coaching program. Specific topics for the program will include coaching strategy, game preparation, film review and assistant coach development and practice structure.  In addition, the curriculum will include off-the-field items such as sports psychology, strength training, nutrition, public relations and marketing.

Following the 90-day program, each participating coach will be issued a certificate of completion.

The FUSC is China’s national solely authorized organization for university sports and operates under the Ministry of Education. Since 2011, the Pac-12 and FUSC have worked together to put on exhibition and now regular season games featuring Pac-12 men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as coaching clinics and educational symposiums on collegiate sports.

“The FUSC has been instrumental in our success in China and we are excited to help train their coaches,” said Scott. “Utah and Arizona State feature some of the best coaches in all of college sports and will serve as great mentors for the coaches of the leading universities in China.”

The Chinese Scholarship Council is financing the program for FUSC coaches in a continued effort to grow collegiate sports in China.

“The coaching education program co-operated by Pac-12, FUSC and CSC is beneficial for our Chinese coaches to learn advanced techniques from United States,” said Yang Liguo, FUSC secretary general. “The program will deepen the bilateral relations between FUSC and Pac-12, and bring vitality and energy to the development of two countries.”

University of Utah and Arizona State will host these coaches for 90 days between September and December and run the training sessions five days per week.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for another point of collaboration with China,” said David W. Pershing, president of the University of Utah. “We are proud to have been selected to participate in this unique coaches training program. It is also in line with our vision to create an environment at the University of Utah that fosters the development of our students as global citizens.”

“ASU is proud to partner with the Pac-12 and the FUSC,” said Kent Hopkins, ASU’s vice president for Enrollment Services. “Our world-renowned Sun Devil coaching community, together with ASU’s Global Launch training program, will provide a first-rate learning experience that builds new connections between the athletic communities in the U.S. and China. The visiting coaches undoubtedly will enjoy a welcome from the more than 3,000 Chinese students enrolled at ASU, highlighting the university’s extensive global engagement.”

Today’s announcement came during a pre-game press conference for the 2015 Pac-12 China Game, which will be played Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai and televised live in the United States on ESPN at 7 p.m. PT.  The game is the first collegiate or professional regular season contest to be played in China.

Fast facts about Pac-12 Global:

• Since starting the initiative in 2011, the Pac-12 has sent two men’s basketball teams (UCLA, Arizona State) and one women’s basketball team (Cal), two all-star women’s volleyball teams, and one all-star men’s basketball team to compete in China.
• In the U.S., the Pac-12 has hosted three U.S.-China Symposiums on Collegiate Sports Development at the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Pac-12 Basketball Tournaments.
• The Pac-12 has a key partnership with the FUSC for the initiative. The FUSC is China’s national organization for university sports and operates under the Ministry of Education.
• Across Pac-12 institutions (undergrad and graduate), international students make up roughly 14 percent of the student body.
• More than 21,000 students (undergrad and grad) at Pac-12 institutions are from China.
• Basketball is the most popular sport in China with an estimated 300 million playing the sport.

About the Federation University Sports China

Headquartered in Beijing under China’s Ministry of Education and established in 1975, the Federation of University Sports of China is the solely authorized national organization for university sports. The main roles of the FUSC are the following:

• To popularize national education and sports policy among college students and seek support to the university sports.
• To organize all kinds of national collegiate sports event and promote exchanges with university sports associations all over the world.
• To assist participating in international collegiate sports event and sports exchanges.

About the Pac-12 Conference

The conference has a tradition as the “Conference of Champions,” leading the nation in NCAA Championships in 50 of the past 55 years, with 478 NCAA team titles overall. The conference comprises 12 leading U.S. universities: The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Colorado, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Washington and Washington State University.  For more information on the conference’s programs, member institutions, and Commissioner Larry Scott, go to pac-12.com/conference.