The Changing Football Policy for Foreign Players and Under 23 Players in the Chinese Super League: Time to Focus on Domestic Development?

Since 2017, a regulation has been established by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) for under 23 (U23) players and foreign players in the Chinese Super League (CSL). Its purpose was to support local young players, and it requires clubs to use three U23 players to play on the pitch in each league game and limits the number of foreign players at the same time (in 2019). Many scholars have highlighted football being an essential soft power for China and the CFA, while the decision-making process of the CFA remain relatively untouched in the available literature. This paper aims to firstly discover the reasons for the establishment of these policies in the Chinese Super League. Secondly, by using the multiple streams framework in the analysis, it aims to critically examine the usefulness of Kingdon’s (1984) theory and implications for the case of China. The theory which evaluates three elements (Problem, Policies and Politics) in the policy process, is seldom used in sport-related fields. Public policy documents and interviews with coaches and CFA officials are the main sources for analysis. Findings suggest that improving the competitiveness of the national team at the international stage such as Olympics and World Cup was the major objectives delivered from the central government. Though a ‘window of opportunity’ was created for policy change to occur, challenges for older local players and the well-being of clubs still exist. Theoretically, lack of