Eight teams of young players got a taste of what it's like to be a Premier League footballer last week as the Premier League Asia Trophy came to China.
In the same way that their heroes from Manchester City, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers competed in Nanjing and Shanghai, four Under-15 teams from Chinese Super League academies played in the CSL Cup, while four mixed Under-12 sides from schools from the two cities took part in the Premier Skills Cup.
On both of their matchdays the children got to see the Premier League Trophy, walked out to the anthem and were mentored by academy coaches from the four Asia Trophy clubs.
They also competed for their own trophy and the once-in-a-lifetime prize to visit the United Kingdom to train and play with Premier League academies.
Jiangsu Suning triumphed in the CSL Cup, while Jiangsu Subei won the Premier Skills Cup.
The latter competition was also attended by first-team players from West Ham and Newcastle, as well as the four Premier League officials for the Asia Trophy matches.
