Despite most talk related to TV money revolving around the English Premier League, the CSL has managed to secure its own mammoth deal, which saw Ti'ao Dongli, a sports events broadcasting company based in Beijing, buy the league's 5-year rights for around 860 million pounds. In comparison, the TV rights for 2015 fetched around 6.2 million pounds. Zhao Jun, manager of Ti'ao Dongli said that they aimed to improve the broadcasting quality of the CSL, in order to catch up with leagues around the world. That's certainly good news for fans who are used to watching live games with little ambience, during which coughing from within the studio can often be heard. It is also, of course, great news for the clubs who will also benefit from increased exposure and one would assume a rise in advertising revenue.

The second reason, and probably the most important reason, is that the Chinese government has explicitly stated that it hopes to raise the standard of Chinese football. With the blessing of the state, Chinese clubs have decided to go all out in an attempt to achieve this goal. This is no doubt helped by the fact that the ownership structure of many clubs sees them either owned by state-run corporations or by companies that have immense interests in real estate, and thus formal business links to the state. Currying political may or may not be a motivating factor for the men who have the money to spend on players and thus "improve" the league, and it certainly cannot be ruled out within the discussion of recent transfer spending.

Political desire, something that Arsene Wenger said was a worrying factor for European clubs in relation to China's renewed investment in players is certainly a real factor and could very well be a boon for Chinese football fans who are desperate to see their country's economic status reflected on the football pitch. Bringing foreign players in, such as Martinez and Teixeria, could certainly help boost the standard of the league but once again it does not address the root problem, or in this case the grassroots problem.

Grassroots football in China is growing, but it is abysmal when measured against grassroots traditions and methods in Europe. Lofty plans for around 20,000 football schools, due to open by 2017, are part of a grand gesture to develop the game though it is unclear whether this will be accompanied with a plan to implement a schools league either within provinces or regions. Bringing in technical consultants such as Tom Byer, widely seen as one of the leading forces in the development of Japanese grassroots football during the 90s, is a forward thinking step but there remain huge barriers to the growth of the sport within schools in general, not least the attitude of parents.

However, regardless of one's opinion about the use of such large amounts of money for the purposes of football, it is good news that the political desire to improve the game has led to education initiatives or projects in the hope of finding a solution. Whether that solution will materialize or not is anyone's guess, and as many grassroots coaches have long warned, growing the game in the correct way is a long term process. And yet, if grassroots football can be revitalized and grown the right way, future young stars of the Chinese game may not grow up dreaming of playing abroad in Europe; they might instead grow up being captivated by the talent and skill on display within the CSL from 2016 onwards.

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