A junior football match held in Guizhou's Tongren on June 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Hu Panxue)

China's central government plans to subsidize newly-built football pitches in the latest effort to improve the country's competitivity in the sport.

BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Newly-built football pitches in China will be subsidized by the central government, according to an official document issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the General Administration of Sport and Chinese Football Association jointly announced on Tuesday.

Newly-built 11-a-side football pitches will be each subsidized by 2 million yuan (about 290,600 U.S. dollars), and newly-built 5-a-sides and 7-a-sides will be each subsidized by up to 1 million yuan, according to the document.

The first edition of China Junior City Soccer Championships opens in Beijing on March 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

China started its football reform in 2015 to boost its competitivity. In recent years, football has been increasingly popular as China's professional leagues gained momentum. However, China still lags behind in terms of football facilities compared to other countries where football is well-developed such as Germany or France.

The subsidies will enable football lovers easier access to more and better football pitches, while cutting down on their operating costs.