Noted Japanese cartoonist Yoichi Takahashi will create a Chinese version of his manga series Captain Tsubasa, or Flash Kicker. This announcement comes in the wake of China’s call to promote soccer among youth.

The Chinese manga movie will be the first 3-D movie featuring young Chinese soccer players, and it is scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2018. It will be produced by Takahashi and two Beijing-based media companies, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Takahashi’s manga series Captain Tsubasa narrates the adventures of a Japanese youth soccer team and its captain, Tsubasa Oozora. Similarly, the Chinese movie will tell a story of a young man with true soccer talent who is also a quick learner at a school in rural China. It will describe how he, as team captain, leads his team to become champions of the national soccer league, according to Xinhua.

The Japanese cartoonist will create the Chinese version of Captain Tsubasa, which “will be customized to soccer development in China,” said Zhao Jun, a general manager of one of the production companies, at a press conference in Qinhuangdao, northern China’s Hebei province, on Saturday, according to Xinhua.

“We hope the inspiring movie can equally encourage Chinese youth to love soccer, cultivate sportsmanship and promote the sport around China,” Zhao explained.

Takahashi said the soccer captain in his stories continues to grow up, and he hopes the captain’s stories can reflect the progress of society as much as they reveal the character’s personality, Xinhua reported.