China’s business climate can prove unfamiliar – and daunting – to new market entrants.

From the sidelines of a makeshift football field, set up on the weekend near a Beijing shopping mall, fans are yelling encouragement as the players take up their positions under the floodlights.

"Go, Sharks, go."

The two teams squaring off are the Sharks and Vipers, made up mostly of primary school pupils aged between six and 10 years old. "Grab the ball and hold on to it," a middle-aged man, recording the play with a camera, shouts to a broad-shouldered snapper.

The scene could be from any U.S. suburb: two teams of youngsters in football helmets, cleats and pads; referees in pinstripes; parents snapping photos and cheering from the sidelines. But the clipboard-toting coaches call out plays in Chinese and the field is at a park in Beijing.