It has been over a year since China unveiled an overall soccer-related reform plan to re-establish the sport in the country. With motivated governmental policy, Chinese soccer is attracting more and more attention both domestically and internationally.

Last September, a delegation led by China’s Deputy Prime Minister Liu Yandong and CFA President Cai Zhenhua attended the UK-China Football Forum, paving the way for more substantial co-operation between the UK and China in soccer. One month later, in October, Chinese President Xi Jinping also paid a visit to Premier League side Manchester City FC during his state visit to the UK.

These two governmental visits and exchanges significantly promoted the communications between China and UK on soccer, driving English clubs’ interests in expanding their outreaches in the Chinese market.

If we are looking at the presence of English soccer clubs in the Chinese market, the efforts of top clubs like Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC just can’t be ignored. Both clubs have enjoyed their Chinese tours, taking in a range of Chinese cities over the past two decades. Additionally, the duo have secured a list of regional partners in the market. The Red Devils, particularly, with reportedly the largest fan base in China, will have a Manchester Derby with their city rivals, the Blue Moons, at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing this summer.

Arsenal FC, however, are not far behind. The club has been really active in embracing the Chinese market. Since the establishment of an office in Shanghai, Arsenal have effectively enlarged their presence in China by launching promotional campaigns. They have sent club ambassadors Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg to engage with Chinese fans and there was also the FA Cup Trophy Exhibition Tour. More recently, the club managed to strike a partnership deal with iRENA to run a number of soccer schools in different Chinese cities.

In recent years, another EPL giant Liverpool FC appears to be getting more and more interested in tapping the Chinese market. In 2011, with the support of the club’s former major sponsor, SCB, they completed the first ever China Tour in the history of the club. And two years later, the Reds set up an international soccer academy in Guilin, Guangxi Province. The Liverpool School has organized several summer and winter camps since it was opened, bringing many Chinese kids who love the sport to the UK.

Moreover, Liverpool FC started to get even more active in the market since the end of 2014. First of all, the club started by expanding its media outreach in the country by establishing a video channel on PPTV, one of the leading online streaming platforms in China. And earlier this year, the club decided to expand the partnership with PPTV in order to engage a greater Chinese audience with more accessible channels and content.

In addition, the club also worked with EPL’s broadcast partner in China, Super Sports, during the 38-day EPL Carnival where former club legend John Barnes led a fans engagement campaign in Tianjin in early January.

In marketing promotions, Liverpool FC also made a breakthrough in regional sponsorships after striking an 18-month deal with MG Autos. The two sides will officially unveil the partnership at the Beijing International Auto Show in April.

Furthermore, Liverpool FC are currently exploring partnership opportunities around the New Main Stand development for its home, the Anfield Stadium.

Against this background, the China Football Summit 2016 will see Andrew Markham, Head of Global Partnership Sales at Liverpool FC, land in Shanghai in late May and give an insight into the Club’s China Strategy alongside delegates from other top international soccer clubs, such as Real Madrid FC and Inter Milan FC.

China Football Summit 2016

The China Football Summit 2016 (CFS 2016) will be held in Shanghai from 26th to 27th May. The Summit will concentrate on the following topics, namely analyses on the governmental reform and policy around the game, the campus soccer plan and the impact of media rights on professional leagues etc. The CFS 2016 will assemble a list of experts, who are interested in Chinese soccer, to substantially discuss how much commercial potential that Chinese soccer holds. 

The China Football Summit 2016 will be hosted by Pioneer Sports. Yutang Sports will fully track the CFS 2016 as a supportive organization. Pioneer Sports is a professional sports company with expertise in soccer-related services and strategic management around soccer. The company is dedicated to serving as a professional exchange platform for Chinese soccer and international soccer.

For more information, please access http://www.pioneersports.cn/Football2016/index.html