58.com will start to title sponsor China League from this 2015 season for five years. It is estimated that the sponsor fee is not less than 15 million yuan.
Chinese Football Association published calls for buying sponsorships for China League in December last year. In January, a company in Tianjin signed to be its title sponsor and to buy its media rights. Later, the company sold the title sponsor to 58.com.
58.com is a major Internet company in China. Its chief role is to provide a platform for information exchanges regarding room renting and job hunting.
China League is the second tier of professional football league in China. It has been running without title sponsorships for the past 11 years.
There are many internet brands investing or sponsoring football in China. These include Alibaba investing in Evergrande FC, JD.com sponsoring Chinese Super League, Suning sponsoring Jiangsu Shuntian FC.