On July 5th, Alipay held a press conference entitled “Go, China Women’s Football!”. Alipay announced during the conference that they will fund the development of China women’s football teams to the tune of RMB 1 billion over the next 10 years. The funding will mainly be spent on 4 areas: better training for China Women’s National Football Team, better coverage for injured players and better assistance in helping the players adapt to post-retirement, skill improvements in women’s football players and the cultivation of good coaches, as well as the promotion and development of girls’ youth football.

The sponsorship deal is the largest that China’s women football has ever received, yet it is not a commercial sponsorship, and does not include business rights commonly seen in sports sponsorships. The name of Alipay will not appear on the shirts of women’s football players.

According to Alipay, Alibaba Group announced previously that they will spend 0.3‰ of their profits on public services. Therefore, sponsoring the China women’s football is an act of public service, instead of a campaign looking for business returns. 

Alipay kicked off an 8-year cooperation with UEFA last November in the hope of bringing a more developed European football system and stronger football culture into China, eventually benefiting China women’s football, and Chinese football in general.

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick