March 22 – Manchester City have signed a regional partnership with Chinese firm SoccerWorld to provide better access to facilities and coaches for young Chinese footballers. The agreement is part of the City Football Group’s (CFG) wider ambition to expand its business in China.
In December CFG, the Abu Dhabi-owned football investment firm that counts Premier League leaders Manchester City as one of its clubs, announced a $400 million new investment from China, valuing CFG at $3 billion. A China Media Capital-led consortium acquired the stake with the intention of using the money and CFG’s club assets and expertise to develop deeper into China.
Manchester City will visit China this summer to compete in the International Champions Cup as part of their pre-season tour.
The deal with SoccerWorld will see them become Manchester City’s Official Recreational Soccer Partner in the region. Man City coaches will visit China twice a year to provide SoccerWorld coaches with a one-week intensive training programme.
As part of the deal the most talented SoccerWorld youth players will have the opportunity to attend the City Football Academy where they will train with Manchester City coaches and sports scientists. While in Manchester, they will also compete in a tournament against Manchester-based youth players.
Omar Berrada, Commercial Director for City Football Group, said: “As the leading provider of recreational soccer facilities in China with ambitious plans to grow we are excited to be able to partner with them (SoccerWorld) so that they can use our global football brand to increase participation at all levels of the game and support the broader national focus on enhancing the domestic soccer industry.
Our partnership with SoccerWorld presents a strong platform on which we can continue to build Manchester City’s relevance, engagement and commitment to China by offering a national organisation access to premier football facilities and services that will allow them to contribute to the growth and development of football across the region.”
SoccerWorld CEO Chengen Fan who was in Mancehster for a signing ceremony with Berrada, MCFC captain Vincent Kompany and teammates Willy Caballero and Richard Wright said: “The partnership between SoccerWorld and Manchester City provides a new start for the development of youth football in China. In China, SoccerWorld already has more than 20 training centres and 200 pitches where we deliver the highest quality programmes to aspiring footballers.”
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