February 14 – The Chinese Super League (CSL), which is gearing up for the start of its season, has renewed its title sponsorship agreement with insurance company Ping An in what is believed to be a one-season agreement covering 2023.
The deal is reportedly worth $14.7 million, and extends a title sponsorship that began in 2014.
Previously to the CSL sponsorship, PingAn had been a national team sponsor as well as having supported youth football in China.
When first announcing its sponsorship in 2014 Ping An said its investment in Chinese football was part of the company’s social responsibility programme as China sought to boost the health and fitness of its population.
In 2017, when renewing its title sponsorship for a further four years, PingAn became the official financial sponsor of the national team.
The CSL deal will continue to see the Ping An brand across all CSL media space and give the company access to exclusive content and various benefits it can pass on to fans.
Since 2014 then a lot of change has happened within Chinese football’s boom and bust cycle, however PingAn has remained ever present.
All matches in the 18-team Chinese Super League (CSL) will return to being played on a home-and-away basis, bringing to an end three seasons of COVID-19 restrictions.
A start date for the 2023 season has yet to be announced, but clubs in all of the top three divisions will be permitted to host matches when the competitions return.
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