City seeks to expand grassroots football development, fan growth and commercial activity across China
City Football Group (CFG), the owner of football clubs, including Premier League Champions Manchester City, and football-related businesses in major cities around the world, has become the first global football organisation to open a second hub in China, as it launched a new office in Shenzhen. CFG, which is minority owned by a China Media Capital-led consortium, was the first non-Chinese club to open a mainland office, in Shanghai in March 2016.
CFG executives were joined at One Shenzhen Bay by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who visited Shenzhen at the end of a trade delegation to China.
The move marks the continuing growth of City’s footprint in China, particularly since the visit of President Xi Jinping to the City Football Academy in Manchester as part of his State Visit in 2015.
With a primary objective of contributing to the development of grassroots football in China, City Partnered with the Ministry of Education on its School Football Project in September 2016. In the past two years, over 40 coaches from UK have worked in primary and secondary schools across 15 Chinese cities/provinces, and directly delivered football coaching sessions to over 400,000 Chinese kids, and over 3,000 school teachers. City Football Group also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Shenzhen Sports, Culture and Tourism Bureau to work together to deliver grassroots football programmes in Shenzhen.
Manchester City now has 12 official supporters’ clubs in 12 cities across China, with a regular audience of 45m for City games. The Club has entered into several commercial partnerships in China including with Shenzhen-based Robotics Partner, UBTECH and Insurance giant, Ping An. Since 2017, the City Football Foundation has supported two Unified Football projects in Beijing and Guangzhou and used football to create a safe and inclusive environment for children or all abilities. The projects have worked directly with over 1,800 children, of which 80% are from special schools in the two cities. They have also reached over 3000 further people through tournaments and volunteer programmes, including teachers, families and other members of the Special Olympics family.
kozbkyz
0
WISH THEY OPENED ONE IN AFRICA TOO
i support you.... in africa city has many fans wish they can open one in africa too
Npanbi
3
WISH THEY OPENED ONE IN AFRICA TOO
Luckus
1
Using Uruguayan clubs as a tax-optimizing shell for loaning South American players to European clubs is a tried and tested strategy. City at least have experience with the phenomenon through their involvement in the Geronimo Rulli transfers. No idea if setting up such a scheme is the intention of the City Financial Group though.
Romeojin
0
A couple months ago they were closing in on a deal for an Indian team, no?
Mercenaries
1
Will be interesting to see if they mabe follow the path of RB in terms of networks and scouting.
freedong
4
Ultimately it’s all about earning the most money possible from football by becoming a global group of superteams that all send each other players and develop the best talent from the region they are located in. The team playing in the most prestigious region will have the best players, then the second most prestigious region, and so on. The important thing is to develop a great reputation so the young talent will want to be in the City group from the earliest possible stage, as this maximises profit potential by keeping acquisition costs as low as possible globally. It’s very clever, and I believe it’s a long term investment to secure the Abu Dhabi royal family with a large income source that doesn’t rely on petrochemicals and isn’t based in or near an inherently unstable region. It requires an incredible amount of start up money, but assuming civilisation doesn’t collapse it is eventually sustainable and even hugely profitable in the long term. Incidentally all football club owners (since Jack Walker died at least) are in it for the money. City are just the first ones with owners who have methodically thought out how to dominate football globally and permanently and have the resources to make it happen.
EPSON
0
Surprised they haven't bought a team in Brasil Maybe it's all about the money, China > Brazil.
Guevara03
0
Fine, fine, fine. But have they got a tractor sponsorship? Who is City's official noodle partner? Travel pillow provider? that's what I thought...
Redlink
1
💝CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR NEW BRANCH OPENING💝
Leo_Mamun10
1
Really, This a good team 😍