The English Premier League has today announced it has officially opened an international office in Beijing to support the continued growth of the League and its clubs in China.
Building on the Premier League’s longstanding work to promote football in the region, the office will help create more opportunities for fans in China to engage with the League and clubs. It will also enable the League to collaborate with local football authorities and partners to promote the growth of the game at all levels.
To mark the office opening, the Premier League, in partnership with the British Council, has this week delivered a grassroots coach development course for 35 community football coaches from different regions in China.
Led by Premier League coaches from Leicester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, the four-day course provided theory and practical training to equip coaches with the confidence and skills to deliver football sessions in their provinces.
Agreement signed with Chinese FA
To further underpin the League’s commitment to supporting the development of football in China at elite and grassroots levels, the Premier League today also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement with the Chinese Football Association.
This will see the two organisations collaborate on the delivery of programmes and activities to support the elite development of players, coaches and match officials, as well as training for grassroots coaches and referees.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “We and our clubs have an incredible fanbase in China and opening an office in Beijing marks an exciting step as we continue to build on our popularity and strengthen our relationships with fans and partners.
“We also understand the importance of developing football locally and we will be continuing our longstanding work with local football organisations to promote the growth of the game. Having a permanent base in China will help us to work closely with our partners and develop even more opportunities to bring Premier League excitement to fans in the region.”
The collaboration with the Chinese FA will include the delivery of an elite international coach development programme with study visits for Chinese football coaches to spend time with Premier League clubs. Other activities will include a youth tournament and grassroots development courses.
Supporting the game in China for 15 years
The Premier League has been supporting grassroots football in China for 15 years. Working in partnership with the British Council since 2009, the League has delivered the Premier Skills coaching programme in 28 cities, providing training to more than 6,300 grassroots coaches, referees and teachers in China.
In 2019, the Premier League opened its first international office in Singapore, primarily established to fight piracy of Premier League content and support broadcast partners. In July 2023, the League opened its office in New York to continue to develop fan engagement opportunities in the United States, working closely with its longstanding broadcast partner NBC Sports.