The Premier League’s interest in the commercial value of Asia is reaching a crescendo with the English top-flight establishing a new office in Beijing.
China is understandably the main focus of the new office, located in the country’s capital. The league has tasked the new office with promoting football in China and engaging with its fanbase in the country.
To support its plans, the league has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Football Association. Joint activities will include organising an international coach development programme, a youth tournament and grassroots development courses.
Premier League CEO 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.”
With the Premier League being one of the world’s most widely viewed and brandable leagues, the tournament and its clubs are constantly on the lookout for new avenues for fan engagement and commercial opportunities. East Asia in particular has become a focal point for the league and clubs.
Some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs have built up a substantial fanbase in east Asia, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea some of the most widely-followed in the region.
This has prompted international visits, mostly in the form of pre-season friendly games held in east Asian nations like Thailand. This has extended to commercial agreements, however, with a notable recent example being a deal between Manchester United and Tiger Beer, a Singaporean beer company within the worldwide Heineken Group.
Some of the most notable commercial links made between English football and Asian businesses lately have been betting partnerships. Both Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, for example, have partnered with Kaiyun Sports.
These have come in the context of the Premier League’s forthcoming ban on front-of-shirt betting deals from 2026/27 onwards, which has seen several clubs secure partnerships while the financial opportunity remains.
The international allure of the Premier League has also prompted some demand for fixtures to be held abroad – not just pre-season friendlies but actual league fixtures. The US and east Asia are the most likely destinations for such matches to occur, but supporters associations are not happy with the prospect.
Focusing on China, the country has been an area of interest for the Premier League for some time. The League has been working with the Chinese FA and British Council on supporting grassroots initiatives since 2009, and in 2019 established its first international office in Singapore.
This Singapore location was established to counter piracy of the league’s content and support broadcast partners, and in July 2023 a New York office was opened to pursue fan engagement in the US, working with the league’s stateside broadcast partner, NBC Sports. It can be expected that the new Beijing office will conduct similar functions to the Singapore and New York HQs.
Masters concluded: “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.”
