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China a cash cow for Red Devils

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-24 10:35

For Manchester United, a tour through China is not only a time to display their amazing soccer skills, but also a time to cash in.

China is considered an ideal place for the Premier League giants to expose and exploit their marketing potential because of the league's huge following and its dynamic economy, which grew 7.9 percent this second quarter from a year earlier despite the global financial crisis.

During their two-day brief stay in Hangzhou - a well-known tourism destination just a two-hour ride away from Shanghai - United will squeeze every possible minute for marketing campaigns.

On Saturday, the Premier League champions' four big names, including veteran winger Ryan Giggs, striker Wayne Rooney, central-back Rio Ferdinand and South Korean Park Ji-sung, will participate in a charity campaign called "Million's Goal", organized by Hublot, a Swiss watch brand sponsoring Manchester United.

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The four will each kick a ball at a goal set up on a yacht 20m away. For each goal made, $250,000 will be donated by Hublot to a Chinese education fund - a total of $1 million if all are on target. If all miss the target, the organizer will donate 100,000 Swiss franc ($94,000) to the fund.

Hours later, Rooney will switch to another campaign alongside with midfielder Paul Scholes and rising teenager Federico Macheda. They will take part in a 5-on-5 soccer challenge with 11 teen players selected from China's High School League. The trio will also open a training clinic for young Chinese players.

For the club, the Asia tour is much like a business trip with significant television revenues earned from Premier League games shown in Asia, and in particular, China.

"Our fans in Asia generate money for the club, there are no two ways about it," said United chief executive David Gill, adding that their fanatical Asian support is like nowhere else.

"The reception United get in Asia is unlike anywhere else on Earth. You can't leave your hotel room without security because of the sheer number of fans waiting in all parts of the hotel."

For this reason, he said it was worth the long trip.

"The English game is very well followed across Asia, and we have phenomenal support out there, so I think it's only fair and right that we can give something back to these fans."

China Daily/AFP