Asia Sports Business Weekly | 7th March
- Denis Green
- Mar 7
- 4 min read
Hello Industry Friends, here is the very latest news and insights from Asia.
📰 Headlines: Hong Kong’s tourism chief wants overseas football at Kai Tak, China opens its football doors to all, Shanghai to host FAI world championships, Indomie partners with Cambodian Premier League, and adidas logs double-digit revenue growth.
🗞️ Key Industry News
Hong Kong’s Tourism Chief Vows to Bring Overseas Football to Kai Tak Sports Park
Hong Kong’s sports and tourism chief also revealed that more than 200 production entities have been approached to hold events at the 50,000-seater stadium. The park held a glitzy opening ceremony in the main stadium last weekend, with authorities hoping the $3.9bn venue would mark the beginning of a new era for mega-events, concerts and sports spectacles in Hong Kong. Read more on SCMP (English)
💡 Mailman Take: The long wait is over for Hong Kong’s shiny new stadium - the doors are open and the events are ready to start flocking in. Initial feedback from fans and media has been good, with the next step being enticing the world’s biggest entertainers, teams, and artists to perform there - many are expecting tug-of-war between Hong Kong and Singapore this year for these performances.
Chinese National Football Team’s New Play: Anyone Can Try Out
In a bid to expand recruitment and root out corruption, the Chinese Football Association has launched an open application system that allows any player to apply for the national squad. The move, announced by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) on March 1, is part of broader reforms aimed at overhauling China’s struggling football landscape and restoring public trust in the sport. Read more on Sixth Tone (English)
💡 Mailman Take: An important and forward-thinking move to get more youth playing football in China following years of negative headlines and underperforming at the national level. China will be keen to change the narrative around men’s football in the country and start generating positive coverage moving forward.
Shanghai to Host First-Ever FAI World Championships
This new event will be hosted at the Shanghai Stadium, a state-of-the-art venue located in Xujiahui Sports Park. The Aero Sports Federation of China (ASFC), in collaboration with the Shanghai Science and Technology Sports Management Center, will organise and execute the competition. Read more on FAI (English)
Indomie Partners as Co-Sponsor of the Cambodian Premier LeagueIndomie, the biggest noodle brand in Indonesia, announced its official partnership as a co-sponsor of the Cambodian Premier League (CPL), the country's top-tier football competition. This collaboration makes Indomie the only non-Cambodian brand to receive prime placement in all CPL promotions. Read more at Jawa Pos (Bahasa)
💡Mailman Take: Indomie continues to expand its global influence, particularly in ASEAN, with another major breakthrough. In Cambodia, the brand has cemented its position as the leading noodle brand after previously serving as the main sponsor of MPL Season 7, a major gaming event in the country.
AFC Strikes Deal with Expanding Keeta
This sponsorship deal with the Chinese food delivery service company covers the Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Keeta will become an official global supporter of the qualifying competition, which resumes with matchday seven on March 20. Read more on SportBusiness (English)
Adidas China Logged Double-Digit Revenue Growth in 2024
The German sportswear giant's Chinese unit reported double-digit growth in revenue on a currency-neutral basis last year, with China remaining one of its most important markets. Adidas China's revenue rose 10.3 percent to $3.8bn in the 12 months ended Dec. 31 from the year before. Read more on Yicai (English)
AFC Agrees to Regional Deal with Saudi Drinks Brand
The regional sponsorship deal covers its club competitions with beverage brand Barbican. Owned by Aujan Group Holding and produced in Saudi Arabia, Barbican will serve as a regional partner in “select West Asian markets” for the likes of the Champions League Elite, Women’s Champions League and Champions League Two across the current 2024-25 season. Read more on SportBusiness (English)
FC Seoul Signs Crypto Firm as Shirt Sponsor
The K League football club has agreed to a shirt sponsorship deal with Korean cryptocurrency firm Bithumb. The deal will run for the 2025 season and provide Bithumb with brand exposure on the chest area of FC Seoul’s shirts. Read more on SportBusiness (English)
World Games OTT to ‘Better Showcase Sports’
An owned and operated OTT streaming platform for the World Games will launch ahead of the 2025 edition in Chengdu in a departure from the previous model of streaming on the Olympic Channel. The World Games Live (TWGL) will showcase the action from this year’s iteration of the multi-sports Games in all markets where broadcasters have not secured exclusive digital rights. Read more on SportBusiness (English)
🎮 Esports
Shanghai Unveils New Online Game Policies to Ease Licensing Challenges
The Shanghai Online Game Industry Association has released a notice outlining policies on online game management in the Chinese city. These new policies include ICP license pre-examination, mini-program game filing, test game filing, and a real-name authentication system review. Read more on Pocket Gamer (English)
VALORANT Masters Bangkok 2025 Shatters Viewership Records
The tournament reached 4.3m peak viewership, setting an all-time esports record. Despite excluding data from Chinese platforms, Esports Charts reported that Masters Bangkok saw an overall peak of over 1.3m, marking a new milestone in the series’ history. Read more on Esports Insider (English)
💭 Opinion
Overtaking Nike in 3 years? Anta Takes Aim at Top Sportswear Brand
The Chinese sportswear giant released its results from the previous year, with Anta brand CEO Xu Yang making a bold statement that Anta the brand will “dominate” 2025 and overtake Nike in China’s market share in three years. Read more on DAO (English)
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China's youth football initiative and Shanghai hosting the FAI World Championships signal growth. Indomie's Cambodian Premier League co-sponsorship mirrors its ASEAN expansion. Keeta sponsors AFC qualifiers as Adidas thrives in China. Barbican partners with AFC, Bithumb with FC Seoul. World Games launches OTT platform while Shanghai eases online game licensing. Valorant Masters broke viewership records. Find daily challenge on Wordle Unlimited!
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