Hello Industry Friends, here is the very latest news and insights from China. 📰 Headlines: The Bundesliga partners with the Chinese Football Association, ILOVEUNITED returns to Shanghai, 2024 swimming world cup heads to Shanghai, the 8 Chinese buzzwords that defined 2023, Real Madrid’s first post-pandemic project visit to China, Shui Qingxia steps down as China’s national women’s coach, and China's game market to grow 5.2% this year.
🗞️ Top Industry News Bundesliga Partners with Chinese Football Association, Launches Next Edition of Bundesliga Dream As part of the partnership, the China U16 national team squad will travel to Germany to take part in youth development project - the Bundesliga Dream China - which will give players a chance to experience German youth academies, as well as training and playing against various youth teams from the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. Read more on Bundesliga (English) and EcoSports (Chinese) 💡 Mailman Take: The Bundesliga has a long-standing relationship with the country, with the league having invested plenty of time and resources over the past three decades. The Bundesliga can also lay claim to being the European league with the most club offices in the region, including Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Wolfsburg, and Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as the official Bundesliga China office. This latest partnership is another example of giving back to China, offering the chance for young Chinese players to go and experience the power of German footballing schools and philosophy.
ILOVEUNITED Returns to Shanghai Manchester United’s international fan event, #ILOVEUNITED, returns to Shanghai on Saturday 9 December, for the first time since 2017. The #ILOVEUNITED event will be a three-week celebration of the club’s fans in China, featuring locally tailored content across our channels, starring first-team players and club legends alongside the fans themselves. Read more on Man Utd (English) and Weibo (Chinese) 💡 Mailman Take: Fan viewing parties are arguably the most important offline fan events for Western sports organisations after summer tours, and Manchester United do them as well as anyone in China. Finding the right balance between the viewing experience, interactive games, meeting legends, sponsor activations, and F&B is key to ensuring fans remain happy and engaged. Shanghai Chosen as a Host City for 2024 Swimming World Cup World Aquatics announced that Shanghai, Singapore, and South Korea's Incheon would jointly host the Swimming World Cup in 2024. The three events will also serve as the qualifying tournaments for the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) - Budapest in December 2024. Read more on China Daily (English) and Xinhua (Chinese) The 8 Chinese Buzzwords That Defined 2023 In 2023, a series of Chinese buzzwords swept across various aspects of society, shaping trends, influencing behavior, and reflecting the dynamic cultural shifts in modern China. From the depths of social commentary to the heights of luxury consumerism, these buzzwords offer a unique window into the evolving Chinese zeitgeist. Read more on Jing Daily (English) and China News (Chinese) Real Madrid’s First Post-pandemic Project Visit to China The Real Madrid Foundation has made its first post-pandemic visit to the Social Sports Schools in China, which it runs in collaboration with the Youth Welfare Foundation. They are in the provinces of Anhui and Inner Mongolia and benefit more than 400 children. Read more on Real Madrid (English) China’s Women’s National Football Team Coach Steps Down Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced the departure of the women’s national team head coach Shui Qingxia. An interim coach will be appointed to oversee China PR’s upcoming two friendly matches in the United States in December. Read more on AFC (English) and Xinhua (Chinese) Descente Unveils Partnership with China National Winter Sports Teams The premium athletic brand orchestrated a spectacular press event at the General’s Mountain Ski Resort in Xinjiang’s Altay region. The label announced its partnership with the Chinese National U-shaped Snowboard Team and the Chinese National Alpine Ski Team, unveiling the equipment tailored for the national teams at the event. Read more on Jing Daily (English) and Lanxiong (Chinese) Asics Sales in Greater China Increase 28.8% in First Three Quarters The Japanese sportswear giant has reported a remarkable 28.8% year-on-year growth in sales in the Greater China region for the first three quarters of 2023. This surge significantly contributed to the company’s global sales increase of 23.4% during the same period. Read more on DAO (English) and Jiemian (Chinese) Prada Showcases Beauty and Power with Women’s National Football Players The luxury brand launched its latest campaign with three players from China’s women’s national football team, Yang Lina, Chen Qiaozhu, and Dou Jiaxing. This campaign followed the format of their campaign with four other Chinese women athletes early last year. Read more on DAO (English) and Yutang (Chinese)
🎮 Esports China's Game Market to Grow 5.2% This Year Niko Partners has revised its China Games Market 2023 Half-Year Update Report, saying that the country's gaming revenues are on pace to not only grow this year, but more than makeup for 2022's decline. Niko now believes China's gaming revenues are on track to total $47.7bn in 2023, up 5.2% year-over-year. Read more on Games Industry (English) and Tencent (Chinese)
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