Premier League Expands Deal with the Chinese Super League

The English Premier League is set to expand its training program for coaches and referees in China as a part of their cooperation agreement with the Chinese Super League.

The new deal will expand the Premier Skills program with the hope of reaching over 1.2 million students in the country by 2016.

English Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Beijing on Monday and said: “It’s great to kick off this visit to China with such a tangible example of how we are strengthening ties between our peoples and creating business opportunities for British companies along the way.

The Premier League will also work with clubs in the China Super League to build on their development and marketing, to try and boost the league’s poor attendance figures.

British Culture Secretary Maria Miller said: “British football is renowned all over the world from our clubs to our fans, our players to our history.

“It is wonderful that the British Council and Premier League’s Premier Skills program takes the UK’s football expertise and uses it to create opportunities for young people across the globe, not least in China.”

The deal aims to promote the Premier League in the Chinese market, with the East Asian market reportedly worth £200m ($327m) to the Premier League each year.

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