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English Premier League opens Beijing office, offers development courses to Chinese coaches

Coaches from Manchester United, Spurs, Leicester City and Wolves have delivered a four-day course to local trainers as part of the deal

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Manchester United, along with Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers sent coaches to deliver a four-day training course in China. Photo: Reuters

The English Premier League has announced the opening of an international office in Beijing and provided coaching to aid development at elite and grass roots level.

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Coaches from Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers have delivered a four-day course to local trainers, as part of the new agreement.

The English Premier League is hugely popular in East Asia, despite the matches often being played in the early hours of the morning local time.

“We and our clubs have an incredible fan base 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,” Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said.

“We also understand the importance of developing football locally and we will be continuing our long-standing work with local football organisations to promote the growth of the game. 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.”

Ex-England star Michael Owen met the Chinese coaches who went to England as part of their course. Photo: Reuters
Ex-England star Michael Owen met the Chinese coaches who went to England as part of their course. Photo: Reuters

As part of the new collaboration, Chinese coaches can partake in study visits to England, where they can spend time with clubs from the Premier League, as well as youth tournaments and grass-roots development courses.

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