European football clubs in the Chinese market: strategies to exploit the potential of the Middle Kingdom.

Abstract

The huge potential of the market and the football-friendly policies carried out by the local government over recent years have pushed several European clubs to do business in China. The western players, however, are facing significant challenges deriving from the novelty of the environment and from the various sources of complexity characterizing it. In order to avoid disappointing outcomes, thus, clubs need to comprehensively understand the context in which they are going to operate.

The goal of this research is twofold: first, it aims at providing a fundamental description of the commercial, historical, political, social and cultural aspects shaping the Chinese football world. Then, the focus shifts on the analysis of some of the most interesting market entry modalities adopted by the clubs. The emphasis is placed on their premises, features and practical implementation.

To serve these purposes, the first chapter of the composition addresses various topics: the Chinese Super League; the centrality of the national selection; the relationship between the PRC and FIFA; the governmental plans and President Xi’s vision; the characteristics of the Chinese football consumer. The second part concentrates on training academies and grassroots football, promotional tours, e-sports, social media and communication, signing of Chinese players and Chinese club's ownership.

Based on the conclusions drawn from the study of the different fields, the research identifies the best practices in the implementation of each of them, taking always into consideration the peculiarities of the Chinese environment.