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Sheffield Utd announces Chinese plans
Sheffield Utd has unveiled it is to acquire a football club in China as part of its plans for international brand expansion.
The club has exchanged contracts with the Chengdu Five Bull football club, in the city of Chengdu, in central China, and expects to complete the acquisition in the New Year, announced chair, Kevin McCabe.
"Bringing Chengdu Five Bull into the Sheffield Utd fold presents enormous opportunities for the group," he said. "Chengdu city has a population of 11 million people, which presents us with a huge potential fan base."
McCabe added: "As one of the main clubs in the province, Chengdu has a 40,000-seat stadium and excellent training facilities. Our initial focus will be on improving sponsorship and increasing attendance.
"We intend to establish a leisure/football shop in the stadium and sell Chengdu branded merchandise for the first time."
The move is the latest in a series of efforts to build links with the Chinese market – the club has also invested in the development of the Hainan football academy and has established a Chinese language school at the Sheffield academy to enable young Chinese players to come to Sheffield to train.
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