Unlikely but true – England are the second most popular international football team in China! A new study by Warwick Business Schoolshows that not only is the England team shirt the most popular football shirt across China, England is also by far Chinese football fans’ most favored alternative international team beating Brazil, Argentina and Germany. Dr Sue Bridgewater, a researcher in the University of Warwick’s WarwickBusinessSchool, carried out research among football fans in China for the English Football Association during World Cup 2006. Her study, recently presented to the FA, shows that in major tournaments where China was not present, over 96% of Chinese fans supported another international team. England was by the most supported team with over 26%, followed by Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Germany. The research also found that the most commonly seen international football shirt in China was the England national shirt.Over 75% of fans taking part in the research knew where to buy an England shirt and almost the same percentage could buy one locally in a sports good store or market. This interest in English football also benefits a number of league clubs, with prominent Premiership sides such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool all attracting substantial levels of support and interest in their replica shirts. Looking at the size of the market and the level of interest suggests that English football is a dominant brand in the Chinese market – which has positive knock-on effects in terms of sponsorship and marketing. For a global company interested in China and looking to raise their profile in that market - putting it on an England shirt could be a very good idea!
News feature includes:- Interview with Dr. Sue Bridgewater, WarwickBusinessSchool GVs England World Cup Squad in training (Archive footage available for use for 28 days from release) GVs WarwickBusinessSchool GVs Chinese students in England Team shirts GVs Chinese student playing football
Additional material featuring soundbites from Chinese student (speaking in Mandarin)
Cut story duration 3mins 20 secs + additional soundbites and GVs. Total feed duration 4 mins 36 secs.
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