Beijing resident Angie Quan "still recalls the epiphany that occurred" the first time she watched Liverpool play on TV, according to Charles Clover of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Quan, an events planner, said, "It was like a religious conversion." Her "love affair" with the '05 Champions League winners "mirrors a trend across the country" as urbanization spawns "twin desires for leisure and entertainment." Beneficiaries include Europe’s biggest teams, such as Liverpool, ManU, Barcelona and Real Madrid, all of which have "gained huge followings in China and Asia more broadly in the past decade." English language Chinese football blog Wild East Football Founder Cameron Wilson said, "All the top European clubs have huge dollar signs in their eyes when they look at China. People have been really going bold on Chinese football so that when it finally does explode, they will be in a position to capitalize." While ticket sales and advertising "have been slower to take off, merchandising is in evidence" in everything from a ManU-themed bar in Shanghai to a "thriving online trade in David Beckham products." Wealthier buyers "are putting their money into the real thing, placing dizzying bets on the success of the sport in China." Among the "most eye-catching" was January’s move by Wang Jianlin, China’s richest man, to invest $52M buying a stake in Atlético Madrid. China Media Capital Chair Li Ruigang "also recently gave the domestic game a vote of confidence when he outbid state network CCTV" to pay $1.2B for the TV rights to the Chinese Super League for the next five years. Beijing-based sports and media agency CastleHill Partners CEO Peter Schloss said that the Chinese leadership’s backing "is key." Schloss: "Xi Jinping is an avid soccer fan and so people are following his lead. It’s typical ... when the government gets behind a certain sector, a lot of people pile into that sector, and the first ones in usually do make money." The "other compelling reason behind the push into football is that China is among the world’s most underpenetrated sports markets." Total revenues from ticketing, merchandise and advertising were estimated at $3.4B this year, compared with $63.6B in the U.S. But with the Chinese market "among the world’s third-fastest growing, European clubs are anxious to spread their brands into the country" through partnership programs, exhibition matches, merchandise sales and Mandarin language websites (FT, 12/7).
