Premier League Side West Brom To Construct Six 'Soccer Towns' In China

EPL side West Bromwich Albion's owners are set to construct up to six "soccer towns" across China as the club looks to grow its presence in Asia, according to Harry Slavin of the London DAILY MAIL. West Brom Owner Guochuan Lai and landscaping company Palm have begun the process of implementing "sports towns" across the country, and they "plan to put the Midlands club at the heart of it." West Brom's youth academy "will be a key feature across the locations, which are being built by Palm," a partner in the takeover of the club, which took place in '16. Palm signed a deal with local governing bodies in the mountainous Guizhou Province to build its first sports town between Guiyang and Anshun, and the company plans to create "five or six soccer towns" in the name of the team. It "has been a plan long in the pipeline for Lai and his joint investors in the club," with the billionaire making "no secret of his desire to build the club's presence in China" (DAILY MAIL, 6/28).