Chelsea Search For A Chinese Star

[love cfc 0]

Chelsea Football Club has agreed to be the exclusive football club partner of a grass roots talent search in southern China, shown on television.

The Super Soccer Star show will be broadcast in the province of Guangdong in April with the four finalists visiting our Academy and Stamford Bridge later in the summer.

The show will be televised on the Guangdong TV Sports Channel, one of China's largest regional broadcasters.

Soccer schools and coaches across the Guangdong province will send their most promising 14-16 year old players to participate in the selection process over the 13 episodes of the show.

The tests, by which participants are judged are based on those used at the Chelsea Academy, and our involvement is the latest club project in China designed to promote grass roots football in the country.

We are already the official football development partner of the Asian Football Confederation's Vision China project that aims to set up 10 city leagues in China.

Chief Executive Peter Kenyon said: 'We are delighted to be involved in such an innovative project that helps us deliver on our continuing commitment to promote grass roots football amongst youngsters in China.

'The show complements our involvement in Vision China with the AFC as well as showcasing Chelsea to a large audience and we look forward to hosting the finalists of Super Soccer Star in England.'

The Guangdong TV Sports Channel broadcasts across the Guangdong province to its 12 major cities and also certain parts of neighbouring provinces Guangxi and Zhongxing reaching a total of 50 million estimated viewers.

The channel is also one of the official broadcasting partners of the FA Premier League in China.

The Super Soccer Star Show, which is co-produced by British company Galleon plc, will provide a mix of football and entertainment as well as interactive content for viewers.

http://www.chelseafc.com/page/NewsHomePage...1255184,00.html

[Fulham Broadway 17,367]

This is all part of Kenyons marketing in China strategy

[bombayblue™ 55]

as long they don't plan to get a chinese in our youth squad every year compromising on talent, its fine with me, part of the breaking even plan i guess

[DavidEU 2,023]

Source added.

Not really surprising given the clubs ambition to really get into that market. With this and the club going over there for pre-season we should be growing well over there, which I guess can only be a good thing.

[the wes 7,212]

Chelsea have joined forces with a Chinese television show in a "search for a star" competition, the Premier League club said in a statement on Monday. The "Super Soccer Star" show will be broadcast in the southern province of Guangdong in April with the four finalists winning a trip to Chelsea's academy later in the year.

Football schools and coaches across the Guangdong province will send their most promising 14 to 16-year-olds to take part in the selection process over 13 episodes of the show.

Chelsea's involvement is the latest club project in China designed to promote grass roots football in the country. The London club is already the official football development partner of the Asian Football Confederation's Vision China project that aims to set up 10 city leagues in China.

"The show complements our involvement in Vision China with the AFC as well as showcasing Chelsea to a large audience and we look forward to hosting the finalists of Super Soccer Star in England," said Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon.

[PaulHopkins 1]

I definitely think this has to be a good thing - the more links we create the larger the club can become.