BioSteel signs deal with Chinese City Football League

Toronto-based BioSteel Sports Nutrition has recently signed a strategic partnership with the Chinese City Football League (CCFL), an amateur club-based football tournament  launched in 2015.

This means the CCFL has joined Beijing Guoan FC, HC Kunlun Red Star, Suzhou Dongwu FC and Chinese women basketball player Shang Ting in becoming an important part of BioSteel’s sponsorship portfolio in China.

On February 4th, at the 2018 Club Leaders Meeting attended by representatives from 16 clubs was held in Beijing, which unveiled the League’s efforts towards professional football.

According to the schedule, 16 competing teams will be divided into 4 groups for the group stage followed by a knockout stage and the final.

As Liu Bingrun, President of the CCFL, said, they are currently negotiating broadcast and stock rights agreements with partners from Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe, which  is the reason why the tournament needs to seek opportunities in professional development.

Founded in 2015, the CCFL reached a cooperation agreement with CCTV Sports & Entertainment Company in 2016, which enabled viewers to watch the tournament via CCTV5+, a sports channel under the arm of state broadcasters China Central Television.

Starting from the 2018 season, the CCFL will consist of a 3-level tournament, namely, Qualifiers, Championships and League Events, while the Qualifiers will be divided into provincial games, municipal/district games, county games and community games.

Source: Sohu & sport.gov.cn

Proofread by William Logsdon