Jianlibao signs shirt sponsorship deal with Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard

The former No.1 beverage in China, Jianlibao, has returned to the football pitch by featuring its logo on the jerseys of China League One club, Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard with the club also announcing this deal on their official Weibo account. 

As the Chinese sports news website Hupu.com reported, it is the third time Jianlibao has taken steps into Chinese football. 

From 1992 to 1998, Jianlibao sponsored the youth football team established by the Chinese Football Association and supported the team to go abroad for further coaching. 

This team developed a group of football stars for China’s National Football Team, such as Li Tie, Li Weifeng, Li Jinyu and Zhang Xiaorui. The team’s coach, Zhu Guanghu, was named as the head coach of the National Team from 2005 to 2007. 

As the team was dissolved in 1998, Jianlibao took a 4-year break from Chinese football until they acquired Shenzhen Football Club in 2002 and helped support the team to win the first edition of the Chinese Super League in 2004. However, Jianlibao sold their shares of the team in 2005, the brand left football again. 

Now, this brand’s new sponsorship deal kicks off Jianlibao’s third journey into football. 

Jianlibao Group is a soft drink producer based in Foshan, Guangdong, China, which was established in 1984. In the 1990s, the Jianlibao drink was one of the best sellers in China, on a par with Coca-Cola and Pepsi. However, poor management and stiff competition left a total debt of more than CNY1bn (US$121m) in 2005. 

Source: Hupu

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick