China's firm Q-bao and Real Sociedad moving hand in hand

Real Sociedad are one of Spain's most popular and respected sides which now has a close relationship with a forward looking Chinese company which acts as the club sponsor.

Hailing from San Sebastian in the Basque Region on the north coast of Spain, 'La Real' is one of only nine sides that has lifted the Primera Liga title with triumphs in 1981 and 1982.

Recent years have seen the club suffer some ups and downs with relegation and financial problems, followed by a return to the Primera Liga and qualification for the Champions League two years ago.

Now under the guidance of former Manchester United coach, David Moyes, the Real Sociedad have recovered from a bad start to the season and look set to end the campaign in a comfortable mid-table position.

With the prospect of several new signings over the summer, there is every reason for the club to be confident about the future and not just on the field. Real Sociedad last month extended a one-year sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile technology firm Q-Bao for a further three seasons.

That deal helps to secure its financial stability and continue a relationship which looks set to give benefits both to the traditional Basque club and the modern Chinese company.

"When we came to Spain, we didn't know which team we were going to work with, but bit by bit as we got to know the people from La Real (Sociedad), we started to see the same values and the same way of working between the club and our company," Li Quefeng, the General Manager of Nanjing Qianyue Sports Management Co. Ltd, who is responsible for Qbao's overseas football interest, told Xinhua.

"Our idea is to involve the daily life of all of the public with our applications," he said, adding the company had a "a passion for football."

Qbao began looking at football 15 years ago and although it took a break for a while the company was backk with a bang with sponsorship deals for Real Sociedad and Madrid based Rayo Vallecano.

"Spain has a league which is well known all over the world and it has a lot of followers in China," said Mr Li, who said one of the reasons for the investment was "so everyone knows that Qbao is a very new company and we want them to know our philosophy."

Li stressed that the economic potential of China could be an enormous help to Real Sociedad, but also focused on another important part of the agreement; the formation of young Chinese players, which he described as "our biggest job."

Real Sociedad have one of the most productive youth systems in Spain and Europe and have recently brought through players such as Antoine Griezmann, Asier Illaramendi, Xab Alonso and Qbao want to tap into that knowledge.

The youth development project will be first developed in China, "in schools is cities and province," with the idea of then taking students to Spain to "allow them to compete... at a different level from Primera Liga, but in second division, second B or third division, at what corresponds to their level.

With Real Sociedad set to battle in the top half of the table next season, Chinese fans could find some new heroes.