Jonathan Warburton, Wolves Foundation’s head of programmes for education, employability & youth engagement, has travelled to China to support the opening of the Premier League’s new offices in the capital city of Beijing.
The new office, which aims to support the continued growth of the Premier League and its clubs in China, is building on the long-standing work to promote football in the region and will create more opportunities for fans in the country to engage with the League and its clubs.
The office will also enable the League to collaborate with local football authorities and partners to promote the growth of the game at all levels.
To mark the opening, the Premier League, in partnership with the British Council, delivered a grassroots coach development course for 35 community football coaches from different regions in China.
Jonathan helped deliver the four-day course alongside other Premier League coaches from Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City, providing theory and practical training to equip coaches with the confidence and skills to deliver football sessions in their provinces.
The sessions were also delivered with support from Premier League ambassadors and legends Michael Owen, Nemanja Vidic and Sun Jihai.
“It was a real privilege to deliver the Premier League Skills course to mark such an historic occasion as the opening of the new Premier League offices in Beijing,” says Jonathan.
“Working with colleagues from across the UK, and the community football coaches from China, was a fantastic experience and an opportunity for everyone to share their experiences and love of football.
“The local coaches were really enthusiastic and willing to learn, and hopefully will be able to take that knowledge and fresh insight back to their work across the country to help grow and improve the game at all levels.”
To further underpin the League’s commitment to supporting the development of football in China at elite and grassroots levels, the Premier League has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreement with the Chinese FA, This will see the two organisations collaborate on the delivery of programmes and activities to support the elite development of players, coaches and match officials, as well as training for grassroots coaches and referees.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “We and our clubs have an incredible fanbase in China and opening an office in Beijing marks an exciting step as we continue to build on our popularity and strengthen our relationships with fans and partners.
“We also understand the importance of developing football locally and will be continuing our long-standing with local football organisations to promote the growth of the game.
“Having a permanent base in China will help us to work closely with our partners and develop even more opportunities to bring Premier League excitement to fans in the region.”
The Premier League have been supporting grassroots football in China for 15 years. Working in partnership with the British Council, the League has delivered the Premier Skills coaching programme in 28 cities, providing training to more than 6,300 grassroots coaches, referees and teachers in China.
This latest development follows the Premier League opening its first international office in Singapore in 2019, and then in New York in July of last year.
