Sunderland AFC has become the latest Barclays Premier League football club to launch its website in Mandarin.
The Black Cats have officially launched their new Chinese website as the club continues to increase its links with football fans across the Asian continent.
The new website will provide the tools for the club to connect with Asian sports fans and offer them the latest SAFC news, player interviews and behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the official YouKu channel.
The website follows the launch of the club’s official accounts on the Chinese social media platforms Sina Weibo and Tencent WeChat.
The social media platforms feature live score updates, competitions, news stories and more – in Mandarin.
Sunderland AFC’s commercial director, Gary Hutchinson said: “Interest in the Barclays Premier League across Asia is growing at a phenomenal rate and it’s important that Sunderland AFC is part of that growth and development.
“Increasing our digital following in key territories such as Asia is an important part of the club’s digital strategy and serving content to fans in this market in their local language is something that will help us to grow our following significantly.
“The club already has circa 90,000 followers on Weibo and that is increasing at a rapid rate. The new website will improve our communication with our supporters and give them even more access to the club.”
Sunderland AFC has developed strong links across the Asian continent and is growing its fan-base after a number of high profile activities in recent years, including pre-season tours in South Korea and Hong Kong as part of the prestigious Barclays Asia Trophy.
The club’s principal partner and shirt sponsor Dafabet, a leading eGaming operator has key markets in Asia will be assisting on the project.
This has afforded Sunderland AFC the opportunity to continue to grow its presence in the territory.
John Cruces, head of sports marketing and sponsorship at Dafabet, said: “The Premier League following continues to grow in Asia and we’re very happy to assist Sunderland in launching their website in Mandarin.
“We know there are many Black Cat fans in Asia, so to help them engage with the latest club news in their local language is a great way of giving back to supporters, who are the heartbeat of any football club.”