By Mark Baber
February 3 – Sunderland AFC have become the latest Premier League club to launch a Mandarin version of their web site, building on the success of their Chinese social media platforms Sina Weibo and Tencent WeChat and working in association with the club’s principal partner Dafabet.
The new Chinese website at http://cn.safc.com will feature the latest SAFC news, player interviews and behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the official YouKu channel
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.”
The project is being assisted by the club’s principal partner and shirt sponsor Dafabet, a leading eGaming operator, whose key markets are in Asia.
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.”
Dafabet’s parent company is AsianBGE Ltd a subsidiary of sports betting technology provider AsianLogic which is owned by Hong Kong resident Tom Hall.
Dafabet has experienced some difficulties in China in recent times, with its name associated in Chinese media with Beijing’s crack down on illegal online betting activities (with which Asian Logic denies any connection), and the arrest of former Dafabet executive Wang Bo, (with whom Dafabet deny any current connection).
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