An exciting new trading partner has signed a two-year deal with Southampton Football Club, promising expertise in the Asian exchange.
Brickhill Capital Limited joins the club as their Official Asian Trading Partner, who hope to deliver expert knowledge of the Asian market, whilst allowing the club to expand on territory that is currently covered.
There are vast amounts of rising and up-and-coming talent as well as those already established in this part of the world, such as Shinji Okazaki, a Japanese international who has been a revelation for Leicester City in recent times, and former Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa, another inspirational Japanese international.
However, the number of players that transpire into the top leagues are little, whereas it now seems to be the trend that most European/South American professionals prefer to play in China. The highest paid player in the world, Carlos Tevez, now sits on the bench for Shanghai Sheghau remarkably.
Meanwhile, the French, Italian, Spanish and English leagues are flooded with African continental players, with some in fact who are the real deal. The Asian calibre is shorter, but it can be told by the development in football in Asia such as in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and China, that this is on the mend.
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Southampton have their own Asian superstar already in Maya Yoshida, who has stepped into the first team and shown a strong account of himself in the Premier League. With the addition of Brickhill Capital campaigning for Asian breed of players, Southampton are sure to gain an early advantage in the exchange of top-quality players for the future.
Southampton have a prospering fan base in Asia as it stands, but the club’s Commercial Director believes the new partnership will spark new interest across Asia.
Brickhill Capital CEO Guoxian Chen says he had been drawn to the fact that the club had excellent support already out in Asia.
During the PL Asian Cup, although there was a fantastic turn out for every club, most natives supported either Manchester United or Liverpool, and Leicester got a bit of a hearing too of course.
The trading partner aims to provide a foundation for Southampton FC in Asia with their exceptional services and support, with the initial contract spreading over two years.
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Meanwhile, the interest in football remains deeply divided across Asia with the failure to televise live matches in many of its constituencies. Despite interest increasing over the past decade, it is American sport that dominates around Asia.
Sports Illustrated became the first network to televise full live American sport broadcasts in 2016, with ‘soccer’ still subdue.
There is significant time to build on Southampton’s footprint with regards to its Asian influence. As the fan spread expands world wide, the name Saints will resonate throughout the ears of more families day by day.