BNN Technology expands commercial partnership with Manchester City

AIM-listed content company BNN Technology has expanded its partnership with Manchester City Football Club.

The new deal expands the Chinese technology company’s commercial relationship with the football club that was to develop coaching programmes, deliver content, provide VIP experiences for Chinese football fans and offer competitions through the Xinhua News mobile app.

The partnership is a bid to support grassroots football in China by helping to raise coaching standards in the country.

BNN will work with Manchester City to manage a new programme of four football clinics in China, involving up to 144 players, who are 18-years-old and over.

The four clinics will provide 48 hours of coaching time with three coaches from Manchester City’s football schools programme, during May in Beijing and Hangzhou.

A further football clinic for 32 players will take place over three days in June at the football club’s training ground in Manchester, where two coaches will lead 18 hours of training.

Players will be able to maywin places at the clinics through a competition hosted on BNN's Manchester City microsite on the Xinhua News app.

BNN, through its Chinese partner NewNet, will also provide content to the Xinhua News app, including manager interviews before games, pre-match press conferences, weekly news bulletin videos, weekly training footage and news articles, as well as VIP trips for competition winners.

BNN chief executive Darren Mercer said: "City's expertise and input will be hugely valuable as BNN builds a programme that will help to improve grassroots playing standards throughout China. We firmly believe that football is a powerful force for promoting social engagement, enriching day-to-day lives and, in turn, strengthening the base of our consumer focused operations."

Damian Willoughby, senior vice president of partnerships at City Football Group, added: “The Club already has a strong and growing presence in China and this partnership will help us amplify our activity in the country even further."

Shares in BNN Technology were up 0.63% to 80p at 0931 BST.