Zug, Switzerland / Beijing, China, 6 April 2006 — Infront Sports & Media and its wholly owned subsidiary, Beijing Infront Sports Consulting, have today announced in Beijing an important new appointment by the China Football Association (CFA), further extending the group's role and influence in Chinese football. Infront is already a strategic marketing partner to the Chinese Super League.

 

Infront will be the exclusive global marketing partner for the Chinese men's and women's national football teams until the end of 2010. This means that Infront will be working with the CFA through the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and up to and including the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa.

 

The exclusive agreement covers all key aspects of the marketing and technical development of the Chinese men's, women's and youth national teams, breaking new ground in its approach.

 

On the commercial side, Infront will market all sponsorship (except kit supply), television, new media and image rights.

 

However, the agreement is unique because it also includes the implementation of a comprehensive technical development plan for the teams working in close partnership with the CFA. This will involve recruiting experts in specialized areas such as coaching, nutrition, scouting and mental conditioning. Furthermore, Infront will be responsible for organising all the home and away friendly matches according to the requirements of the CFA.

 

"Infront has come up with an exciting concept – It is, in effect, prepared to commit resources not just to the commercial programme but to the development of the teams. In other words, it is sharing risks and rewards as a fully committed partner, identifying with the success of Team China in the most profound sense," said Mr Xie Yalong, General Secretary of the CFA.

 

"This is a new kind of relationship," said John Kristick, Executive Director of Marketing for Infront. "In the past, some people saw agency relationships with sport as potentially exploitive. This is the opposite — we have goals, the national team has goals and they are the same goals — success on the playing field is the route to success for Chinese football."

 

Paul Wong, General Manger of Infront's Beijing operation added, "Infront China has been working closely with the CFA in the last three years. This new partnership takes the relationship to a much higher level and will strengthen the marketing potential both for the national teams and the professional league."

 

Already boosted by the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, interest in Chinese football is set to build in the run up to next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in China and the Beijing Olympics in 2008. These events will drive the sport's development and commercialisation to the next level. China has the world's largest television audience, rising consumer wealth and a public passionate about soccer. It has been called "an embryonic superpower of world football", whose market is now an essential part of any forward-thinking brand's global strategy. With a huge and growing population of 1.3 billion, it is the world's biggest market for a growing number of consumer products.

 

There are now six Chinese players playing for European clubs. The standard of play by Chinese players is rising sharply and Infront will work with the CFA to develop its teams through greater exposure to other teams at international level.

 

Chinese fans are strongly supportive of their national teams in all the major sports and enhanced performance by Team China's soccer squads will give brands a powerful sponsorship platform to appeal directly China's huge and growing group of middle class consumers.

 

For further information, please contact:

Jörg Polzer

Infront Sports & Media AG

Tel. +41-41-723 15 15

Fax +41-41-723 15 16

info@infrontsports.com

 

Paul Wong

Beijing Infront Sports Consulting Co., Ltd.

Tel. +86-10-8458 4698

Fax +86-10-8458 4523

paul.wong@infrontsports.com