Chinese building equipment company Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery (SDLG) has signed a three-year sponsorship deal to support the Asian Football Confederation’s club competitions.
The agreement, which was brokered by the AFC’s exclusive marketing partner World Sport Group, comes after Chinese team Guangzhou Evergrande won the 2013 AFC Champions League final before a television audience of 30 million in its homeland.
In addition to the Champions League, SDLG’s association with club football in Asia will extend to the AFC Cup, the AFC President’s Cup and the AFC Futsal Club Championship.
“SDLG’s goal is to become the leading brand in our industry and, through our associations with the AFC’s club programme, we hope to widen our market reach in Asia,” SDLG Group chief executive Yu Mengshen said.
SDLG is targeting expansion in markets including Australia, the Middle East, Vietnam, Thailand and Uzbekistan alongside further growth domestically.