Crystal Palace Football Club eyes bigger influence in China

Crystal Palace captain Mile Jedinak poses in the kit room of the club's training ground in south London. [Jiang Shan/China Daily]

Jedinak, who lifted the Asian Cup trophy as the captain of Australia's national team, the Socceroos, and an old opponent of China's side, echoed the opinion of his coach: "The introduction of quality players can help the matches (of a nation's domestic league) to another level, and that will improve China's national team."

In the highly competitive English Premier League, Crystal Palace finished at 10th in the 2014/2015 season, and it is the third consecutive year that the club competes in the top-flight of English football. With a stable lineup and new signings such as Yohan Cabaye, the club is expected to build on what it has achieved in the last seaon.

"We will try to finish higher than 10th this year. It is difficult as every team in the Premier League have improved. But we will try," said Pardew.

This year, the popularity of Crystal Palace is expected to further grow in China given that CCTV 5, the sports channel provided by the country's largest state-run TV broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), has started screening the 2015/2016 English Premier League (EPL), which marked the return of EPL to China's state-run channel after 12 years.

"With the return of Premier League football to CCTV 5, we're delighted that Eagles supporters and potential new fans in China will have more opportunities to watch our games," said Phil Alexander.

As part of Crystal Palace's plans to market to football fans in China, the club has also launched a new Fan Promotions Site in partnership with main sponsor Mansion Group. The new site is available in five languages, including Mandarin. Crystal Palace's international fans are invited to vote for their Player of the Month and receive exclusive content and competitions.

To contact the reporter: machi@chinadaily.com.cn