Sydney FC Announce Shanghai Shenhua Links

After helping blaze the trail for Australian clubs in Asia following their championship win in the first season of the Hyundai A-League, Sydney FC will expand their links with the world’s fastest growing football federation today when they take the first steps towards forming a formal relationship with Shanghai Shenhua.

The Sky Blues have agreed to enter a sister-club relationship with the leading Chinese Super League side, with the signing of a Letter of Intent to take place at the Sydney Football Stadium this afternoon.

The partnership, which will be formalised during the coming weeks with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, will provide for matches to be staged in Shanghai and Sydney, exchanges of techniques and ideas in the areas of coaching, sports medicine and sports science, as well player development through proposed exchanges of players. 

Additionally, it is proposed that both clubs will promote sales of each other’s merchandise. 

Majority owner and chairman of Shanghai Shenhua, Zhu Jun, said that his club was pleased to be able to formalise a relationship with the only Hyundai A-League club in Australia’s largest city and believed that the partnership would provide mutual benefits, both in football and commercial terms.   

Sydney FC chairman Andrew Kemeny said that the partnership with Shanghai Shenhua was the first step in establishing the brand of Sydney FC within Asia and had the potential to provide his club with benefits in a number of areas.      

Shanghai Shenhua recently finished as runners-up in the 2008 Chinese Super League, drawing their final match when victory would have sealed their first championship in the revamped competition.