FCB Universitas makes strategic agreement with Peking University

FC Brcelona, through the FCB Universitas platform, has signed an important strategic agreement for collaboration with Peking University's Guanghua School of Management in order to develop the sports and football industry both in China and on a global level.

Dr. Jordi Monés, commissioner and board director of the FCB Universitas Sports Innovation Hub, will initiate this alliance during the annual forum on globalisation that the Guanghua School of Management, the business school of Peking University, is organising which will take place this Saturday in the Chinese capital.

This agreement will see the joint creation between FC Barcelona and Peking University's Guanghua School of Management of a centre of knowledge and innovation for the sports industry (PKU-GSM FC Barcelona Sports Management Center) as well as to allow to develop university activities and develop joint sports management models. Under the agreement, among other activities, Chinese students of this school of sports business will travel to Barcelona for courses in sports management from the first semester of 2017.

Through this alliance, the FCB Universitas, the platform for research, investigation, creation and innovation of FC Barcelona will have a great opportunity to develop its own task for acquisition, generation and transmission of knowledge. It will also promote the development of the Barça brand in this strategic area for the Club.

Leaders in cultural and economic development

Peking University, created in 1898 (a year before the foundation of FC Barcelona) is the oldest and most prestigious in China and is internationally recognised as a leader in higher education and in the process of the modernisation of the Asian country. The institution contributes to the commitment and development of Chinese society, based on its rich cultural heritage and economic development since 1985 with the founding of the Guanghua School of Management School.

Key commitment to football in China

China is going through an economic transition, which was mainly based on imports and exports but is now heading towards a new model focused on service and consumption. In this situation, the country has the need to develop its capabilities and talent in the sports management industry to achieve to become a key factor in this new economy. The recent approval by the Chinese government plans to reform the sports industry and football is a clear indicator of the commitment of the leaders of the country and its commitment to this sector. It must be reminded that the Chinese government implemented football as a compulsory subject in all schools across the country, which is 200 million children in primary and secondary education.

Given this situation, the creation of Sports Management Center (SMC) by the FCB Universitas and Peking University Guanghua School of Management represents an excellent opportunity to develop a growing sports industry which in the future will be a pillar of the new Chinese economy.