Man City's Chinese deal underlines Premier League's global reach

The £265m Chinese investment in Manchester City is further proof of the global reach of the Premier League, according to Premier League director of policy and international relations Tim Vine.

State-backed firm China Media Capital purchased a 13 per cent stake in City's parent company City Football Group last week in the biggest ever overseas Chinese investment in a football club.

Football finance expert David Bick described the deal as one of the most 'remarkable financial deals' he'd seen in football and Vine believes the partnership will be mutually beneficial.

"The Premier League is a global game now there is no question about that," Vine told Sky Sports.

"We're broadcasting to 175 different countries and over 730m homes. It has a real resonance around the world and it is of little surprise that we see countries all around the world wanting to get involved.

"It's great to see the Manchester City tie-up. I know they are a club who take the development of the game very seriously and I am sure they will do their utmost to ensure the grassroots development of the game in China.

"We have heard from the Chinese president and the government that they are very keen to develop at grassroots level. If our clubs can help play a part in that then I am sure they will."

Vine was speaking at The Football Movement conference in Mumbai, where he was joined by representatives from Manchester United, Arsenal, Leicester City, UK Trade and Industry, and various stakeholders in Indian football.

Football is growing sharply in popularity in India and Vine is keen for English clubs to be at the forefront of that growth, building on the success of last year's Barclays Premier League Live event in Mumbai.

"Football in general is growing enormously in India and you can see that from the success of the Indian Super League (ISL)," he said. 

"From a Premier League specific perspective our research shows there are somewhere around 250m adults in India who would consider themselves as football fans. We think around 90m of those are Premier League fans and 90m is no small figure.

"It's a distinct market our clubs are very interested in engaging with, hence why we ran events like Barclays Premier League Live in Mumbai a year ago which gave 30,000 fans the chance to get up close and personal with our clubs, with their players - past and present including Robbie Fowler and Peter Schmeichel - and watch matches on big screens that hopefully bring them a little bit closer to the Premier League than if they were watching at home on TV.

"But it's not just about developing commercially here in India, it's about sharing our experiences with our Indian Super League counterparts and other Indian football organisations and learning from them. We know we've also got a significant role to play in helping the Indian game develop at grassroots level."

Leicester has the highest proportion of British Asians in the country and the club's commercial director Ian Flanagan is keen for The Foxes to expand their presence in India.

"There are very significant economic and cultural relationships between the city of Leicester and India which stretch back several generations," he said.

"So in terms our attempts to develop and expand our fanbase and become more visible as a club, India is a natural market for us to look to. Given how things are on the pitch with us and the development of the ISL I think it is the right time for us to see what opportunities we can develop.

"Everywhere I have travelled across the world on business recently I've seen that more people know about Leicester City and Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez and so on. The city as a whole is very proud of the team and it's a great time to be a Leicester City supporter."