The new deal provides for an extension through to 2015 of an initial agreement that saw the Barclays Premier League champion become the first European club to work alongside the AFC on grassroots projects. The partnership has a specific focus on the development of football in China, one of the biggest AFC Vision Asia projects, but includes the scope to look to other initiatives.
“This is a great chance for a club to work with a football confederation to develop football,” said AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam, who is expected to confirm his candidacy for the FIFA presidential elections on Friday.
“Since the first contract was signed four years ago, we have developed our football a lot and overcome some of the challenges in improving the grassroots level of football,” he added. “Currently 38 cities are part of the Vision Asia development programme and the snowball is still rolling.”
Chelsea CEO Ron Gourlay added: “Since Chelsea and AFC signed the first agreement in 2007, it’s been an exciting time for us at the club to have the chance to work with a confederation to develop football, especially in China. We believe the game is getting stronger in Asia and we are happy to be a part of it by spreading our wings to Asia.”
