2006 MasterCard Charity Football Campaign Set For Kick Off

2006 MasterCard Charity Football Campaign Set For Kick Off

September 07, 2006

    BEIJING, Sept. 7 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- On 9th/10th
September, the 2006 MasterCard World Community Cup, a
community based football tournament, will kick-off what
organizers are claiming is China's biggest charity football
campaign. 

    The claim is based largely on the target of RMB 1
million to be donated to nominated, worthy causes, made
possible by the Title Sponsorship of MasterCard
International for the second year in a row.

    "Participation is also a key factor, we begin with
an active tournament as the most appropriate event, but
we'll soon be launching a number of other elements to the
campaign to allow participation and support on a wider
scale." said, Keith Bradbury, General Manager of
ClubFootball the campaign's lead organizers.

    Following on from the tournament the club will launch
its new 2006/07 membership card (entitled the ClubFootball
Community Card) offering members discounts and benefits at
a range of lifestyle outlets around the Olympic city.

    "With the number of brands and outlets increasing
at a rapid rate, it will appeal to those with a sporty,
outgoing lifestyle simply by saving them money!"
explains Bradbury, although he does admit that there will
be an extra affinity with football fans. 

    Not least because the campaign is also designed to
support the development of grass roots football in China,
an area which is recognized as key to a nation's
footballing strength and which is sorely lacking on the
mainland. 

    The club plans to build on the momentum of the campaign
by building a 5-a-side, artificial turf football facility to
act as a central base for future charitable events,
international exchanges and regular activities for adults,
children and the wider community. 

    The final element to the campaign is a series of SMS
based prize competitions featuring genuine, squad signed
memorabilia from some of the biggest names in world
football. 

    "It's a platform to potentially engage and draw on
the support of millions of football and sports fans across
the country. By making a small contribution in huge numbers
we can achieve an awesome impact." Bradbury says.

    The signs are good in that year-on year the
"Community Cup" event has more than doubled
contributions to charitable organizations raising
approximately RMB 300,000 to date. 

    For a preliminary total and more news updates as they
are announced interested parties are encourage to check the
ClubFootball English and Chinese web sites at:
http://www.clubfootball.com.cn and
http://www.wanguoqunxing.com.

    For more information, please contact:

     Keith Bradbury 
     General Manager    
     Tel:   [phone] x17
     Tel:   [phone] x17
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

SOURCE  ClubFootball FC