Leaders Beijing: "We are doing our own development work in China" (Ivan Gazidis, Arsenal)

"Should the leagues be more centralised, with development driven by the leagues, or by the clubs? This is an ongoing debate. The Premier League does do things for our development in Asia, in particular with the Premier League Asia Trophy, and I previously worked on the development of MLS, which is a very centralised league. But for me, the the debate is over. English football is driven by the clubs and their brands. The big clubs, like Arsenal, have a very distinctive identity and have to manage their own business, especially regarding their own partners. We are doing our own development work in Asia, especially here in China," said Ivan Gazidis, CEO of Arsenal FC (Premier League), as part of the first edition of the "Leaders Sport Business Summit" conference series held in China, in Beijing on 21/07/2017.

The Arsenal leader spoke in a talk titled "Eastern Promise: Opportunities in China for Arsenal", in which he explained that the popularity of the Premier League in China offers real opportunities for growth for the English clubs in this market.

"There are a number of factors that…