English Premier League soccer giants Manchester City have announced the renewal of their partnership with Japanese business consultancy firm Abeam Consulting.
Abeam has been the club’s official management consulting services partner in Japan since 2021 and will continue to operate in this capacity through the multi-year extension.
Through the deal, Abeam provides the club with consulting services on both the sports and business aspects of its operations in the country, including advising on crafting the customer experience, enhancing strategic infrastructure, and developing business services.
Speaking on the renewal, Tom Boyle, partnerships vice president at Manchester City’s City Football Group owners, stated: “With last year’s pre-season tour and the recent stop in Tokyo on the 4-in-a-row Trophy Tour, Manchester City’s brand presence in Japan has seen tremendous growth and the expansion of our partnership with Abeam Consulting is a fantastic opportunity to build on this momentum.”
“Our collaboration with Abeam Consulting has proven valuable to the club and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for our regional partnership.”
Takahiro Yamada, Abeam president and chief executive, added: “The partnership between Manchester City FC and ABeam Consulting brings new value to the sports business through the use of digital technology.
“By leveraging the knowledge of both parties, we will continue to jointly develop innovative services and solutions that contribute to improving customer experience not only for Japanese sports businesses, but also for all companies and organizations, and to develop and revitalize the Japanese sports industry.”
Manchester City boast a strong network of partnerships in Asia, particularly in Japan, with the likes of Japanese beer brand Asahi and, most recently, Chinese dairy group Yili serving as vehicles to grow the club internationally.
The club has expanded its international portfolio as of late, most recently agreeing a new partnership with Corpay, which became the club's official foreign exchange supplier.