Manchester City FC has become an all-conquering sporting juggernaut in their native England. The City Group also boasts a portfolio of worldwide sister clubs, including New York City, Melbourne City, Mumbai City and Sichuan Jiuniu.

Based in Chengdu and plying their trade in China’s third tier, the latter was seemingly Manchester City’s first attempt to build a following in China. Now, this bond is likely to become even stronger. The football club has announced a partnership with Jiannanchun Group Co., Ltd. (JNC), one of the biggest baijiu manufacturers in China. JNC is now the Official Baijiu Partner of Manchester City Football Club.

Manchester City’s own Senior Vice President of Partnership, Damian Willoughby, explained, “through the partnership, we’re delighted to be able to highlight and educate our global fanbase on such an intrinsic aspect of Chinese culture.”

Xia Bo, the Brand Director of JNC, echoed this sentiment. He claims “JNC’s global strategic partnership with Manchester City will further strengthen the connections between the club and fans, which allows the Chinese football fans to experience the club’s passion and beautiful football, while the overseas fans will get to know JNC and Chinese baijiu culture through Manchester City.”

Naturally, this will take time – nobody expects a shot of baijiu to replace the traditional half-time pint for match goers at the Etihad stadium. All the same, this is another step toward western acceptance and recognition of baijiu. Even if it’s simply a case of serving baijiu in a corporate entertainment capacity to Asian guests, this partnership is sure to see results eventually.