The British West Bromwich Albion Football Club held a business reception at the British Embassy in Beijing recently to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the club’s first visit to China.

Meanwhile, a charity donation activity was held, with Xu Xu, Deputy Secretary-General of China Children and Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF), Wu Yuxiao, Vice President and Board Member of Palm Group and Director General of Palm Foundation, Stephen Ellison, Minister Counsellor of the British Embassy in Beijing, and Li piyue, Chairman of the British West Bromwich Albion Football Club in attendance.

In May 1978, the British West Bromwich Albion Football Club came to China and became the first British professional football club to visit China. During the team's stay in China, they had five friendship matches with the Chinese national football team and local teams, leaving many precious and unforgettable memories.

The CCTF deputy secretary general Xu Xu said at  her speech that as China’s poverty level has been greatly reduced, non-impoverished areas and people have constantly raised new demands for public welfare supplies. The CCTF has been working on promoting poverty-relief projects, including the “Spring Buds Project” and the “Hello Kids Project”. Meanwhile, other projects that pay attention to children’s mental health, behavioral development, moral cultivation, and children’s growth environment have been in progress. Palm’s cooperation with the CCTF in the promotion of youth sports, especially in youth football, is expected to bring sports spirit to more children and adolescents, helping more children in poor areas to achieve their goals.

Palm Group VP Wu Yuxiao said the Palm Group, with the support of the British West Bromwich Albion Football Club, has introduced excellent football coaches and youth training system to China. It gives Chinese teenagers the access to pure British football experience, a move to help promote the development of Chinese football.

Cooperation between the CCTF and the Palm Group is inaugurated during the event.

This cooperation between the CCTF and the Palm Group includes funding "Spring Buds Project" and other charity projects, in addition to creating opportunities to tell the stories of Chinese charity efforts through the high-quality advertising resources of the stadium.

The British West Bromwich Albion Football team members visited Beijing in 1978.

"The football friendship between China and Britain is profound. I hope the two sides can carry out deeper cooperation in the football culture. Taking football as a link, we will be in cooperation with the China Children and Teenagers’ Fund to boost cultural exchanges and the development of football public welfare undertakings, said Stephen Ellison, Minister Counsellor, British Embassy in Beijing.