Yingli Solar announced that it has expanded its sponsorship of the FC Bayern Munchen (FCB) Youth Cup, an international competition for talented young football players from across the world. Yingli Solar will now host Youth Cup events in Thailand and Myanmar that mirror the company's events in China and Japan.
As an Official Premium Partner of FCB, Yingli Solar sponsors the Youth Cup with the goal of providing youths from disadvantaged communities with the opportunity to train with one of the world's most successful football clubs. The Youth Cup Final will be held on May 22nd and the finalists will play at the home of the FCB, the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, where they benefit from the support and expertise of the football club's elite coaches and trainers.
To build its Southeast Asia Youth Cup team, Yingli joined forces with the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) to select ten highly skilled youths. FAT and MFF will each select five players to join the team at trial events hosted in both Thailand and Myanmar. In Japan, the players will again be coming from the three regions severely impacted by the tsunami in 2011. In China, Yingli continues its efforts to attract talented athletes through the Chinese Football Association.
"Football unifies diverse people across nations, cultures, and families, and at Yingli, we believe in the power of football – and solar energy - to positively impact communities in need, and to bring awareness to environmental issues," said Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy.
Mr. Paul Breitner, Brand Ambassador of FC Bayern Munchen said, "The FCB Youth Cup empowers disadvantaged youth by giving them a global platform to showcase their talents. With Yingli's support, we can welcome three outstanding teams of finalists from across Asia to participate in this year's Youth Cup finals."
"We thank FC Bayern Munchen for this opportunity to make a difference together," says Mrs. Judy Tzeng Lee, Vice President of Global Marketing at Yingli Green Energy. "Not only becomes a world leader in solar, we also wish to become a world leader in creating positive social impact for our children and the environment."
In addition to FC Bayern Munchen, Yingli Green Energy is also the sponsor of 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. The Company became the first Chinese and the first renewable energy company to become a FIFA World Cup sponsor in 2010. The FIFA World Cup finals, which are the world's most-watched single-sport event, will take place in Brazil during June and July of 2014.