Premier League champions Manchester City is looking to grow its commercial footprint in India by joining forces with sports management and consultant agency RISE Worldwide.
The agreement will see RISE Worldwide represent the club in India to focus on securing “tailor made brand partnerships” for Manchester City to enable the club to grow and expand its fanbase across the country.
Nikhil Bardia, Head of RISE Worldwide, said: “Manchester City is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and we are honoured with the opportunity to engage and enable partnerships for them in India.
“We aim to identify and engage in long-term partnerships that will drive business growth and contribute to the development of football.”
RISE Management will look to leverage its market expertise to forge relationships and sponsorships for Manchester City. The Premier League has increasingly focused on developing India as one of its primary markets.
City Football Group – the parent company of the club – acquired Mumbai City FC in late 2019 as part of its global sports investment strategy.
Being closely aligned with its Manchester counterpart, Mumbai City was rebranded as part of City Football Group’s majority ownership, drawing parallels to its sky blue kit colours and emblem.
Mumbai City has also found success under City Football Group’s ownership. The Indian Super League (ISL) club won the ISL League Shield and ISL Cup on two separate occasions since 2019. They currently sit in 6th position in the IPL standings this season.
Manchester City is set to garner more eyeballs across India as the Premier League agreed a new broadcast deal with national broadcaster JioStar.
The new deal starts from the 2025/26 season and expires at the end of the 2027/28 campaign. The deal is worth a reported £51m over the next three years, with £42m covering rights fees and £8.7m to the Premier League for marketing commitments by JioStar in India.