Sports

Manchester City owners say they’re looking for more soccer clubs to buy

Key Points
  • The parent of Manchester City soccer club says it wants to buy more teams.
  • City Football Group owns Manchester City, Melbourne City, and New York City soccer clubs.
  • The organization is majority owned by Abu Dhabi United Group.
Manchester City parent plans to buy more football clubs
VIDEO1:4801:48
Manchester City parent plans to buy more football clubs

The owners of Manchester City are on the lookout for more soccer clubs to buy.

City Football Group currently owns Manchester City, New York City and Melbourne City soccer clubs. It also operates more than 20 teams across those cities.

The organization is 87 percent owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, with the remaining minority stake provided by China Media Capital consortium.

Tom Glick, chief commercial officer of City Football Group, told CNBC on Thursday that his firm wants more clubs to add to its stable.

"I think it is very likely we will do some more. We are looking at a number of places across the globe," he said.

Shaun Botterill | Getty Images

Glick said China is a particular target for his firm because of its strengthening professional league, healthy TV audiences, and obvious government support.

"It is quite prescriptive from the perspective of boys and girls learning to play the game at the recreational level," he said.

"Adults learning to coach at a high level, building facilities, converting schools and all of this laddering-up to national team performance."

The sales strategist added that other countries including Korea, Japan, and India were all places where soccer was set for healthy growth.