Barca target China internet market

Barcelona aim to extract one euro from every Chinese citizen to access their webpage in order to make €1.3 billion (Dh4.78 billion), as chairman Sandro Rosell believes internet users are the only growth revenue streams left for clubs to tap into. At yesterday's Dubai International Sports Conference, top football officials discussed diversifying revenue streams in light of mounting costs — 56 per cent of clubs in Europe run at an annual loss despite combined revenue increases of €12-13 billion, with many still forced to spend beyond their means to compete. It was revealed 64 per cent of each club's average revenue is spent on transfers and wages. ‘New technologies' Rosell said: "In order to balance your expenses, new technologies in Asian markets are the only way forward. We've just got a contract with a Chinese webpage developer and we are trying to get a euro from every Chinese internet user a year. That would give us €1.3 billion extra annual income. Of course we won't get this, but we aim towards such figures. "We can't increase income from TV rights and it's almost impossible given the current crisis to increase our marketing. The stadium gets 1.5 million visitors per year to our shop and museum but we are sold out every year and cannot increase capacity. "The only way to make significant increase in revenue is to adopt new technologies like the internet and the future way to go is the Chinese market. "It's not easy. The markets are completely different, but we have to take advantage. Thanks to titles on the field we have 180,000 members. We've stopped membership with the exception of those under 14 years of age because we know that if they become a member now they will be so for life. "You change your car, apartment and wife but you can never change your club. Our passion is to reach the children because Barcelona is considered the club of the children, since our support of Unicef."