Recalling the time West Brom headed east
Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea might dominate the loyalties of China’s English Premier League fans, but the foundation of their popularity here was laid by a far less fashionable club 40 years ago.
In May 1978, modest midlands side West Bromwich Albion became the first English team to tour China, and the legacy of that trip lives on.
To mark the historic tour’s anniversary, the Baggies’ Chinese owner, Lai Guochuan, and the club’s sponsor, Palm, a Chinese eco-town developer, invited Albion legend Ally Robertson to return to China this month.
“It was an amazing trip that we still talk about to this day,” recalled 65-year-old former central defender Robertson. “I have got so many memories of that time.
“I can remember the first game we played. The stadium was packed but silent. When the fans decided to get excited they were told to be quiet over the speakers.
“I imagine it’s changed a lot since then. I’m looking forward to seeing how much China has changed. I’m also looking forward to the journey not taking two days this time!”
Roberston, a Scot who made 626 appearances for the Baggies from 1969-86, was joined on his trip down memory lane by the Premier League club’s chief commercial officer, Simon King.
“I am delighted to be here representing West Bromwich Albion in China, 40 years after our groundbreaking tour that has contributed to the fantastic football relations we see today between China and the UK,” King said at the launch of a new charity in Beijing.
The ceremony was also attended by veterans from the Chinese teams that provided the opposition in ’78.
Palm is backing the China Children and Teenagers’ Fund and will use Albion’s brand to help promote its “Realize Your Soccer Dream” project, which aims to improve facilities and provide soccer equipment to kids in poverty-stricken areas.
“Thanks to our close relationship, the club is playing an important role in bonding the two nations,” said Wu Yuxiao, vice-president of Palm EcoTown Development Co Ltd, which has worked with West Brom to open a soccer academy and organize training camps for kids in China.
“We will bring more pure British soccer experiences to Chinese fans in the future,” Wu added.
Worlds apart
Recalling the tour, King stressed just how different the soccer landscape looked back then.
“Nowadays it is commonplace for China to welcome European football teams to its shores for preseason tournaments,” he said. “Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and of course West Bromwich Albion were all welcomed to play in friendly tournaments last summer.
“However, back in the 1970s only major political leaders like President Richard Nixon and Prime Minister Ted Heath were coming to China to represent their countries.
“Back in 1978, English football teams took end-of-season breaks to European islands, but on this occasion West Brom was drafted in to replace the England team that had to pull out of its scheduled trip to China ahead of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
“The club’s then-chairman, Bert Millichip, who was a Football Association councillor, put the club forward as a replacement.”
Albion won all five of its matches during the trip but, more importantly, created a long-lasting sporting bond between China and Britain.
“Fittingly, Cyrille Regis scored in all of the matches, himself a trailblazer for equality in football in the UK at the time,” added King, referring to the Baggies’ pioneering black England international who died in January at age 59.
“They played in front of crowds of up to 90,000 at a time when in England they were experiencing average crowds of 25,000.
“The game in question which saw such a large crowd witness a 2-0 Albion victory over the Chinese national team in Gongti (Beijing Workers’ Stadium), also included thenleader Deng Xiaoping, as well as a television audience of over 200 million,” King added.
“China’s audience of football viewers is now in excess of one billion, showing just how far the game has come on both sides of the world.
“The football may have been very different to what the players were used to and the culture was a world away from their own, but the guys reflect fondly on the valuable bonding experience that the tour gave them.
“The hospitality was like nothing they had ever experienced, with banquets thrown on the eve of every game and news bulletins left on their pillows on a daily basis.”
I can remember the first game we played ... when the fans decided to get excited they were told to be quiet over the speakers.” Ally Robertson,