SHEFFIELD, England: Sheffield United has offered help to the victims of the earthquake in China's Sichuan province, which has a team owned by the English soccer club.

United owns the Chengdu Blades from the provincial capital, which is close to the epicenter of Monday's quake that has killed almost 12,000 people with thousands more missing.

"We are helping in the best way we can the people who have come to know us through the Chengdu Blades," said United chairman Kevin McCabe, who is on a business trip to Australia and hopes to fly to the disaster scene.

He said that players and staff from the Chengdu Blades would be donating blood to help the survivors and would visit schools affected by the earthquake, which hit urban areas and mountain villages in the central Chinese province.

"With some difficulty, I've been able to make contact with our colleagues in Chengdu. Thankfully, everyone is OK and have welcomed the offers of help and support from Sheffield," McCabe said. "We will continue to liaise closely with the club and colleagues in Chengdu and have contacted the government to offer our assistance in any way we can.

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"What was to be a football trip to Chengdu in July will now be a visit next month to help the people and hopefully go some way to help raise spirits and show support from the people of Sheffield."

Sheffield United is the League Championship and is nicknamed the Blades. It first bought a stake in the Chinese Super League club in October 2006.