Apollo Tyres And Manchester United launch United We Play Programme

Participants will be taught some of the same skills and techniques imparted at Manchester United.

Leading tyre maker, Apollo Tyres, the Global Tyre Partner to Manchester United, launched the United We Play programme to encourage young football talent from across the country. Talented kids will be trained by the Manchester United Soccer School (MUSS) coaches, with the best performers receiving once in a lifetime opportunity to train with the Manchester United’s U-18 team, which will be visiting India for the first time in May this year.

The United We Play programme will be held in two age groups -- U-13 and U-16 -- in Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata, Guwahati, Chennai and Bengaluru in the next two months, with around 3000 young footballers expected to take part.

The initial programme will be run by local coaches, before the young footballers get a chance to impress coaches from the Manchester United Soccer School (MUSS). During this stage of the programme, participants will be taught some of the same skills and techniques imparted at Manchester United.

The 32 best performers, selected by the MUSS coaches from across the country, will congregate in Mumbai to participate in two training sessions with the Manchester United U-18 squad, who for the first time, will be visiting India on tour later this year.

Speaking at the launch of the programme, Rajesh Dahiya, Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Service (India, SAARC & Oceania), Apollo Tyres Ltd said “We have been working towards development of football at the grassroot level in India, which helps us interact and engage with the community both at the rural and urban centres. Inviting the Manchester United’s U-18 team, which has been identifying and providing a steady stream of players to the United’s first team, to visit India, is a part of our continuous engagement with the Indian football fans”.