MUMBAI: The third season of 'United We Play' the on-ground grassroots football competition was announced on Tuesday, in association with Manchester United, at a grand finale in Mumbai.
The third season of the initiative was the biggest ever with the participation of more than 6600 budding footballers from India. The initiative also travelled outside India for the first time to countries such as Thailand, Nepal and UAE where more than 1000 kids took part in the trials.
At the grand finale in Mumbai in the presence of Manchester United legend and one of the all-time greats Denis Irwin, it was the exceptional abilities of four young footballers - Freddy Jyrwa from Meghalaya, Manipur's Thangminlun Touthang, Aaryav Da Costa from Goa and Mumbai's Niall Goghavala - that caught the eye of the judges and coaches.
United We Play is a pan-India initiative by Apollo Tyres and Manchester United to support young footballers in India by giving them a platform to showcase their skills with the objective of motivating aspiring footballers to continue playing, by engaging with them and introducing them to global training methodologies.
The third edition of the United We Play programme was launched in Goa earlier in the presence of Manchester United's first-team players David De Gea, Anthony Elanga and Donny van de Beek.
Speaking at the finale, Denis Irwin, Manchester United Ambassador said, "I am thrilled to be a part of United We Play and witness the programme's growth and success year after year.
Grassroots football is the foundation of any footballing nation, and initiatives like United We Play provide a platform for young talent to thrive. We look forward to welcoming the selected footballers to Old Trafford and hope to inspire and motivate them to continue chasing their vision."
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