Three Indian footballers selected for training session at Old Trafford in Manchester

Representational Image (Pic: AFP)

The biggest-ever season of United We Play (UWP) saw the participation of over 15,000 budding Indian footballers across 18 cities, culminating in a grand finale in the presence of Manchester United legend and all-time great Gary Neville in Chandigarh.

In the finale, 5 young footballers - PC Lalchhuanawma (Mizoram), Shreejal Kisku (Bhubaneswar), Mohd Ayan (Lucknow), Bhakta Bahadur Pariyar (Nepal) and Chanason Chaiyatham (Bangkok) emerged as winners in the fourth edition of United We Play, a grassroots football initiative by leading tyre maker Apollo Tyres, in association with Manchester United. The 5 shortlisted players are being given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit Old Trafford to participate in exciting activities like a matchday experience, training session with Manchester United Soccer School coaches, and legend interactions.

The UWP programme is an on-ground grassroots football initiative to encourage young football talent from across geographies by giving them a platform to showcase their skills with the objective of motivating aspiring footballers to continue playing and introducing them to global training methodologies.

Considered as one of the greatest right-backs ever to play the game, Gary Neville's illustrious career includes eight English Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League titles for Manchester United. A rare one-club man, Neville played for Manchester United for his entire career, spending almost 20 years with the club with a whopping 602 appearances for his boyhood club. He has also served English football with distinction with 85 appearances over a 12-year career for his country.

Speaking at the UWP finale, Gary Neville said, "Delighted to see the dedication and passion for football among young children in India. Investing in youth development is extremely important and I am very pleased to see the efforts of Apollo Tyres and Manchester United in having built this platform, which encourages the youth to pursue their passion for football".

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"Many congratulations to the young players whose hard work has paid off today. I am sure that the experience that they will have at the iconic Old Trafford, will be memories of a lifetime", he further added.

The launch of the fourth edition of United We Play took place at Kolkata in December last year, where former Manchester United and French footballer Louis Saha kicked-off the programme.

Rajesh Dahiya, Vice President, Commercial, India and SAARC, Apollo Tyres Ltd said, "It gives us immense pleasure to see the United We Play programme grow bigger and better year after year and this finale was extra special because of the presence of a legend of the game, Gary Neville. Through this initiative, which is in its fourth year, Apollo Tyres is committed to grow the game of football and help young emerging talent to express themselves. Apollo Tyres would also like to thank Manchester United for being a part of this programme and congratulations to the deserved winners."

The fourth edition of United We Play was the biggest ever with a season-round programme, reaching out to 18 cities pan-India and over 15,000 young footballers across the country. Over 100 coaches were engaged through virtual Manchester United Soccer Schools training sessions, ensuring that the teachings and training methods reach to every footballer involved in the programme. In addition, the initiative was also expanded to more cities in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions across cities such as Kathmandu, Bangkok, Dhaka and Dubai.

(With ANI inputs)