Pune: The regional trials for United We Play (UWP),the flagship grassroots football programme of leading tyre maker Apollo Tyres, concluded with the trials held at Pune this week. In the end, 8 talented youngsters from the trials, which included 2 from Pune, were shortlisted for the final round of the programme, scheduled to be held in July later this year.
The eventual winners of United We Play will get a lifetime opportunity to visit Old Trafford to participate in exciting activities like a match-day experience, training session with Manchester United Soccer School coaches, and a chance to interact with the Club’s Legends.
The initial round of trials was held across 16 cities in India where over 6000 budding footballers in the Under-14 and Under-17 categories participated with great enthusiasm to display their skills and impress the judges. In the next phase, over 400 young hopefuls were shortlisted for the regional trials that took place in New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Pune over the past week, with 8 footballers making it to the final round.
The trials at Pune were held at HotFut Bavdhan where Ronit Menon (Under-14 category) and Aary Deshmukh (Under-17 category) emerged winners to qualify for the national finals.
The United We Play programme is a grassroots training and talent development initiative in India and key countries in Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa (APMEA), supported by Manchester United to encourage young football talent and 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.
The fourth edition was kickstarted in the presence of former Manchester United and French footballer Louis Saha in Kolkata earlier. The initial phase of the fourth edition of United We Play is being run by domestic coaches, before young footballers get a chance to impress coaches from the Manchester United Soccer School (MUSS).
The first three seasons were a massive success and received an overwhelming response with over 16,000 players from the country participating in the programme comprising on-ground trials, masterclasses and workshops. The last season saw 7 young footballers, which included 4 from India visit Manchester United FC for an unforgettable experience.
