Treble Winners Manchester City went into the local community to show off their trophies hours after landing back in the country following their UEFA Champions League victory in Istanbul.
And all three pieces of silverware – The Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League trophies – were on show at an event run by the Club’s charity, City in the Community.
Children from St Wilfrid’s primary school in Newton Heath, less than two miles from the Etihad, were enjoying the official opening event of one of City in the Community’s new Playzones.
Playzones are purpose built recreational areas, which aim to uplift the physical and mental health of young people, by providing access to free football and CITC’s youth-led sessions.
Commenting on the morning’s celebrations, Managing Director for Manchester City Operations, and CITC Trustee, Danny Wilson, said:
“Manchester City was founded on community values and that ethos rings true today.
“The reveal of our three trophies this morning follows on from a number of activities we have done to support City in the Community during celebration moments this season.
“Highlights for me include seeing the charity feature on both our FA Cup and UEFA Champions League final shirts, as well as donating, and matching, all the proceeds from Saturday’s match screening in Manchester.
“I’ve really enjoying seeing the children get the first look at our historic silverware today and we look forward to announcing more details about further trophy tours in the coming weeks.”
The trophies were revealed at a blue ribbon opening for one of City in the Community’s two newly complete Playzones, located in an existing parks council-owned park at Newton Heath.
PlayZones offer multi-functional football equipment including various sized football pitches and goals, football tennis zones, passing squares, benches, and floodlights.
They have been funded by The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, Sport England, and Manchester City.
City in the Community Trustee and Former Manchester City player, Nedum Onuoha, grew up close to Newton Heath.
Commenting on the day, he said:
“I know first-hand how transformational these Playzones are for areas like Newton Heath.
“Spaces like this can bring down barriers which exist for many people when accessing informal, recreational football, in turn supporting health, socialisation and confidence.
“By creating free spaces for people of all abilities, we hope that local people can connect through sport, without fear of judgement or safety, all year round.”
The official opening follows the launch of a new fundraising initiative, Healthy Goals, which commits to creating more community football spaces across Greater Manchester.
Funds raised will uplift the physical and mental health of local young people by creating new community football pitches in Manchester, where the charity’s youth led programmes will be delivered.
City in the Community, Manchester City’s charity, empowers healthier lives with Manchester youth through football. To find out more about its work, visit www.mancity.com/CITC.
Manchester City is matching all donations to the Healthy Goals initiative up to a total of £125,000 in this campaign or £500,000 overall across all City Football Group affiliated charities made before the fundraising window closes in September 2023.