Participants from Manchester United Foundation’s disability projects donned the red shirt with distinction as they took on their counterparts from around the world in a unique inclusive football tournament in the United States.
Manchester United were one of 38 teams from 22 countries across the globe, spanning five continents, who descended on Houston, Texas, for a week-long celebration of disability football through the Genuine Cup, a tournament for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
There were also cultural visits all over the Space City for the young people to enjoy; at the NASA Johnson Space Centre, the home of MLS outfit Houston Dynamo for an exclusive ground tour, and Daikin Park to see MLB side Houston Astros take to the field. The latter included the chance for one participant, Joe, to throw the ceremonial first pitch in front of thousands of Astros supporters.
The young people had the opportunity to test themselves against household-name opponents from South America and Europe with the Reds coming up against Boca Juniors and facing Paris Saint Germain at the 47,000 capacity Rice University Stadium. The Reds did themselves proud by always showing enthusiasm, grace and respect to their opponents in their six tournament matches, of which they won four.
Matt Pilkington, the Foundation’s disability and inclusion coordinator, said: “For us to bring the participants to the other side of the world and have the exposure of meeting new teams and experiencing new opportunities has been fantastic.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity – some of the young people have never been abroad before, so have had to get passports to come on the trip. These are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for the group, and the football is secondary. It’s about enjoying the experiences, developing friendships and coming away with lifetime memories.”
All the young people who represented Manchester United in the tournament are participants from the Foundation’s disability projects, which range from inclusive community football sessions and partnerships with seven special educational needs schools.
Charley, 21, has been attending one of the football sessions – Ability Counts on a Friday evening, based at The Cliff Training Ground – for 15 years.
He said: “I started going to Ability Counts when I was six, it’s been a massive part of my life. There are so many things I’ve done and memories I have, including playing at Old Trafford and Carrington. Going to Houston this week has been like the cherry on top of the cake – it’s been great.”
Faye, supported by the Foundation for three years while a student at Inscape House School, added: “The Foundation has made me feel very welcome, through the way they treated me and gave me opportunities, especially the Genuine Cup, which has been amazing. I feel very appreciated.”