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MANILA, Philippines – After two successful editions of the Clear Dream Match, Clear is making another big leap as they partnered with iconic English club Manchester United in an effort to raise the level of football in the country notches higher.
The partnership announced on Monday, January 27 that aspiring Filipino amateur footballers aged 17 and up will be treated to a three-day football camp hosted by no other than coaches from Manchester United.
“Our dream is to make football as big as basketball here in the Philippines,” Gina Lorenzana, Vice President for Unilever Personal Care, said at a press conference at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel.
The football camp, which is scheduled to kick-off on April 25 and will last until April 27, aims to bring the country’s football grassroots program to a deeper level, not only in Manila, but all over the country.
Regional tryouts will be held in different football hotbeds in the country like Iloilo, Cebu, Davao, and Manila to select 32 aspirants who will get the chance to learn from certified coaches off Manchester United’s Football School.
Manchester United’s Managing Director for Asia Pacific Jamie Reigle is also in town to assure the club’s all-out support in developing new talents locally.
“This won’t just be a boot camp,” Reigle said. “It is meant to inspire the kids and prepare them for the future.”
In 2013, Clear brought in global football legends Fabio Canavaro and Dennis Wise and pitted them against local football stars led by Phil and James Younghusband in an exhibition game dubbed as the Clear Dream Match.
“Expect a bigger and better Clear Dream Match this year,” Clear Brand Manager Andrew Copuyoc told reporters.
From the pool of 32 aspirants, Copuyoc said that up to six of them will join the fray in the next Dream Match which will still feature stars from the United Football League (UFL).
UFL President Randy Roxas was also present in the press conference and emphasized the partnership between Clear and ManU’s impact on the semi-professional league’s future. Roxas said that youth development will be vital for the UFL as they prepare the next generation of football stars.
Aside from Manchester United, world-renowned clubs Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona have partnered with local football sides in setting up at least temporary football camps here in the country.
Those who want to participate can register online via Clear’s official website starting Febuary 1 while the tryouts will be held on March 22 in Cebu, March 23 in Iloilo, March 29 in Davao, and March 30 in Metro Manila. – Rappler.com
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