University provides training base for UK football team
27 Jan 2010
The University of Manchester has provided free training facilities for a team of youngsters taking part in the Street Child World Cup in South Africa later this year.
The M13 Youth Project, based in Longsight, has been invited to provide the UK youth team for the competition.
The Project will take a group of young people from Longsight and Ardwick, aged 14-16 yrs, to Durban to work together with other young people to learn about and promote the rights of children.
Street children from eight countries will come together to take part in the competition, as well as learning new skills from top international coaches.
But the Street Child World Cup, sponsored by Deloitte, will also provide a platform for the youngsters to talk about their experiences and their ideas as they launch a campaign to win rights for street children all over the world.
The other countries taking part are Brazil, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Ukraine, Tanzania, India, and the Philippines.
Steve Grant from The University of Manchester said: “The UK team has been drawn from a disadvantaged community just a few minutes walk from the University so we were interested in exploring what support we might be able to provide, either directly or in kind. And we were delighted that our Sports Directorate, in partnership with SERCO, is able to help provide training facilities for the squad.
“But the M13 project still needs to raise more funds to get the team to South Africa, as well as providing kits and equipment in the run-up to the tournament.”
During their time in Durban, the M13 squad will take part in a range of activities including visits to local schools, arts workshops and a Street Child Human Rights Conference.
Steve Grant added: “The UK team will not only be ‘Ambassadors for Manchester’, sharing their own stories, but they will learn about the situations and rights of street children worldwide and advocate for them and their disadvantaged peers back in the UK.”
Next month, the M13 squad will attend a reception at Downing Street to promote the Street Child World Cup.