Manchester United’s legendary ground turned into the ‘Theatre of Road Safety’ ahead of the game versus Tottenham on Saturday 24th April, with some very special guests in attendance to help launch ‘Play Safer’.
Developed by Kumho Tyres and the MU Foundation, in conjunction with Greater Manchester Police, ‘Play Safer’ is a unique, new football skills and road safety training programme for children aged 5 to 11 years.
‘Play Safer’ is the only programme of its kind in the world as it uses the skills of professional footballers – such as vision, awareness, anticipation and control – to teach kids about road safety, which makes it a fun, effective way to save lives. There are ten road safety skill cards to collect in total, featuring tips such as ‘Control it like Berbatov’ and ‘Play it safe like Van der Sar’.
Children were able to enjoy free ‘Play Safer’ sessions coached by MU Foundation staff, with club mascot Fred the Red and some of the Manchester United Legends such as Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Irwin and Andrew Cole joining in the fun.
Sir Bobby Charlton said, “I’ve always believed a football club, especially one as big as Manchester United, has a responsibility to contribute to the local community.
“I’m convinced that by using the power of football and some of our iconic players, this fantastic programme by Kumho Tyres and our own Foundation will help to keep our children safe on the roads.”
This opinion is shared by all players from the current Manchester United team. South Korean winger Ji-Sung Park believes that “Play Safer is a great way to make children aware of the dangers of crossing roads and riding bikes”, while the Red Devils left back, Frenchman Patrice Evra, reckons that “It’s great to transfer skills such as awareness and vision into helping kids with their crossing”.
The launch was also attended by John Thrupp, Marketing Director for Kumho Tyres; John Shiels, Chief Executive of the MU Foundation; and Alec McMurchy, Chief Inspector of Greater Manchester Police.
John Thrupp commented, “At Kumho we take our corporate responsibility very seriously and are committed to helping children stay safe on the roads through initiatives such as ‘Play Safer’.
“As official sponsor of Manchester United Football Club, our affiliation with the club and our partnership with Greater Manchester Police for this event provided an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of road safety in a fun and engaging way that children both enjoyed and learned from.”
John Shiels, Chief Executive of the MU Foundation said, “Children’s safety is very important to us at the Foundation and so it was a privilege to work alongside our sponsor in launching the ‘Play Safer’ campaign.
“The event was great fun and highly educational at the same time and we were delighted at the opportunity to show children how they can use football skills to keep safe on the road.”
Chief Inspector Alec McMurchy of Greater Manchester Police's Traffic Network Unit concluded, “Public safety is a top priority for Greater Manchester police. ‘Play Safer’ provides an ideal opportunity for children to learn about the risks and dangers associated with our roads. Using football skills and expertise from Manchester United offers an interesting way to equip children with the right knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe.”
