MANCHESTER, England,
Aug. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
- Manchester United first team players wear name of their
mascot on back of their shirt upon entering pitch
- Just before start of match, players present the shirts as
memento to mascots
- Mascots are from seven countries: Brazil, China, India,
Indonesia, South Africa, South
Korea and United
States
Chevrolet today added to the anticipation of Manchester United's
Premier League season-opener by using the power of play to give 11
children from around the world a first-ever, once-in-a-lifetime
experience.
The global automotive brand surprised everyone by partnering
with the club to have each first team player walk onto the pitch
wearing a shirt with the name of their mascot on the back.
Then just before the start of the match, the players presented the
shirts as gifts to them.
"We brought 11 children from around the world to Manchester to let them experience
first-hand how the power of play can create hope, optimism
and possibilities not just inside Old Trafford, but back in their
communities as well," said Tim
Mahoney, chief marketing officer, Global Chevrolet.
"Chevrolet's partnership with Manchester United is about using the
passion for this sport to make a positive impact around the world
and inspire football fans everywhere."
"Seeing the reactions to today's historical moment from the
mascots, players and fans was a perfect way to kick off Chevrolet's
first season as Manchester United's shirt sponsor. When it
comes to bringing people closer to the sport, today we raised the
bar," Mahoney added.
The children were selected to serve as mascots due in part to
their love of the game, determination to overcome a variety of
challenges, and use of play to realize anything is possible. The
opportunity to be a mascot is part of Chevrolet's "What Do You
#PlayFor?" campaign to bring football fans closer to the sport and
spread the power of play around the world. The children's
stories are featured at www.ChevroletFC.com.
"It was a pleasure to welcome all 11 mascots to Old Trafford and
our players were proud to walk out onto the pitch with them today,"
Manchester United Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold said. "In the two years since
announcing its partnership with Manchester United, Chevrolet has
embraced the club's desire to connect with its 659 million global
followers, coming up with new and exciting ways to do this. Today's
activity demonstrates their ingenuity at doing this and we helped
capture the imagination of our fans around the world."
The Manchester United first team players and mascot pairings
were:
Manchester United
Player
|
Mascot
|
Ashley
Young
|
Naely /
Brazil
|
Javier
Hernandez
|
Anna /
China
|
Phil Jones
|
Yan Yi /
China
|
Chris
Smalling
|
Akash /
India
|
Darren
Fletcher
|
Kshitij /
India
|
Juan Mata
|
Fergie /
Indonesia
|
Ander
Herrera
|
Syffia /
Indonesia
|
Wayne
Rooney
|
Mfanelo / South
Africa
|
Tyler
Blackett
|
Nokuthula / South
Africa
|
Jesse
Lingard
|
Daeyoung / South
Korea
|
David De
Gea
|
Jasmine / United
States
|
In addition to serving as mascots on Saturday, the children this
week attended Manchester United's famed Soccer School, met club
legends, received a tour of Old Trafford, and more.
Since first announcing its partnership with Manchester United in
2012, Chevrolet has used football to spread the power of play
worldwide, including donating close to 1 million nearly
indestructible balls from the One World Futbol Project for use by
more than 26 million youth in 60-plus countries in Africa, Asia,
and the Americas. Chevrolet also recently revitalized a
pitch in Bandung, Indonesia, on
behalf of a local organization that uses soccer to increase the
quality of life for people living with HIV and drug addiction, and
Chevrolet donated a pop‑up pitch and pickup truck and trailer to
help transform gang-laden streets in Chicago into a place where children can play
and learn life skills.
To celebrate its new, seven-year Manchester United shirt
sponsorship, Chevrolet is inviting fans around the world to upload
photos of themselves wearing a digital version of the new shirt at
www.ChevroletFC.com. Chevrolet also recently released a video
on www.ChevroletFC.com featuring Manchester United players, legends
and fans paying homage to the history of the club's shirts that has
attracted more than 10 million views.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's
largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and
selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year.
Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that
feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality.
More information on Chevrolet models can be found at
www.chevrolet.com.
About Manchester United
Manchester United is one of
the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing
one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth. Through our
136-year heritage we have won 62 trophies, enabling us to develop
the world's leading sports brand and a global community of 659
million followers. Our large, passionate community provides
Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant
revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship,
merchandising, product licensing, new media & mobile,
broadcasting and match day.
SOURCE Chevrolet