Manchester United sets up Clear football camp in Ph

MANILA, Philippines -- After two Dream Matches, Clear is taking the football mania in the country to another level by partnering with the most iconic football club in the world.

Clear together with United Football League has forged a long-term partnership with UEFA's most successful club Manchester United starting off with a three-day football camp this summer for the best amateur players in the land.

The partnership that will bring the Manchester United Football School and some of its stars to the country in the near future was announced Monday afternoon in a press conference at the Makati Shangri-La.

"We understand that basketball is the no.1 sport here in the Philippines. We know where we stand coming in. We also know that there's a high level of passion in football in the Philippines. One of our key missions as Manchester United is to help grow the sport around the world so we saw an opportunity in the Philippines to contribute to that but we can't do it on our own," said Manchester United managing director for Asia Pacific Jamie Reigle said.

With Clear successfully helping the growth of the sport in the country in the last two years that saw international football icons Fabio Cannavaro and Dennis Wise coming in as guest players in the last Dream Match, Manchester United felt that they found the right partner to advance their cause here where they enjoy 10 million followers.

"It's important for us to partner with very high quality companies that understand the market and can bring a lot of expertise to bring our program to life," Reigle added.

Unilever marketing director for healthcare Dorothy Dee-Ching announced that UEFA-licensed coaches will supervise the three-day camp that will teach the Filipino players the system that produced the likes of former English captain David Beckham, Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Man U legend Ryan Giggs.

"This year, we want to engage the grassroots to a deeper level," Clear brand manager Andrew Copuyoc said.

UFL coaches will supervise the try-outs on March 22 in Cebu, March 23 in Iloilo, March 29 in Davao and March 30 in Metro Manila. The top 32 players from the try-outs will advance to the Manchester United football camp on April 25-27 in Metro Manila.

Reigle did not divulge the names of coaches and players who will arrive pending scheduling and negotiations but said that part of the program is to bring a 'source of inspiration'.

In this camp, the top 32 amateur players in the country will be trained by UEFA-licensed coaches from the Manchester United School.

UFL president Randy Roxas said that the partnership is inevitable since majority of players that play in the Dream Match come from their league and that their mission to develop and sustain a strong and thriving domestic league is dependent on having a grasroots program.

"This program will help our clubs identify future talents that may end up getting offers to play in our league," Roxas said.

The Clear-Manchester United football camp is open to all amateur players aged 17 and above. Aspiring campers must register at www.cleardreammatch.com.ph.