Academy Weekly: Staff witness stirring poem
With New Year approaching and Academy staff reviewing the successes and lessons of 2023, the club welcomed Tony Walsh to December's all-staff meeting, with the Manchester poet performing two stirring pieces to inspire employees.
Walsh, who achieved global fame for his work in the aftermath of the 2017 Manchester Arena bomb, performed This Is The Place (2012) at the beginning of the meeting. The poem starts:
This is the place
In the north-west of England.
It’s ace, it’s the best
And the songs that we sing from the stands, from our bands
Set the whole planet shaking.
You can read the poem in full here. Few pieces of writing have better summed up the attitude and revolutionary history of Manchester and while Academy staff and players are not all born or raised in Manchester, awareness of how the city's identity has shaped our football club is crucial to their development.
At the end of the meeting, Walsh performed Jimmy Murphy, Without Whom (2023), written ahead of the unveiling of the Jimmy Murphy statue last May.
Tony Walsh’s ‘Jimmy Murphy, Without Whom’
In 'Jimmy Murphy: Sculpting A Hero', Tony Walsh performs a spine-tingling poem that sums up why we love United...
Staff at Carrington are always reminded of those who led the way before but rarely in such a spine-tingling manner. You can listen to the second of Walsh's poems above.
Employees were also given a talk on the history of MUJAC (the Manchester United Junior Athletic Club), founded 85 years ago this season, and how the values which defined United's commitment to youth then still have relevance today.
UEFA Youth League campaign to conclude
Our Under-19s face Bayern Munich at Leigh Sports Village in the UEFA Youth League on Tuesday 12 December (14:00 GMT).
After one win, one draw and three narrow defeats, the young Reds are unable to qualify for the knockout stages but a match against another quality European side still provides fantastic learning opportunities.
U18s fixture updates
Our Under-18s match against Liverpool, originally scheduled for last Saturday, has been postponed and given a new date.
Adam Lawrence's team were scheduled to meet the Merseysiders at Carrington but due to Liverpool’s FA Youth Cup fixture, this league game has been moved to Tuesday 30 January (19:00 GMT).
United’s Under-18s will next be in action on Saturday 16 December, facing Everton at Finch Farm in an 11:00 GMT kick-off.
Following this match, the youngsters begin their FA Youth Cup campaign with a third-round match against Derby County.
Tickets are available for the Old Trafford match against the Rams (Tuesday 19 December, 19:00 GMT).
Priced at £3 for adults and £1.50 for children, get your tickets and come along to support for the young Reds in the historic competition.
Following the fourth-round draw last Thursday, it was confirmed that United will play Swindon or Luton away, should we progress past Derby.
Learn more about the Alumni scheme
The latest edition of Inside United – the club’s monthly magazine for supporters – features an in-depth feature on the burgeoning Academy alumni scheme. It includes interviews with coaches Colin Little and Neil Harris, as well as Nick Cox, Director of Academy. You can order your copy here.
Graduate success
Graduates from our Academy featured in 11 of the 20 Premier League fixtures played over the last week. This is no rarity and remains a source of great pride for everyone at the Academy. Particular congratulations to Dwight McNeil, whose excellent recent form has helped Everton to climb the table, and James Garner, who earned his first Player of the Match award recently at the same club.