DHL’s UNITED. DELIVERED. Global Football Tour finished with a game at Old Trafford in May 2019.

DHL gives United fans memories for a lifetime

Friday 31 May 2019 17:30

Throughout the 2018/19 Premier League season, DHL Express has been delivering a very special ball around the globe on an exclusive world tour.

The DHL UNITED. DELIVERED. Global Football Tour travelled nearly 400,000 kilometres, uniting Manchester United fans around the world.


DHL’s UNITED. DELIVERED tour finished with a game staged at Old Trafford.

The tour kicked off in July 2018 at Old Trafford, with several first-team players sending the ball on its way. From there, it crisscrossed the globe, connecting fans who registered to host a UNITED. DELIVERED match in their local communities. The ball arrived at each stop with a legacy kit from DHL, which includes a replica tour ball, bibs, goals, cones and wristbands.

Over the course of the tour, the ball landed in 76 countries where it was used by more than 2,000 United fans, in over 100 matches. From South Africa to South Korea, from Mexico to Mozambique, and from Nepal to Norway, the players embodied the diversity of United’s global fan base.

RETURNING TO OLD TRAFFORD

After touring the world for 10 months, DHL delivered the ball back to Old Trafford in May 2019 and brought two lucky match hosts and their teams to Manchester for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The action-packed weekend started with a trip to Leigh Sports Village to watch the United Women cap a near-flawless first season for a historic FA Championship. The next day, the group was in the stands at Old Trafford for the first team’s final match of the 2018/19 Premier League season against Cardiff City. Although the Reds suffered a disappointing loss to the Bluebirds, the UNITED. DELIVERED. winners enjoyed the unique atmosphere of Old Trafford – many for the very first time – and the two winning match hosts joined Alan Keegan on the pitch at half-time to share their experiences with the crowd.

The weekend wrapped up with a Manchester United Soccer Schools training session at the club’s Aon Training Complex followed by what will likely live on forever as the most memorable moment: playing the final match of the UNITED. DELIVERED. Global Football Tour on the Old Trafford pitch.

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Watch highlights from DHL's UNITED. DELIVERED. Global Football Tour.
THE TOUR GOES ON

The 2018/19 UNITED. DELIVERED. Global Football Tour was the second of its kind, reaching more United fans in more countries than in 2017/18. In the forthcoming Premier League season, DHL wants to unite even more fans and is planning to launch the third instalment in July 2019.

“Watching the response grow this year was really inspiring,” says Fiona Taag, Head of Global Sponsorship at DHL Express. “These are passionate fans who now feel even closer to their club. 

“As Official Logistics Partner, we want to continue to use our logistics expertise to reach and connect even more Manchester United fans, no matter where they are in the world. The 2019/20 Global Football Tour is going to be bigger and better than ever.”

Watch for the announcement coming in July on Twitter @DHLManUtd and Facebook. In the meantime, fans can relive the latest tour here and watch all the highlight reels on DHL’s YouTube channel.

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