United make California dream a reality
Manchester United head to South Carolina this Friday afternoon after an action-packed stay in the Golden State that left an impact on tens of thousands of fans and community members who encountered the club during the 10-day visit.
During the stay the men’s first team took on Arsenal and Real Betis in preparation for the season ahead, however the highlights stretch far beyond the football in Los Angeles and San Diego, to the range of activities with fan and community groups that created a lifetime of memories for those who took part.
Building on from the club’s record fan engagement efforts last summer, the focus this year was on connecting and integrating with local community enrichment initiatives for young people in socially deprived areas of Los Angeles to leave a long-lasting positive impact from the trip.
There is no better example of this than the first event on the tour which saw United legend Wes Brown take the reins and ride with the Compton Cowboys, empowering and educating 60 kids from underprivileged backgrounds to ride, look after and maintain horses.
Wes meets the Compton Cowboys
TAKE THE REINS | See what happened when Wes Brown met the Compton Cowboys, an inspirational youth group in LA…
In the days after, Wes quickly found more familiar territory on the football pitch, attending two soccer tournaments facilitated by Street Soccer USA in Watts (LA) and Escondido (San Diego), engaging with over 120 children across both tournaments, including a team made up of local refugees.
As well as getting some tips from the former defender, the young attendees were presented with medals and iconic United bucket hats for participating. As an additional surprise, the participants were also rewarded with tickets to attend the games against Arsenal and Real Betis – something the vast majority had never had the opportunity to do before – as well as the opportunity to visit UCLA to watch the team train.
The club is pleased to be able to leave a legacy in this space with its local supporters’ clubs in LA and San Diego continuing to support the Street Soccer USA projects.
A family of more than 300 official Manchester United supporters’ clubs around the world follow the club, and this summer the supporters’ club “Warm-Up” events arrived stateside to the home of the LA Red Army and the Red Devils of San Diego, giving fans the opportunity to have a picture with the FA Cup and hear tales from Wes and fellow United legends Andy Cole, Bryan Robson and Denis Irwin.
In addition, on matchdays ticketholders and local fans were invited to attend the pre-match fan zones.
Around 2,000 Reds enjoyed an exclusive party at the newly opened immersive venue, Cosm, in Hollywood Park and more than 1,500 supporters joined the lawn fanfest in San Diego to watch two legend Q&As, see the FA Cup and enjoy a range of other fan activations in the build-up to the game against Real Betis, including trying out their football skills in sessions hosted by former Red Billy Garton.
On the final days in LA the club teamed up with Angel City FC and hosted a coaching clinic for 60 young girls to promote the opportunities for females in football coaching roles and share knowledge about the importance of mental fitness in sport. A delegation from both clubs was in attendance, led by Wes Brown and Billy Garton, and later the group went on to the Titan Stadium to watch Angel City FC’s home fixture against San Diego Wave.
Rick McGagh, director of fan engagement, said: “The welcome we have had from our US fans has been incredible. We’ve met fans from all over America and worked with our official supporters’ clubs to host a range of activities. These included our popular ‘Warm-up on Tour’ legend Q&A nights featuring Wes Brown, Bryan Robson, Andy Cole and Denis Irwin, and pre-game fanzones in San Diego and tomorrow in South Carolina where we are expecting over 5,000 fans.
“This trip has also allowed us to continue our work, along with our Manchester United Foundation, in the local communities we have visited. We have built on our existing relationship with Street Soccer USA to host street soccer tournaments for kids in Escondido (San Diego) and Watts (LA). This work is closely aligned with our own Street Reds programme which gives children a chance to fulfil their potential and play football for free.
“We also kicked off a relationship with the Compton Cowboys – another community-based group who do unbelievable work in giving kids in their neighbourhood a great start in life. We were able to connect The Compton Cowboys with Street Soccer USA LA and they are now working together – something we are very proud to have played a role in and something we are committed to supporting.
“And finally, we would also like to thank the large number of fans who made the trip out from the UK, and other parts of the world, to follow the team on tour. Their dedication is unbelievable, and the players, manager and staff all appreciate the time, money and passion they invest in the team.”
Manchester United legend Wes Brown said: “It’s been great to come and meet so many fans in California and see how much they love United. Learning to ride a horse with the Compton Cowboys was quality and it was brilliant to see the support and opportunity they give kids in Compton.
“They and the Street Soccer USA groups do incredible work and it was nice to see so many happy kids were getting involved and being excited about going to a live game for the first time. We love coming to America and hope to be back soon.”