Mlily Community Spotlight:
Man United Legends Surprise Training Session.

This summer Mlily took advantage of its partnership with Manchester United to carry out a special event during the team’s preseason tour. On July 27th the global sleep brand teamed up with the Manchester United Academy coaches and legends Bryan Robson, Denis Irwin and Dwight Yorke to deliver an unforgettable experience for a local community sports club.

The day before Manchester United’s kickoff with FC Barcelona at FedEx Field, United and Mlily set up a surprise training session, playing host to the local Bowie Boys and Girls Club. The participants ranged from 10 to 16 years of age, representing male and female teams of all experience levels from the grassroots club. They were divided into three groups, each lead by a separate United coach who walked them through specialized drills and small-sided competitions.

“Not everyone can get to the academy, so our job is really to get out and give an experience to anyone who loves football”

said Neil Scott, one of the three visiting United Academy trainers on the day. “Days like this are what make the job more enjoyable, and its about being an ambassador for the beautiful game on a global level.”

About halfway through the session,

the participants were called into a team huddle. There, to everyone’s surprise, they were then introduced to Robson, Yorke, and Irwin, who had arrived just moments beforehand. The ex-England and ex-United captain Bryan Robson led the way, taking the pitch and participating in the rest of the session to the group’s delight. All three were soon relaying instructions, making runs, and sharing laughs with all of the young participants.

“It’s very important for people like myself and the United brand to reach out to these kids and give them encouragement,” said Yorke. “Hopefully we will see one of them playing as one of the American superstars in the future.”

For the young players involved, it was inspiring to be playing with such legends of the game.

“It was a lot of fun playing with the legends and working as a team,” says Parker Thomas, 13, of Bowie. “They definitely inspired me to keep working hard to hopefully one day be at that level.”

The day concluded with an autograph session by the legends and a special giveaway sponsored by Mlily. Players from the BBGC received the same Mlily-United travel pillows the first team uses on its away trips, along with a gift bag of various prizes from United’s Unmissable Tour.

“In all, it was a great way to give back to a local community,” says Pomi Khan, CEO of Mlily U.K.

“Sometimes we all get so caught up in the big picture that we forget that it’s the little things which have the most impact. Doing something for a grassroots club like this is an experience these kids will never, ever forget. It’s something we will look to do more of in the future.”