Chevrolet to Bring Two Children from India to Manchester United as Part of its Beautiful Possibilities Program

• Children will be mascots on Saturday, Sept. 12 for Manchester United’s home match vs. Liverpool FC

• Manchester United first team players to wear name of mascot from India, China, Brazil, Thailand or the United States on back of their shirt upon entering pitch

As part of its mission to bring play and football to communities around the world through its Beautiful Possibilities Program, Chevrolet will host two children from India in Manchester, England, this week to participate as mascots in Manchester United’s match vs. Liverpool FC.

Chevrolet mascots Sonu, 14, and Sharik, 13, will meet and spend time with Manchester United players and legends in the days ahead of Saturday’s match, attend the Manchester United Soccer School and tour the Club’s stadium; Old Trafford. They will join nine other children from China, Brazil, Thailand and the United States. Chevrolet chose these children because they embody the spirit of play.

The highlight of their once-in-a-lifetime experience will be Saturday when the children walk onto the Old Trafford pitch with Manchester United’s first team, each player wearing a match shirt with the name of his mascot on the back.  Moments before the match starts, in a show of admiration and in line with football tradition, Manchester United players will remove the shirts and present them to the mascots.

“This week in Manchester, we’re going to show these children, their families and communities, and millions of Manchester United followers around the world how football and play can change lives and create beautiful possibilities,”said Tim Mahoney, chief marketing officer, Global Chevrolet.

This is the second consecutive year Chevrolet is bringing children from around the world to Manchester to participate as mascots, an experience the brand plans to continue for years to come. Each child’s story is featured at www.ChevroletFC.com.

“Welcoming the Chevrolet mascots to Manchester this week is truly an honor and their wide range of nationalities demonstrates the Club’s global fan base and worldwide appeal,” said Manchester United Group Managing Director Richard Arnold. “Through our partnership with Chevrolet, the Club has had new and innovative opportunities to connect with our 659 million global followers, and our players will be proud to walk out onto the pitch with these children, wearing their names on the backs of their shirts.”

As part of its Beautiful Possibilities Program, Chevrolet works with local nonprofit organizations to teach the game and revitalize and transform community pitches, enabling children greater participation in the sport. In May, Chevrolet revitalized the sport ground at the Rebecca Belilious English Institution in Tikiapara for Slum Soccer, an organization that uses football to transcend race, religion, language and gender to bring about a change in the lives of street dwellers.

Chevrolet also worked with Slum Soccer to identify Sonu and Sharik to participate as mascots.

“Children are spending their free time safely and constructively at the new pitch, and now two of them are going to walk onto one of the world’s grandest pitches at Old Trafford. We could not be more thrilled for them and thankful to Chevrolet for making this possible,” said Abhijeet Barse, CEO, Slum Soccer.

In addition to its Beautiful Possibilities Program, since 2012 Chevrolet has brought play to an estimated 45 million youth in underprivileged communities in more than 90 countries worldwide by distributing more than 1.5 million ultra-durable footballs from One World Play Project. Chevrolet, the official sponsor of One World Play Project, has committed to distributing 2 million One World Futbols, which the mascots will use on penalty kicks at halftime of Saturday’s match.

“Whether it’s the act of physically playing or simply supporting your favorite team, this week these mascots will experience the joy of both with Manchester United’s players in a way that few people ever get to realize,” Mahoney said.

About Chevrolet:

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com

About Manchester United:

Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth. Through our 137-year heritage we have won 62 trophies, enabling us to develop the world’s leading sports brand and a global community of 659 million followers. Our large, passionate community provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media & mobile, broadcasting and match day.