Manchester City and Etihad Airways have announced a joint community football initiative in India that will take off from City in the Community, the Club’s official charity, soon. The new initiative is aimed to provide life skills and health training to the youth across India. This month will see the launch in three cities – Bangalore, Kolkata and New Delhi. More locations will eventually be covered under the project.

Manchester City and its global partner Etihad Airways will also collaborate with Magic Bus India Foundation, a local NGO with whom they have been associated on several projects since 2016. Both Manchester City and Etihad have been involved in a series of community collaborations from the time their official partnership began in 2009.

Etihad will fly coaches to India to give world-class training in football and leadership to the youth, who will in turn use the skills to their advantage besides gaining literally on health grounds.

Tom Pitchon, Director of City Football Group’s global foundation, has said they were proud to work with Etihad Airways to uplift the health and life skills of young people across India through the power of football. As a long-standing supporter of their community football impact, he said it was great to have Etihad on board.

Akhil Anumolu, Senior Vice President eCommerce, Digital, Marketing and Loyalty at Etihad Airways, reciprocated by saying that it was a fantastic opportunity for them to work hand-in-hand with their partners at City Football Group to support the local community in India.

Jayant Rastogi, Global CEO, Magic Bus India Foundation, felt that through the spirit of football, they were on a transformative journey with Manchester City and Etihad Airways to enhance the life skills of young people, and that the initiative symbolized a shared commitment to fostering positive change and building a better future for the communities they touched. – editor@nrifocus.com