Courtesy: The FA.com


Van der Sar supports StreetGames

By Matt Phillips

Wednesday, 24 June, 2009

The Manchester United goalkeeper backs girls' Futsal event.

Futsal will be in the spotlight when sports development charity StreetGames team up with the Manchester United Foundation this weekend.

The Futsal event will see girls’ teams from across the country playing in a tournament at Manchester United’s world famous Carrington training facility with StreetGames aiming to get more girls from disadvantaged communities playing sport on a regular basis.

Manchester FA are also involved in the event having recently announced a new Girls Centre of Excellence partnership with the Manchester United Foundation.

Manchester Olympian, Diane Modahl, is supporting the project along with Old Trafford favourite, Edwin Van Der Sar.

"This tournament is a great way to give these girls a platform to demonstrate their skills and show everyone that there is a wealth of talent out there," said the Manchester United goalkeeper.

"Nobody should miss out on sport because of where they live, which is why the work that StreetGames is doing up and down the country is so important," added the former Dutch international.

StreetGames is funded by FA-backed charity The Football Foundation plus Sport England, V and the Co-Operative Group.

StreetGames Chief Executive, Jane Ashworth, commented: "We are thrilled to be working with the Manchester United Foundation on this project.

"There are so many talented girls out there who currently lack the focus or opportunity to develop and showcase their abilities. This initiative will really help us reach out to this group and encourage them to get into sport."

John Shiels is the Chief Executive of the Manchester United Foundation: "Football can inspire young people to improve their lives and this aligns perfectly with StreetGames’s ongoing objective of helping young people to access sport regardless of their background or social circumstances.

"Getting more girls interested in sport is a national issue and one which is an important objective for both organisations.

"By developing a national Futsal competition specifically targeting this group, we hope to really encourage the girls to get involved and, most importantly, enjoy themselves."








Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com