'Road To Old Trafford' initiative comes back in bigger format

Winners of the 5-a-side tournament will get a chance to play at the hallowed pitch of Old Trafford.

Leading tyre maker Apollo Tyres today announced the launch of the second edition of Road to Old Trafford, a unique five-a-side football tournament supported by Manchester United, to be held across India.

Apollo Tyres is all about performance, and the talented footballers displaying their best performance, will earn themselves an unparalleled and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Manchester, UK for an all-expenses paid trip and play in the legendary Old Trafford stadium, home of Manchester United FC. The Grand Finale of the Apollo Tyres’ ‘Road To Old Trafford’ to choose the Global Winner will be held at the iconic stadium on May 31, 2024.

The tournament is coming back in a bigger format and will be kicked off in six cities — Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Kochi wherein the city leg winners will face each other in the national finale to be held in Chennai.

Vikram Garga, Group Head, Marketing, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd, said, “Playing at Old Trafford is a significant milestone and a prestigious opportunity due to the stadium’s rich history, the passionate fanbase, and the grandeur associated with Manchester United, one of the most successful football clubs globally. With the ‘Road To Old Trafford’ initiative, we aim to celebrate the passion for football in India and give talented footballers a platform to showcase their performance. We hope that this small step goes a long way in motivating and propelling young Indian footballers to take their game to the next level.”

The last edition of the initiative was won by Kalina Rangers of Mumbai, who won the India leg of the tournament as well, showcasing their exceptional football skills. Playing against them was a legends team comprising former Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov, treble winners Wes Brown and Andy Cole besides Indian footballing heroes Renedy Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Robin Singh and Tanvie Hans.

“We are thrilled to have won the grand finale of the Apollo Tyres Road To Old Trafford tournament. It was an incredible experience to compete against the Manchester United legends and former Indian players, and we are honoured to get this chance to play at the legendary Old Trafford stadium. We thank Apollo Tyres for providing us with this opportunity to prove ourselves and fulfill our dreams,” said Prithvi Victor, manager and coach of the Kalina Rangers team, when they won the 2023 edition.

The registrations for the tournament are now open and interested teams can register at: https://www.apollotyres.com/en-in/stories/campaigns/sports/road-to-old-trafford/rtot-consumer-contest/

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