Sport Relief and Manchester United Team up For

4th January 2010

Sport Relief and Manchester United team up for United Relief Live: The Big Red Day Out

Fundraising event to be held at Old Trafford Stadium on 1st May 2010

Sport Relief and the Premier League Champions Manchester United today announce that they are teaming up to hold a unique fundraising event at Old Trafford on the 1st May 2010. United Relief Live: The Big Red Day Out will be a one-off celebrity packed day to raise money for Sport Relief and the Manchester United Foundation.

The un-missable event will mix music with celebrities and legends playing football with a glittering gala dinner, in one unforgettable day out.

The day will kick off with a pre-match concert featuring some of the hottest names in pop and rock, with performances guaranteed to get everyone warmed up and in the mood for a party on the pitch.

One of the highlights of the day will be a friendly match between a Manchester United XI and The Rivals featuring legends and celebrities from Manchester United and some of their greatest rivals. This unique game will give supporters a chance to see some of their heroes back in the shirt again, as well as a rare opportunity to see the skills of some non-footballing big names.

Post match entertainment will be provided in the form of a gala dinner, complete with guest speakers and an auction of money-can’t-buy prizes.

The money raised by the event will go to fund the crucial work of the Manchester United Foundation and Sport Relief.

Tickets will go on sale from the Manchester United box office in the coming weeks.

Kevin Cahill, CEO of Comic Relief said:

“Coming at the end of the season United Relief Live: The Big Red Day Out is the perfect way to raise crucially important cash and at the same time give fans an exciting family day out. The emphasis will be on fun and entertainment with a bit of healthy competition thrown in. Sport Relief is thrilled to be partnering with the Manchester United Foundation in this great event”.

John Shiels, Chief Executive of the Manchester United Foundation, said:

“Sport Relief is a thriving and well respected charity and Manchester United is one of the most successful football clubs in the world. This is a great opportunity for two iconic brands to work together to provide real help to people in need. The event that will appeal to everyone; families, young people and football fans with the mix of music and football. For United fans, they have the chance to see some of their heroes back in a Manchester United shirt and with a major concert after the game. It should be a real day to remember.”

Press contact:

Rachael Pilsbury, Manchester United Foundation Press Office - 0161 868 8120 / 07765 222003 / [email protected]

Jess Ord, Comic Relief Press Office - 020 7840 2517, [email protected]

Notes to Editors:

About Sport Relief As one of the UK’s biggest fundraising events, Sport Relief brings the entire nation together to get active, raise cash and change lives. The Sport Relief Weekend takes place from Friday 19th March to Sunday 21st March 2010 including a night of Sport Relief telly on BBC One and the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile events across the UK on Sunday 21st March. All the cash raised will help transform the lives of those in desperate need across the UK and the world’s poorest countries.

Since its launch in 2002 over 1.25 million people have taken part in Sport Relief, helping to raise over £75 million. Sport Relief has a unique history of dedicated people doing extraordinary things to rise to the challenge, from David Walliam’s astonishing swim across the English Channel to Eddie Izzard’s truly amazing marathon a day around the UK. Further information is available on www.sportrelief.com Sport Relief is an initiative of Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland).

About the Manchester United Foundation Manchester United Foundation was formed to celebrate 50 years of the Club playing in Europe. It aims to use the passion for Manchester United to educate, motivate and inspire young people to build a better life for themselves and improve the communities they live in. The Foundation delivers football coaching, skills training, personal development and life changing experiences, providing young people with opportunities to change their lives for the better. Through football, it encourages them to develop as players and more importantly as people.

 Manchester United’s Community Coaches have worked in local schools for over fifteen years providing 1 million children with free football coaching.  By hosting events around the stadium and facilitating fundraising for the charity partners we have raised 1.4million for charity and the total is still rising.  Last season we provided over 700 charities with signed items for fundraising purposes.  Something to Chew On is the Foundation’s programme in local schools, which aims to teach young people about nutrition and encourage exercise. An early study into the programme showed that: The number of children taking part in regular outdoor physical activity increased by 25%, the number of children walking to and from school increased by 16%.

Find out more at www.mufoundation.org Manchester United Foundation is a registered charity – 1118310.