YOUNG STARS OF THE FUTURE HEAD TOWARDS WORLD FINALS

August 2010

SIXTEEN young hopefuls from across Ghana are making final preparations before leaving to make a dream come true - and face the best of around 9,500 under-15 football teams - at the Manchester United Premier Cup World Finals in Manchester from 4-7th August next.

The boys, from the Right to Dream Academy in partnership with Vodafone, qualified to represent their country, and Africa, earlier this year in the Premier Cup Africa Qualifiers in Holland and will compete in the group and knockout stages at Manchester United's state of the art training facility at Carrington, Manchester. The final two teams will walk out onto the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, England on Saturday 7th August, after Manchester United's first Open Training session of the new season.

This will be the third consecutive time that a team from Right to Dream has represented Africa at the tournament, previously finishing in fifth (2008) and third (2009) place after beating teams from clubs like Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain along the way.

This year, Academy Manager, Andy Farrant hopes his young team will reach the final of course, but is more concerned that they play at their best, enjoy the experience and learn from some of the finest young players in the world: "MUPC gives us an ideal chance to develop different aspects of our game as we compete against teams from all around the world.

"This tournament will be an invaluable experience for our boys; they will have to adapt and learn how to cope with many different styles of play in a day. We have several young players who have a bright future ahead of them in the game and we hope that MUPC will provide the ideal opportunity for them to shine on the big stage.

"As always in tournament conditions, the draw will be crucial, but we just hope they perform at their best. It's impossible to ask for any more than that. If their best can take us all the way to the final, then we will be delighted of course, but if not, we can still be satisfied that we gave it our all, and that the boys could do no more in their pursuit of victory."

The team travelling to Manchester comprises youngsters selected from across the country at previous trials to join the Academy on five-year academic & football scholarships. Dates and countrywide locations for the next series of trials for the Right to Dream Academy in partnership with Vodafone will be available shortly.

-ENDS-

About the Right to Dream Academy www.righttodream.com

An NGO and registered Charity in the UK, US, Sierra Leone & Ghana, the Right to Dream Academy (RtD) was founded in 1999 to offer talented but underprivileged children the opportunity to fulfill their true potential in life.

To date, three RtD graduates have signed professional contracts for European Clubs - one turning out for the Black Stars at just 19 years-of-age; and a further 21 continue their studies whilst furthering their football ambitions on full scholarships at leading universities, private boarding schools and colleges in the US and the UK. Other RtD graduates either work within the sports industry or have secured contracts with Ghanaian Premier League clubs. In addition to mentoring students at the Academy, they also assist at local development projects on a voluntary basis.

This year the Right to Dream Academy and Vodafone Ghana signed a three year partnership agreement, enabling RtD to continue to deliver world class coaching and a specialised programme of personal development, education and leadership skills to some of the brightest but underprivileged young football prospects in Ghana.

Vodafone's endorsement of the unique Right to Dream philosophy promoting excellence and self sustainability allows the children of Ghana an unparalleled opportunity to study at an elite sports academy with a strong focus on education and ethics. The love of football has driven this project and will continue to give the children of Ghana the future they so richly deserve.

For further information & imagery
Please contact: Anna Hegley, CEO, Right to Dream Academy Tel: +233 246 125 376 Email: anna@righttodream.com