EGYPT ACADEMY
If everything else fell away, this is what would remain. Whatever we achieve, this is the heart of it.
Mohammed Wasfy
“We’re very excited to be bringing Right to Dream to Egypt. Through the support of the partnership with the Mansour Group we will have a positive influence on the future development of young men and women Egyptian footballers through our purpose-driven approach”
A new entity, Man Sports, is being established for the partnership. Under the terms of the partnership, Man Sports will assume majority control of Right to Dream with Tom Vernon remaining the other significant shareholder. Mr. Mohamed Mansour, the Founder and Chairman of Man Capital, becomes Chairman of Right to Dream Group, while his son, Mr. Loutfy Mansour, the CEO of Man Capital, becomes a board member.
Tom Vernon, who retains his position as CEO of Right To Dream Group, said: “For 20 years, Right To Dream has been using football as a vehicle for social change, bringing life-changing opportunities through sport and education for children and their communities. This partnership helps Right To Dream accelerate global expansion plans to provide more opportunities for more children around the world, continuing to put people and purpose at the centre of football. With the support of the Mansour family, we continue to aspire to the creation of a new standard of purpose-driven sports for clubs academies and players.”
On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, Right To Dream announced a new long-term footballing partnership with the Mansour Group, a family-owned global conglomerate, that will help bring greater access, opportunity and equality through football across the globe.
Speaking about the investment, Mr. Mohamed Mansour, Chairman and Founder of Man Capital, said: “I could not be prouder to be investing in and partnering with Tom and his team at Right to Dream, who are inspirational for the life-changing work they undertake with talented boys and girls across Africa, Europe, and the Americas. We have long taken a close interest in the work they are doing and are delighted to be announcing our partnership today. Not only are we a family of football fans, indeed my uncle Mostafa Kamel Mansour even represented Egypt in the 1934 World Cup, but we are committed to supporting communities across Africa, through our foundations and other philanthropic activities.”
In 2022, Right To Dream will extend their academy model to Egypt, by offering a platform to discover talents and develop high-performing athletes with a focus on education, following the same model as the successful academies in Ghana and Denmark.
Closely after the opening of the new academy, Right to Dream Egypt will see the launch of a new professional women’s football team. This elite women’s team will showcase purpose-driven female athletes at their best, embodying the Right To Dream brand and model with an aspiration to recruit and attract top talent into Egyptian professional women’s football. This comes in line with Egypt’s social development plans and public awareness strategy in promoting the importance of equality and inclusion in sports, as well as enhancing youth participation in shaping the future of their country and contributing to Egypt’s 2030 vision.
Mr Mohammed Wasfy joins Right To Dream as Managing Director and board member of Right To Dream Egypt to lead this project and the development of the organisation in the country, supported by the Mansour Group.
“We’re very excited to be bringing Right to Dream to Egypt. Through the support of the partnership with the Mansour Group we will have a positive influence on the future development of young men and women Egyptian footballers through our purpose-driven approach”, said Mohammed Wasfy, RTD Egypt Managing Director.
Right To Dream academies are not simply a pipeline for talent, they are platforms of opportunity for the boys and girls who come into contact with them, on and off the field. Established in Ghana before expanding into Europe and North America, Right To Dream academies aim to merge people and purpose through the lens of football. The academies have links to world-class universities and educational establishments and provide a personal development environment for young people who lack access to schooling and sport.
Having already graduated over 140 students, with 82 students currently at the academy, Right To Dream has a vision to create a global chain of academies that fundamentally change the role clubs play in football today. Pippa Grange, Right To Dream’s new Global Chief Culture Officer says, “skills on the field are just as important as education, character development and aspiration off it. Right To Dream develops every aspect of a child’s life, giving them the best possible support and preparation to make their way in the world.”
Right To Dream is working towards a different future for global football. Vernon says “we believe there can be a greater purpose-driven model in football where clubs take an active role in social change, rather than leaning on individual athlete-driven social consciousness. Our academies do exactly that and once Egypt is firmly established, we’ll set our sights on the UK. With our partners and our strong experienced team, we are hungry to do more for the growing elite sporting talent and educational achievements of children coming through our academies, to help them achieve their dreams."