Kumho Partner Manchester United in Road Safety Initiative

Manchester United’s legendary Old Trafford ground turned into a ‘Theatre of Road Safety’ ahead of the game versus Tottenham on Saturday 24 April with some very special guests in attendance to help launch ‘Play Safer’. Developed by Kumho Tyres and the MU Foundation, in conjunction with Greater Manchester Police, ‘Play Safer’ is a new football skills and road safety training programme for children aged five to 11 years. ‘Play Safer’ is said to be the only programme of its kind in the world as it uses the skills of professional footballers – such as vision, awareness, anticipation and control – to teach kids about road safety, which makes it a fun, effective way to save lives. There are 10 road safety skill cards to collect in total, featuring tips such as ‘Control it like Berbatov’ and ‘Play it safe like Van der Sar’.

Sir Bobby Charlton said: “I’ve always believed a football club, especially one as big as Manchester United, has a responsibility to contribute to the local community. I’m convinced that by using the power of football and some of our iconic players, this fantastic programme by Kumho Tyres and our own Foundation will help to keep our children safe on the roads.”

This opinion is shared by all players from the current Manchester United team. South Korean winger Ji-Sung Park believes that ‘Play Safer’ is a great way to make children aware of the dangers of crossing roads and riding bikes’, while the Red Devils left back, Frenchman Patrice Evra, reckons that ‘It’s great to transfer skills such as awareness and vision into helping kids with their crossing’.

The launch was also attended by John Thrupp, Kumho Tyres; John Shiels, chief executive of the MU Foundation; and Alec McMurchy, Chief Inspector of Greater Manchester Police. John Thrupp commented: “At Kumho we take our corporate responsibility very seriously and are committed to helping children stay safe on the roads through initiatives such as ‘Play Safer’. As official sponsor of Manchester United Football Club, our affiliation with it and our partnership with Greater Manchester Police for this event provided an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of road safety in a fun and engaging way that children both enjoyed and learned from.”