Manchester City players have committed to another year of donations for City in the Community to help local young people
Nico O'Reilly took part in a CITC session at Manchester City
Nico O'Reilly took part in a CITC session at Manchester City
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Manchester City players have donated a six-figure sum to charity as the club celebrates its involvement in the local area. City in the Community (CITC) has accepted the money from the squad ahead of Saturday's game with Brentford - the club's annual match where the charity is recognised.
The initiative is a token gesture from the players but makes a significant difference to the help that CITC can give over the course of the year. Last year's money went towards the Soccer Schools programme that reached almost 700 children across 465 hours of free football.
This time, the funds will cover the cost of the City Mentoring programme for a full 12 months to give one-to-one support for vulnerable young people in need of help. “It’s always important, of course, to help people in the local area across Manchester," said Rodri on behalf of the squad.
“For me, the kids are the most important part so to give them this donation enables us to support them through difficult situations they might unfortunately live daily. The Community Matchday is a special day; I hope that everyone who’s there enjoys it as it’s a very important initiative.”
As the players walk out for the game with Brentford on Saturday, they will wear jackets branded with CITC and the stadium will also be renamed for the day as the The City in the Community Etihad Stadium.
Ruben Dias has done travel announcements on tram and bus routes to the Etihad and the player graphics on social media have once again been hand-drawn by local schoolchildren.
Homegrown player Nico O'Reilly said: “Supporting the club’s charity means a lot, we all know how good they are at supporting the local community. Growing up in Manchester and being part of that same community, it means a lot to me that we can give back.
“The fans support us week-in-week-out and always show us their love, so to show love back to the City in the Community participants is a great feeling.”