Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre teams up with Manchester United Soccer Schools

Under the watchful eyes of MUSS coaches, Tony Byrne, Alex Weaver and Andy Dixon the thirty youngsters from the Rashid Centre learnt how to dribble like Ronaldo, control like Rooney and shoot like Ruud van Nistlerooy.

Attending the session, Malcolm Thorpe, Marketing Director Sports Business at Dubai Sports City, said: 'At Dubai Sports City we believe that sports should be made available to everyone regardless of background, gender, race or ability.

'We also believe very firmly in being an active member of the local community and reaching out to those people who may be less fortunate, and it's great for us to be able to offer these kids from Rashid Centre the chance to participate in a soccer coaching course with one of the world's most famous football clubs. And you can see that they are clearly having a great deal of fun and making the coaches work hard.'

Carolyn Grace, Head Teacher of Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, said: 'We were delighted when Manchester United Soccer Schools and Dubai Sports City approached us about joining one of their sessions. Sport is an integral part of the curriculum at the Centre and we encourage our students to at all levels to undertake some form of physical exercise on a regular basis. It is great to be able to expose the kids to such coaching expertise and I hope that we may be able to participate in other coaching sessions going forward.'

Manchester United Soccer Schools is operated in Dubai by Dubai Sports City and since December last year over 550 football-mad youngsters have been able to experience the MUSS coaching philosophy, which is specially adapted from the coaching programme at Manchester United's Youth Academy.

A permanent Manchester United Soccer Schools facility is being built at Dubai Sports City and is scheduled to open by the end of 2007.