17 November 2009
On Sunday 22 November, the Sheffield United Masters
squad, sponsored by Capita Symonds, will be competing in this
year’s EPL Masters Football Malaysia Cup against Liverpool,
Manchester United and a Premier League All-Stars team.
Blades legends such as Brian Deane and Tony Agana will once
again pit their wits against the likes of Bryan Robson, Andrew
Cole, John Barnes, Jan Molby, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
The 2009 EPL Masters Football Malaysia Cup will be staged at the
indoor facility of Stadium Putra, which is located in the Kuala
Lumpur suburb of Bukit Jalil.
The tournament will be attracting a global audience with
coverage being shown in up to 140 million homes worldwide. British
football fans can look forward to watching the tournament on Sky
Sports.
Managed under the watchful eye of the Blades Academy Director
Ron Reid, the Sheffield United legendary squad will include Brian
Deane, Tony Agana, Carl Bradshaw, Alan Wright, Paul Wood, Tommy
Mooney, Mark Todd, Georges Santos and goalkeeper Sasa Ilic. The
line-up includes a total of six ex-Blades who have played at
international level for their country.
Brian Deane commented: “Myself and the other lads will be
itching to get out on the pitch and once again line-up against some
familiar faces playing for Manchester United, Liverpool and the All
Star team. The Blades Masters squad looks really strong. We are
definitely not flying out to Malaysia for a holiday, we want to
bring back the silverware for our fans!”
Sheffield United’s unique model in football has created club
partnerships in China, Hungary and Australia. This has ultimately
led to the Blades securing global sponsorship deals with Capita
Symonds and GAC Group.
'Welcome to Yorkshire' will also sponsor the team and see the
tournament as a great opportunity to promote Yorkshire to a
worldwide audience. This combined support package will
include the production of a special one-off, retro red and white
striped kit for the Masters Football tournament, provided by Tour
Kit sponsors, Macron.
Mike Farnan, Executive Director at Sheffield United said: “We
would like to thank all our sponsors, the GAC Group, Capita
Symonds, Welcome to Yorkshire and Macron for the part they have
both played in enabling the club to bring together our own all-star
team that will travel to Malaysia.
“The worldwide interest in this Masters competition can help
showcase our club’s international programme and help enhance our
global credentials. However, the number one objective was
assembling the strongest and most balanced squad possible. We will
be going all out to win this high-profile tournament.”
As part of the trip to Asia, Ron Reid and the Blades legends
will be supporting football coaching sessions for under-privileged
and orphaned children in Kuala Lumpur and Vietnam, as well as
staging special sessions for the Malaysian national youth
squads.