Tony Carr MBE celebrates with international group!

Club Ambassador Tony Carr MBE was on hand to celebrate with a visiting Malaysian group who were in London as part of the Foundation’s international work.

The 1MCC group from Kuala Lumpur has a long standing relationship with the Foundation and visit annually to receive a full West Ham United experience.

After a wonderful two weeks with the Foundation, the group were joined by Club legend Tony Carr MBE to hand out awards and celebrate the achievements of the young group during their time in the capital.

He offered words of encouragement to the participants and explained how they need to stay dedicated to the sport if they are to be successful and play professional football one day.

“I’m glad to hear you’ve enjoyed a fantastic two weeks with the West Ham United Foundation! I’ve been told that there are some really talented players among you and I think it’s crucial to take the lessons you have learnt here, back to Malaysia and really work hard at them.

“It’s a very demanding task becoming a Premier League footballer and I know many of you have a dream of becoming one in years to come. Hopefully during your time here at the Foundation you’ve developed your ability as footballers, as well as improving your English language skills and can take great confidence from this experience.”

Foundation staff was on hand to treat the visitors to an array of fun activities during their two weeks, including a Stadium tour, a matchday experience, excursions to London and competitive matches against the West Ham Academy and Kicks teams to name but a few.

The group were lucky enough to see behind the scenes at the First Team training ground at Chadwell Heath where they caught a glimpse of what the everyday life of a Premier League footballer looks like.

During their time at Chadwell, the young Malaysian group had the opportunity to meet some of the West Ham United Ladies players who put their English language skills to the test by requesting a rendition of I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles.

After an impeccable vocal performance, it was time for the group to take to the field against a young Academy side, where their progress over the two weeks saw them edge their way to victory in a close encounter.

Foundation Football Development Manager, Bryan Glover was delighted at the developing partnership and stressed the importance of the Foundation’s international work.

“This is another great example of our fantastic international programme which invites people from across the world to come and receive a full West Ham United experience. We have a great relationship with 1MCC and it’s been brilliant to have them over once again.

“The young participants have applied themselves fantastically well during the time they have been here and it’s great to have Tony Carr come down and offer them an idea of what it takes to become a professional footballer.

“Some of them are taking part in things that they’d never get the opportunity to experience and our partnership with 1MCC has enabled us to really make some dreams come true these last few weeks!”