Connect with us

Premier League

Man Utd Foundation Announces New Board Of Trustees Members

Man Utd Foundation Announces New Board Of Trustees Members

Manchester United Foundation is delighted to announce Jonathan Badyal and Saul Becker as new members of its Board of Trustees.

Led by Collette Roche – Chair of Trustees and chief operating officer of Manchester United – the Manchester United Foundation board met the newest members at Old Trafford on 18 June.

Badyal and Becker were voted on the board in March, and each bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the Foundation.

“As a lifelong Manchester United fan I have admired the work of the Foundation from afar,” says Jonathan Badyal.
Jonathan is a partner at Trafalgar Strategy, where he advises CEOs and world-renowned creatives on communications, reputation and strategy. He previously spent eight years at Universal Music, latterly as Director of Communications for the UK business, and five years advising the UK Government’s Culture and Digital Minister on policy and communications, where he developed a passion for widening access for young people to creative industries. Jonathan is also a Senior Adviser to the executive search firm Saxton Bampfylde, Deputy Chair of the Black Country Living Museum and Interim Chair at the National Academy for Social Prescribing.

On his new appointment Jonathan said: “As a lifelong Manchester United fan, I have admired the work of the Foundation from afar. One thing that has been a constant and passionate focus of mine during my career is supporting young people and improving life chances, so to be able to support the life-changing work the Foundation delivers is truly an honour and I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Professor Saul Becker is Head of the Faculty of Health and Education, and Founding Director of the Institute for Children’s Futures, at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is a pioneer and world expert on young carers. He advises governments, policy makers and practitioners around the world and was named by Universities UK as one of the ‘Nation’s Lifesavers’, a group of 100 individuals or groups based in universities whose work is ‘making a life-changing difference’.

Saul said: “The Foundation transforms lives, and that’s what I want to do, too. Over the last 40 years I have campaigned for children and communities that have been especially disadvantaged, so I’m looking forward to supporting the Foundation’s work directly with young people to build their confidence, resilience, knowledge and skills – their futures.”

Collette Roche said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Jonathan and Saul to Manchester United Foundation. Not only do they bring to the board a wealth of experience and expertise, but a dedicated passion for improving the lives of young people.

“It is important that we continue to evolve as an organisation and I’m sure they will offer an invaluable new perspective to the governance and future of the Foundation.”

The Manchester United Foundation board is responsible for governance of the club’s associated charity; you can see the full list of Trustees here.

Manutd.com

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Premier League

Tosin Focused On FIFA Club World Cup Final

Tosin Focused On FIFA Club World Cup Final

When Tosin Adarabioyo moved along the Thames to join Chelsea from Fulham in the summer of 2024, the defender issued the reasons explaining why he’d signed for the Blues.

Simply, he said he wanted to help the Blues move ‘in the direction we want to go’. To put it plainly, the defender wanted to add silverware to his CV.

Fast forward to May 2025 and Tosin was on the pitch in Wroclaw, Poland. A wide smile etched on his face, celebrating with his team-mates in front of the travelling Chelsea fans as we lifted the Conference League trophy. He’d delivered on his promise.

However, there’s still the opportunity for move silverware and as Tosin chats to us ahead of Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup final, where we will face PSG, the defender is full of enthusiasm as he contemplates the thought of adding another trophy to his collection.

‘It’s fantastic to reach the final and we’re all looking forward to it,’ the Chelsea No.4 stated, with a beaming smile. ‘We’ve been focused throughout the tournament and we’ve got one huge game left to go now, which we’ll give our all for.

‘For us, it’s an amazing position to be in to play against teams all over the world. That’s what football’s about, bringing different countries all together and we’re happy to do that and be in the final.

‘This has been an amazing competition and it’s a big achievement for us to be in the final. But we know the work isn’t done yet and we’ll be giving it our all on Sunday.’

At 27, Tosin stands as one of the elder statesmen in Enzo Maresca’s squad. Saying that before he is even remotely close to hitting 30 feels slightly strange, but it’s a role the defender has embraced and understands he is required to be a ‘leader’ to his younger team-mates.

The former Fulham man has explained how he helps the other players in the squad, while also revealing one of the secrets to our success in the States – hard work combined with planned downtime and squad bonding.

‘It’s a strange one really!’ Tosin said of being one of the experienced heads in the dressing room. ‘I’m only 27, but I’m one of the most senior players in the team.

‘We’ve got a really talented young squad, with some amazing players and I just try to help and offer advice and guidance to the lads where I can.

‘Our minds have been set on getting to the final and the gaffer’s [Enzo Maresca] been great, giving us some downtime wherever we’ve been. We’ve done a lot of travelling in this tournament, so I think being able to do that has been really beneficial for us.

‘Joao’s settled in really well and we can see every day in training how talented he is.’

‘We’ve been able to have the right time to forget about football a little bit and just focus on enjoying our times together and that’s what we’ve done.’

Joao Pedro’s two goals in the semi-final against Fluminense on his full debut were what helped us secure our place in the final against the reigning Champions League holders, PSG, and Tosin spoke in glowing terms on how the Brazilian forward has settled in since completing his switch from Brighton.

‘Joao’s settled in really well and his two goals in the semi-final were both incredible,’ added the defender. ‘You can see that he’s got amazing quality and will really add something to the group.

‘We’re really pleased he’s here with us in America, helping the team and as I said he’s settled into the group so well already.’

With one step left to go, Tosin will hope victory on Sunday will ensure the celebrations in America eclipse those experienced in Poland.

Chelseafc.com

Continue Reading

Premier League

Gunners Close In On Chelsea’s Madueke

Gunners Close In On Chelsea's Madueke

It is expected that England international Madueke will provide competition to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in Arsenal’s wide areas.

Chelsea forward Noni Madueke is on the brink of a £50million move to Arsenal – becoming Mikel Arteta’s fourth signing of the summer.

It is expected that England international Madueke will provide competition to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in Arsenal’s wide areas.

Madueke’s proposed move across London has been met with criticism by Arsenal supporters on social media.

However, the PA news agency has been told that a fee, which could exceed £50m with performance-related add-ons, has all but been agreed with Chelsea, while the 23-year-old is keen to make the move.

Madueke, who made the switch to Stamford Bridge from PSV Eindhoven in 2023, would follow Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga – who also joined from Chelsea – and Christian Norgaard in moving to the Emirates this summer.

Madueke scored 11 times for Chelsea across all competitions last season and was rewarded with his first senior international appearances under England interim manager Lee Carsley and his permanent successor Thomas Tuchel.

Arsenal are still in the market for a new striker, with Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres believed to be top of the list.

The PA news agency has approached Arsenal and Chelsea for comment.

Irishexaminer.com

Continue Reading

Premier League

Premier League Taps Adobe For Fan Revamp

Premier League Taps Adobe For Fan Revamp

The English Premier League has teamed up with tech giant Adobe in a multi-year partnership that promises to revolutionise how fans interact with the beautiful game online.

The deal sees Adobe become the league’s official digital fan experience and creativity partner – a move that signifies modern football’s relentless march towards personalised, AI-driven content.

Come August and the start of the new 2025-26 campaign, punters will find Adobe Express technology woven into the Premier League’s digital ecosystem. The integration promises to “give fans new ways to create and share Premier League content, and enhance their digital and Fantasy Premier League experience.”

Fantasy Premier League has become nothing short of a national obsession in England. What started as a bit of fun between mates has exploded into a phenomenon played by millions across the UK, with office bragging rights and pub debates hanging on every captain’s armband decision.

The real kicker, no pun intended is Adobe’s Firefly AI service, which will let Fantasy managers design their own kits and badges. A big change from the current format where managers are given a standard template.

Will Brass, the Premier League’s chief commercial officer, was bullish about the tie-up: “Adobe is a global leader in digital experiences and creativity, and this exciting partnership provides us with the tools to better understand and deliver what our fans need and want digitally, ensuring we can provide the best of the Premier League directly to them.”

This Adobe announcement follows hot on the heels of the league’s five-year strategic partnership with Microsoft, struck earlier this month. That deal sees Microsoft’s ‘Copilot’ AI integrated across the Premier League’s digital platforms, powered by Azure OpenAI technology. Fans will get instant access to player stats, team data, and historical competition information through the official app and websites, complete with multi-language translations.

It’s another sign of how the Premier League continues to flex its commercial muscles in the digital space, staying miles ahead of its European rivals when it comes to fan engagement technology.

Adobe isn’t putting all its eggs in one sporting basket either. The company expanded its NFL partnership in late April with a similar arrangement, while in English football, they’re already the title sponsor of the Women’s FA Cup – a deal GlobalData Sport values at £1 million annually through the 2025-26 season.

Insideworldfootball.com

Continue Reading

Trending