Patrice Evra Opens New Football Facilities in Remote Thai Community

Mae Suek, Thailand—Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra returned to club colours on Tuesday to unveil a professional-grade, all-weather football pitch in one of the world’s most geographically isolated settlements, marking the first milestone of United’s “Delivering Dreams” initiative launched earlier this month.

Evra, who made 379 appearances for United between 2006 and 2014 and collected five Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup, represented the club alongside long-term commercial partner DHL for the ceremonial opening in Mae Suek, a collection of 11 villages home to 11,577 residents.

Located 140 kilometres from the nearest major city, Chiang Mai, the area’s children previously faced a two-and-a-half-hour round trip to reach the closest playable football surface, with local fields regularly rendered unusable by extreme weather. The new facility, constructed to elite specifications, now sits at the heart of the community.

“When I saw the smiles on the kids’ faces when they played on this beautiful football pitch for the first time, it was a moment I won’t forget,” Evra told BBC Sport. “When I was that age, I didn’t have the opportunity or luxury to play on that kind of pitch. It’s an amazing campaign and an honour to be chosen to cut the cord and be the first one playing on the pitch with those kids.”

The project extends Manchester United’s growing footprint across Asia following the club’s recent post-season tour, which included fixtures against the ASEAN All-Stars in Malaysia and the Hong Kong national side.