The free, inclusive festival was run by coaches from City in the Community (CITC) and brought together more than 50 children and 20 young community football coaches.
Delivered in partnership with sport for good charities love.fútbol and Special Olympics, the event focussed on unified football, which involves the inclusion of participants with and without intellectual disabilities.
During their visit, the players took part in some of the unified football sessions alongside the local participants and heard from the developing coaches about the training they had received from Manchester City.
Speaking about his visit to the football festival, James McAtee said: “It’s fantastic to be here in Tokyo and to meet people from the local community who are so passionate about football.
“Thank you to everyone who has welcomed us so warmly – we’ve really enjoyed getting involved in the unified football sessions today.”
Reflecting on the impact of the visit, Hiroaki Hiraoka, President & CEO of Special Olympics Nippon, said: “We are delighted to welcome Manchester City to Tokyo and honoured to have the players visit our collaboration event with Manchester City.
“Football is for everyone, and seeing the players take part in the unified football sessions alongside people with intellectual disability helps reinforce that positive message.”
In the run up to the festival, thirty community coaches received training from the CITC coaches, in particular upskilling them in delivering disability football sessions.
Speaking about the two-day training, Gareth Hughes, International Programmes Manager for City’s global foundation, said: “It has been brilliant to work with young coaches from the community in Tokyo, sharing learnings from Manchester and hearing more about the fantastic work they do here in Japan.
“We wish them all the best with their coaching journeys.”
Take a look at photos from the festival below!
