Through a new Water Heroes website, football fans are invited to engage with educational resources and to add their name to a statement emphasizing the need for governing bodies to honor their commitments to treating wastewater. The ‘Water Heroes’ site offers opportunities to win match tickets and other prizes by signing up as water advocates.
To support the campaign, Manchester City FC and Xylem have launched a short film featuring manager Pep Guardiola. The film depicts the realities of a world drowning in untreated wastewater and aims to create urgency amongst football fans to take action. The initiative advances Xylem and Manchester City FC’s ambition to create a global movement of one billion water citizens committed to solving the world’s water issues.
“Manchester City’s partnership with Xylem is about maximizing the power of our collective voice to raise awareness on critical water issues,” said Guardiola. “Our world is more polluted than ever, and untreated wastewater continues to impact the health of millions of people. We’re asking fans to come together and demand action before it’s too late. The time has come to take the waste out of water.”
The UN Water Conference will bring together stakeholders from Governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and the scientific community to advance progress on global water issues. As the first such conference in 50 years, young football fans have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to join the conversation.
“As demand for clean water rises, we must do everything we can to protect this vital resource,” said Patrick Decker, president and CEO of Xylem. “The UN 2023 Water Conference provides a global platform to put wastewater pollution on government agendas and advance progress at scale. Together with Manchester City Football Club, we’re urging young fans to become water stewards by demanding action on wastewater pollution – our future, and the health of our planet, depends on it.”
Xylem and Manchester City Football Club are collaborating with Global Citizen – a movement that empowers millions of people around the world to take action on critical issues. Launching on World Water Day, 22 March, the collaboration will feature players from Manchester City’s Women’s Team alongside young water leaders from around the world, highlighting the impact untreated wastewater has on communities everywhere.
