By Sara, Year 9

I play badminton every Friday evening at the 'Energy Box' (Levenshulme) and as a member of the club I was invited to participate in a 'Premier League 4 Sport' project.

Selected young people aged 14-16 years from four different sports clubs in Manchester (volleyball, table tennis, badminton and basketball) were invited by Mr Justin Davies the Premier League 4 Sport Project Co-ordinator at MUFC, to be 'flag bearers' at the Europa League fixture at Old Trafford on Thursday 23 February.

On the Wednesday afternoon I attended a rehearsal before the Manchester United v Ajax match. We had to meet at the MUFC Megastore and then went into the stadium to practice running down the tunnel and onto the Old Trafford football pitch, picking up the flag and holding it while the music was playing and then rolling it up and taking it back down the tunnel. It was very exciting! On the evening of the match we ran out on to the pitch, dressed in our Europa League hats and bibs; the music was deafening. We then had official photographs taken and went back down the tunnel. About twenty minutes later, with the players standing next to us in the tunnel, we ran back out onto the pitch to pick up the Europa League Flag. We paraded the flag on the pitch, cameras flashing, then rolled it up and carried it off back into the tunnel as the players ran out onto the pitch; the atmosphere was electrifying. I've never been so close to so many professional football players, they were all great; Chicharito Hernandez smiled and waved at me! We had seats in the front row right near the United goal. The night was packed with action, the score was 1v2 and I saw the Rafael da Silva foul close up - the score really should have been a draw!

Playing regular sport really has its benefits, and not just leading a healthy active lifestyle!

Thanks MUFC.