Nedum Onuoha joins City in the Community's Board of Trustees | OneFootball

City’s Official Foundation, City in the Community (CITC), is delighted to announce that former player Nedum Onuoha has joined its Board of Trustees.

Onuoha grew up in Miles Platting, just minutes away from where the Etihad Stadium now stands, before representing his boyhood club between 2004-12.

The former defender will now play an integral role in helping to make decisions for CITC and shape its work across Greater Manchester.

Commenting on the appointment, Onuoha said: “I am absolutely ecstatic to be honest.

“Given my journey as a person, as a player and having seen City in the Community’s work for many years, it’s perfect.

“Manchester is home to me. City is my club. To hear what their [CITC’s] ambitions are and to be asked to help that go to the next level is just absolutely fantastic.”

Nedum joins eight other Board members, including senior members of staff from City Football Group and local business leaders, who meet quarterly to discuss strategic priorities and decisions for the charity.

WATCH: Onuoha 'ecstatic' to join CITC's Board of Trustees

Head of City in the Community, Mike Geary, said: “We are extremely excited to welcome Nedum to City in the Community as a Trustee, whose journey with us actually began as a Soccer Schools participant.

“His experience of growing up in East Manchester and understanding of the local area will be an invaluable addition to our Board.

“We first met Nedum to discuss the opportunity earlier this year and were blown away by his passion for making an authentic and lasting difference in our city. This role will mean so much more than just visiting programmes; Nedum will be able to join us in making decisions with tangible impact for the people of Manchester.

“We would like to take the time to thank Nedum for his support and look forward to working closely with him over the coming months and years.”

Throughout the month of October, City in the Community has also been celebrating its 35th anniversary.

Commenting on the anniversary, Onuoha added: “I think the fact that this charity has been around for 35 years says an awful lot.

“You look at a football club and you think of stadiums on a matchday, but Monday through to the Friday the charity might have access to the whole city itself. So, their outreach is potentially far greater.

“Through football, through something people love; that’s a way to engage and I think it’s huge. There’s lots of people here who are striving to help you any which way they can, and for me, that is invaluable.

“35 years for me represents the start of a journey that is going to continue for a very, very long time. It’s priceless for me and I love what they’re doing, but the best thing about it is there’s more to come.”

Since its inception in 1986, City’s Official Foundation has been empowering better lives through football across Greater Manchester. Reaching thousands of people each season, CITC continues to deliver award-winning programmes with health, education and inclusion benefits.

To mark its 35th year, CITC launched a month-long celebration earlier this month, book-ended with matchday takeovers at City's FW Women's Super League game v West Ham on Sunday, October 3 and City's Premier League home clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday, October 30.

The campaign includes an exclusive CITC 35 Prize Draw, offering fans the chance to Etihad flights with spending money, club prizes gig tickets and more via www.mancity.com/PrizeDraw.

Every penny raised in the month of October will go towards supporting the charity’s new mental health programme, City Thrive, which was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help provide support for thousands of young people.

In Manchester, the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s mental health was highlighted as a major concern amongst carers and parents.

To help tackle this, a dedicated team has developed a new mental health curriculum, blending specially adapted football sessions with one-to-one mentoring and group workshops on mental health awareness, to improve mental wellbeing.

Additionally, specific mental health themed football sessions will be delivered from youth clubs across Manchester, enabling participants to enjoy physical activity whilst also accessing the benefits of one-to-one mentoring and group workshops.