Manchester City Football Club and Xylem have teamed up to launch the ‘Closer Than You Think’ campaign to drive awareness of urgent water challenges among millions of football fans around the world.
Through multimedia storytelling, the Xylem-Manchester City initiative will show audiences how every country on earth faces serious and escalating water issues, such as lack of access to clean drinking water and resilience challenges in the face of increasing severe weather patterns.
The campaign has kicked off with the launch of a video featuring Manchester City players Sergio Agüero, David Silva and Ilkay Gündoğan. Filmed in the Manchester City dressing room at the Etihad Stadium, The Changing Room sees the players surprised by a projection-mapped display that surrounds them with dystopian visions of the future with severe drought and flooding.
Over the coming weeks, the Closer To Home video series will raise awareness of the diverse range of water issues faced across the world, as Manchester City, Manchester City Women’s team and New York City FC players discuss water challenges in their home countries.
Fans are invited to explore behind-the-scenes content and learn about water solving tips.
“The reality is that the threats posed by the world’s water challenges are getting closer for us all, and this campaign is about raising awareness of these challenges and solutions, and inspiring people of all ages globally to help create a more water-secure world,” said Xylem president and CEO Patrick Decker.
“Closer Than You Think is centered on driving the global conversation about water challenges and solutions and inspiring the next generation of fans to think differently about water,” added Joseph Vesey, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Xylem. “With the support of Manchester City players, Manchester City Women’s team players and New York City FC, we have a unique opportunity to reach millions of fans around the world and inform more people about urgent issues that affect us all.”
As part of Xylem’s multi-year partnership with Manchester City, Xylem recently partnered with the football club to deliver clean water towers, WASH education, and sports and leadership training to communities in Bangalore, India.
