SINGAPORE — Two groups of 12-year-olds from Singapore will get the chance to be trained by football coaches from Manchester City Football Club — some here in Singapore, and some in Manchester — under a tie-up between Sport Singapore (SportSG) and one of the English Premier League’s most successful teams.

The team that wins the inaugural Manchester City Singapore Cup, a 32-team competition, will receive a dedicated five-day training program in Singapore, led by Manchester City coaches.

The coaches will “use the same methodologies and techniques that the City first team experiences to prepare for each game,” said SportSG on Wednesday (Jan 22) in a statement.

The date and location of the programme, as well as the names of the coaches, have not been released. Teams can sign up via the Manchester City website, and there is a S$60 sign up fee per team.

Separately, across all the participating teams, the most valuable players will be chosen and flown to Manchester over the summer months to attend Manchester City’s five-to-seven-day ‘Performance Program’ training camp, where they will get to train with the football coaches from the club.

SportSG said it has yet to determine how many such players will be chosen for this opportunity.

The chief executive officer of SportSG Lim Teck Yin said: “We are excited about Manchester City’s developmental activities in Singapore as it offers our youth opportunities to gain more exposure and play with people of different backgrounds.”

The seven-a-side tournament, which will be held at The Float @ Marina Bay, will kick off a three-year partnership between SportSG and Manchester City, with similar editions expected in the coming two years.

There will also be a football festival alongside the tournament, with coaching experiences for all age-groups and Manchester City-themed games.

Chief marketing officer for City Football Group, Nuria Tarre, said that the tournament will not only give young players the chance to take part in an “exciting new event”, but also boost the club’s fanbase in the region.

“Our fanbase in Singapore is growing rapidly and this tournament will provide local supporters and their families with the chance to get closer to the Club than ever before,” she said.

Manchester City has won the last two seasons of the English Premier League. They are currently second midway through the current season, behind leaders Liverpool.