A TRAFFORD College Sports student, who has given his time as a volunteer for Manchester United Foundation, was given the ultimate reward when he got the chance to meet two of the clubs stars, Juan Mata and Daley Blind.

Andrew Maciulskas,18, from Stretford, alongside fellow student Jamie Gilmartin, was among 10 young volunteers from Greater Manchester who were invited to the first-team’s training complex in Carrington in recognition of their hard work and commitment as participants of the Foundation’s Volunteer Ninety Nine programme.

Volunteer Ninety Nine is a unique volunteering opportunity designed to provide training, nationally recognised qualifications and work experience to young people aged 16-18 who are interested in pursuing a career in sport.

During the visit, Andrew and his fellow volunteers were treated to a fun kick around with Mata and Blind before getting the chance to grill the players with an exclusive Q&A session.

Andrew, who hopes to head into coaching after completing his BTEC course at Trafford College, became involved with Manchester United Foundation after winning match tickets at the College’s Fresher’s Fair and signing up for emails from the Foundation.

Inspired by their work, he decided to volunteer his time and help coach young people in the community who are also looking to pursue careers in sport. He commented, “I am really enjoying it, the experience is really fun and is especially good for my future career. To have such a big name on your CV is amazing, plus the foundation has given me the opportunity to take a leading role in some of the activities, which is great experience for me. The College have been great and I definitely wouldn’t have had this opportunity without their help.”

Juan Mata added: “It's a real pleasure to be here with the young people; the Foundation is doing great work. It's very nice to have the opportunity to help all the people just doing what you love to do, which is play football and try to be an example.”

* Anyone interested in finding out more abpiyt the Volunteer Ninety Nine programme should visit mufoundation.org