A MANCHESTER United FC XI will play in a pre-season friendly to mark the opening of Altrincham FC’s new pitch upgrade on Friday, July 22.

The game kicks off at 7.30pm at Altrincham's J Davidson Stadium, Moss Lane.

The project was made possible thanks to a £20,000 grant from the Premier League through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), the largest funders of non-league football in the country.

The grant has enabled Altrincham FC, whose first team compete in the National League North, to purchase pitch maintenance equipment and install a brand new irrigation system that has improved the surface at Moss Lane ahead of the upcoming season.

Funded with £5.2m each year from the Premier League, the FSIF is the country's largest provider of grants towards projects that help improve the comfort and safety of lower league football grounds in both the professional and amateur game. These improvements range from new football stands and turnstiles to floodlighting and improved provision for disabled supporters.