Rio Quizzed By Youngsters

Rio Ferdinand faced some searching questions from a group of youngsters during the re-launch of a football charity initiative this week.

The Premier League and the Professional Footballers’ Association have been working with youth charity the Prince’s Trust since 1997, using the power of football to help more than 18,000 vulnerable and unemployed young people in the UK.

Ferdinand has been an ambassador of the Trust since he was a teenager at West Ham and was at Old Trafford with PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor to help kick off the next three years of the partnership.

During the event, the United defender answered several questions posed by youngsters involved in Trust programmes, who also spoke about the positive impact it has had on their lives.

Asked what advice he would give to people who might not be sure what they want to do in the future, Rio said: "You’ve always got to have a dream, an idea in your head, even if you’re not sure sometimes. If you’ve got a passion, find a way into it and go for it, 100 per cent.

"And believe in what you’re doing. Set yourself targets and then go for them. Once you start ticking them off, set new goals – you need that to succeed."

Afterwards, the 35-year-old centre-back spoke to MUTV about his role with the Trust.

"I’ve been involved since I was 18," he said. "They asked me to come along and it was something I really believed in and felt was important. To give kids an opportunity to get into work and have a positive outlook on life – how can you turn that down?

"The most rewarding part is coming to events like this and listening to the young people who’ve come through the system, hearing how positive their lives are now compared to how they were before they got involved with the Prince’s Trust.

"The partnership the Trust has with the Premier League and United is great. Leveraging football clubs highlights the good work they’re doing and lets young people know that there are good outcomes to be had, if they work hard."