Manchester City T-shirt competition for creative UAE soccer fans

The UAE-owned English football club is inviting entries from the Emirates for a shirt design to be sold with other merchandise for the team.

UAE fans of the beautiful game are being encouraged by Premier League football club Manchester City, which is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, to let their imaginations run wild and design a Tshirt that will be sold alongside the team's merchandise at CityStore in Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi.

"It's part of the club's heritage and culture to engage with our fans in a variety of ways," said Vicky Kloss, the club's chief communications officer, "and we thought this was a fun and creative way to get our fans in Abu Dhabi involved."

Entries can be computer-generated or hand-crafted and must be submitted no later than Thursday for the panel of judges, including one famous retired footballer, to pick a winner by March 8.

"Patrick Vieira, as our football development executive … came out to open CityStore in Marina Mall, so we'll get him involved in this, too," said Kloss.

"The beauty of this project is that you don't know what you're going to get," she added. "Whether it's an old supporter, a child fan or a real creative genius, it's an absolute melting pot and people have been given complete free reign. So we'll be judging with an open mind and seeing what our fans come up with."

The competition winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip for two to a forthcoming Manchester City game at the club's Etihad Stadium in the north-English city, and have his or her photograph taken with a team member wearing the design.

For more information either visit CityStore in Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi or go to www.manchestercityfc.ae