Xylem and Manchester City panel select four finalists for Water Champions Project | OneFootball

Ten cities proposed volunteer events to tackle local water issues in their communities for World Water Day on March 22, 2025. Who made the final four for a chance to win a special visit from a Man City legend?

This year, Manchester City and Xylem launched the “Water Champions Project” to unite communities across ten cities worldwide in addressing local water issues.

With guidance from their Xylem mentors, inspiring Young Leaders from each project will host a volunteer event to mark World Water Day 2025.

One standout project will earn a special visit from a Manchester City legend. This year’s participating cities included Bangalore, Barranquilla, Kuala Lumpur, Manchester, Melbourne, Nairobi, New York, Shanghai, Tacloban City and Washington, DC.

Each project submitted their event proposal to a panel of judges from Manchester City and Xylem. Four finalists were selected based on their commitment to water action, potential for large-scale impact, and creativity.

“Congrats to all the Young Leaders around the world for coming up with such inspiring volunteering activities for World Water Day. All the proposals were so inspiring, we had a hard time picking just four finalists,” said Head Judge and City Legend Steph Houghton.

Helen Lewis - Senior Manager, Brand Partnerships at Xylem shared her congratulations.

"Congratulations to all the Young Leaders for their inspiring and creative World Water Day initiatives. The passion and dedication shown across all ten cities made selecting just four finalists an incredibly tough decision.

"Each proposal demonstrated the power of football to drive meaningful water action, and we’re excited to see these projects come to life in their communities. We look forward to supporting the finalists as they take the next step in their journey—using the power of sport to create a lasting impact on local water issues."

We are pleased to announce that the four finalists are Nairobi, New York City, Tacloban City and Washington D.C.

Young leaders from these cities will progress to a final judging round, where they will present their ideas live to a judging panel featuring a Club Legend and representatives from Xylem and Man City. The winning project will receive an inspirational visit from City legend Joleon Lescott.

Nairobi: Young Leaders stood out with their project promoting the use of menstrual cups alongside water education through fun football games and a river clean-up in their local community.

WATCH: Water Champions Project - Nairobi

New York City: Young Leaders proposed an event to raise awareness of water contamination in NYC, combining soccer clinics with water-themed games and water testing in Queens.

WATCH: Water Champions Project - New York

Tacloban City: Young Leaders will combine regular football and WASH education with a coastal clean-up, water-filtration workshops, a water football festival and the planting of fifty mangrove trees to provide a protective barrier against extreme weather.

WATCH: Water Champions Project - Tacloban

Washington D.C.: Young leaders impressed the panel with their event proposal to tackle water pollution in the Anacostia River through a poetry & soccer festival, and an education day to raise awareness of wider water issues in their local community.

WATCH: Water Champions Project - Washington DC

To find out more about the Water Champions Project and Xylem and Manchester City’s work with football and water education, visit: Manchester City F.C. | Xylem Water Champions 2025