David Beckham Aligns with Sky

LONDON: The global sports star David Beckham is becoming an ambassador for the Sky brand, as part of an effort to support grassroots sports and encourage participation across the U.K. and Ireland.

As a Sky ambassador, Beckham will be featured in adverts to promote the range of sport and innovative services offered by the broadcaster. He will be working to engage young people through the Sky Sports Living for Sport initiative, now in its tenth year. The initiative uses life-changing stories and expertise of athlete mentors to inspire young people to learn new skills and improve their lives. The program reaches one-third of all secondary schools in the U.K. and has just launched in Ireland.

Beckham said: “Sky have followed my career since I broke into the Manchester United first team. They have done a huge amount to promote and encourage involvement in sport in Britain and I’m delighted to be joining them.

“I’ve always been passionate about the importance of sport in the lives of young people. It’s not all about winning; just getting involved in sport gives you confidence and skills for life. I was lucky to have some amazing role models when I was younger, and I’m excited about the opportunity to work with Sky to pass on some of that knowledge to the next generation.”

Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s chief executive, added: “It’s great to welcome David to Sky. Sport is at the heart of what we do and both we and David believe in its power to excite, inspire and change lives. As a hero and inspiration on and off the field, David is a perfect ambassador to help us get more people involved in sport.”