UNITED. DELIVERED.: Making friends in the land of the rising sun

As the UNITED. DELIVERED. Global Football Tour draws to a close, the world-travelling ball visits Japan, where our Nepalese match host took full advantage of his moment to bring Manchester United fans together and make new friends in a foreign land.

It’s easy to guess where Jaya Nepal is from. It’s right there in his name. The international student is currently miles from his Himalayan home, studying in Japan. He loves it there, but his new life in Tokyo hasn’t always been easy.

“In a new place, especially where there is a new language, it can be difficult at first to make friends,” says Jaya.

“Football came to my rescue.” 

Jaya Nepal

Then he realized something: football. A sport that has no language barriers. A sport that is played and loved all over the world.

“Football came to my rescue,” he says. “By playing football, it helped me make several connections in Tokyo.”

Football, a sport that unites.

WATCH: Global Tour Highlights May 2018

The connection
And that’s precisely why Jaya wanted to host a UNITED. DELIVERED. match.

“I thought I could take my connections to a whole new level,” he says. “Hosting a UNITED. DELIVERED. match would be a blessing for me.”

But he was realistic. With thousands of entries, he knew the probability of being chosen was slim.

“When I got the opportunity, I was like wow!” 

Jaya Nepal

“I saw this event on Twitter, and when I applied I didn’t think I even had a 1% chance of getting the chance to host a UNITED. DELIVERED. match,” he says. “When I got the opportunity, I was like wow!”

The experience
And Jaya took full advantage of it. Being a host comes with responsibility. The idea is simple: bring people together for the love of the game and for the love of Manchester United. But it meant managing a lot of moving parts. The experience forced him to interact with people in his host country in ways he never had to before.

“I had to manage a lot of things, so it gave me a lot of new experiences,” says Jaya.

“I had to manage a lot of things, so it gave me a lot of new experiences.”

Jaya Nepal

In the end, it all came together, and Jaya and his friends – both old and new – shared a unique experience with each other and with fans all around the world.

“Overall, I cannot thank DHL more for entrusting me with such a big opportunity to organize the event in Tokyo, especially considering that I am away from my home country,” he says. 

The love
Like so many of our UNITED. DELIVERED. match hosts, Jaya dreams of visiting the Theatre of Dreams. He’s been a United fan since he started watching football as a kid.

“I remember when I was growing up, seeing Ronaldo and Rooney, and wishing someday I would get to go to Old Trafford and see Manchester United play. It would be a dream come true,” he says.

“I remember when I was growing up, seeing Ronaldo and Rooney, and wishing someday I would get to go to Old Trafford and see Manchester United play.”

Jaya Nepal

Over the years he has stayed true to his club through thick and thin. 

“My love and passion for United has stayed, despite the players and manager being changed,” he says. 

Now he hopes DHL will help him fulfill his dream. But if he doesn’t win, he still feels part of something special – and more united with the club he loves so much.

“It is an amazing concept and a beautiful initiative to have the global tour across multiple cities in the world,” he concludes. I feel happy to be a part of it too.”

The tour
Though registration has closed and the UNITED. DELIVERED. Global Football Tour is coming to an end, you can still relive all the action and explore an interactive map with all the match locations. Just visit the UNITED. DELIVERED. page right here on DHL InMotion. 

Keep following us on Twitter @DHLManUtd and #DHLUnitedDelivered to find out which hosts have won and about their experience at Old Trafford!