Emirates raises the spirits of orphaned children

Emirates helped make 22 orphaned children smile Thursday night, giving them opportunity to escort professional football players from the Al Ittihad and Jeonbuk Korean team onto the pitch during the AFC Champions League Semi-final.

The children, all from Albir Orphanage attended the match at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah. Each child was presented with a AFC Champions League football kit to wear on the night and keep as a lasting memory.

“Emirates is always looking at ways to give back to the community and sponsorships such as this provide the perfect platform for these initiatives. Being able to make these children smile has been incredibly satisfying and I hope that they have gained a special memory from this,” said Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates Vice President Saudi Arabia.

As an Official Partner of the AFC, Emirates has rights to all AFC tournaments including the AFC Champions League, AFC Cup, AFC Challenge Cup, and a number of Club, Women’s and Youth team events.

Adding to its already robust sponsorship portfolio Emirates has recently signed on as Official Partner and Official Airline of the Zain Saudi Professional League.

In addition to its support of Asian Football Confederation, Emirates is an Official Partner of the FIFA World Cup with close links to FIFA and all its projects in the 2007–2014 period.

Emirates also sponsors Arsenal football club in addition to partnerships with Hamburg SV, Paris Saint Germain Football Club, AC Milan and Olympiacos FC. Emirates is also involved in a wide range of sports including sailing, golf, horseracing, tennis, cricket and rugby.