New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS): English football club Manchester United has made IT services company HCL Technologies its global partner, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

"As part of this partnership HCL and Manchester United will work together to explore and unveil a number of digital initiatives to transform the experience of the club's 659 million global followers," the statement said.

As the first step, HCL will create a state-of-the-art United Xperience Lab to be housed within the Old Trafford stadium, which will make it the seventh such lab across the world.

"Within the lab, HCL and Manchester United will explore revolutionary ways in which the club uses technology to create a unified fan experience for supporters; and in the process set a new engagement benchmark in the world of sport," it added.

"Our partnership with HCL is a first for Manchester United. With the introduction of the United Xperience lab at Old Trafford, we hope to demonstrate best practices within the industry to generate new ideas that leverage the latest technology available in the evolving digital landscape," Manchester United's group managing director Richard Arnold said.

"Through digital transformation we hope to change the way in which our fans experience and interact with Manchester United," he added.

"Together with HCL we aim to develop innovative ways to connect with our fans around the world, providing a blueprint for other global organisations," Arnold said.

"This partnership is unique and creates value not just for Manchester United and its fans, but also for all forward-looking organizations across the world," Anant Gupta, president & CEO, HCL Technologies said.

"With enterprises facing an explosion of digital content and experience interfaces there is a growing need for a partner who can orchestrate these value chains and harness them for business benefits," he said.

"Our partnership will enable HCL to create and manage these digital assets at a scale which will make it a prototype for successful digital co-innovation in any industry/organization in the world. We are very excited to be part of this partnership that aims to pioneer the 21st century enterprise experience," Gupta added.