Greater Manchester Football Club (GMFC) is a new club in the region who you might not have heard about yet. But they are hoping to become the third most-recognised club in Manchester – and the most inclusive in Britain.
The club’s goals are ambitious at first glance, but Mohammed Harron – CEO and founder of the club – is optimistic they can hit their targets.
Being inclusive, Mohammed says, “isn’t hard; it’s natural.”
“It takes much more effort to create divide and animosity than it does to be inclusive,” he tells us.
GMFC may have only launched in 2018, but the core message of inclusivity is already apparent across their men’s and women’s team – with over 50 players representing 30 different nationalities at the club.
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The mission of the club is primarily built on making the game accessible for everyone who wants to play, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation or economic circumstance.
Mohammed is particularly concerned with the way in which football has moved away from it’s working class roots.
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“Its a game you first played on the street or in gardens and parks and that is where your love for the game started,” he explains.
“If you were good there were always clubs that would help and develop young talent and if you were better still you were picked up by bigger clubs.
“In more recent times though, football has become all about the business and the vast finances that go with it.”
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Mohammed believes it’s much harder for children and teenagers to be accepted into special academies because some families may not have the money to afford the fees, travel and equipment that is needed.
Ultimately, he thinks the luck has become more important than ‘raw talent’.
The CEO hopes that by focusing on the ability of players during recruitment, GMFC can be competitive while also “fielding a naturally inclusive team.”
The club have recently been nominated for the ‘Kick It Out Promoting Inclusion Award’ at the Pitching In North West Football Awards, sitting alongside the likes of Manchester United and Everton on the shortlist.
While Mohammed is excited to be have been shortlisted, particularly as a Mancunian and a Manchester United fan, he knows that this nomination is only a “small step on a very long journey”.
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On a weekly basis clubs across the world have been supporting the Black Lives Matter movement by taking the knee or displaying anti-racism messaging on their shirts, but Mohammed is concerned that “the initial will and determination to do something to fundamentally change the game is starting to fade” and there is little evidence that anything has really changed.
There might be something in that. A recent report released by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) in July 2020 pointed out that there was a continued lack of diversity in the boards and management structures of football clubs.
The report, ‘Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors’, reads: “The fact that no Premier League club and virtually no English Football League club has a black owner, chair or chief executive, is a fundamental inequality at the heart of the game.”
The Premier League itself admitted, after initially refusing to release their diversity figures, that only 12% of their staff were from BAME backgrounds, which is much lower than the 30% proportion of players who make up the game from BAME backgrounds.
The report also emphasised that more still needs to be done to tackle homophobia in the game, to “understand what barriers stand in the way of gay footballers, and how much of the responsibility lies with clubs and how much with fans”.
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Further, the committee recommends the government that “men’s elite sports are not further prioritised at the expense of the women’s game”, in regards to the way in which women’s football was “disproportionately affected” in the initial months of the pandemic.
Despite widespread discrimination in the game and unequal representation, Mohammed believes that those who may feel maginalised in the sport must not “fall into the trap of being angry or resentful in return to those that marginalise you.”
“Beat hatred through love and overcome discrimination by being a living, breathing example of someone who treats everyone with love, honour and respect,” he says.
“Greater Manchester FC is a club for everyone and anyone.”
“Thats the way it should be. The way it needs to be.”
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welcomes anyone who wants to play for the club or volunteer their time to get involved.
You can found out more about the club on their website and stay tuned for videos on their Youtube channel for match highlights and interviews from players and staff.
Erik ten Hag splits opinion as he calls Man United “one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league”
Danny Jones
Erik ten Hag has caused quite the stir with his post-match interview following the disappointing result against Burnley, as he went out on a limb to label his Manchester United side “one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league”.
Pretty big words, to say the least.
With just one win in their last five league games, six draws and a dozen defeats this season, ten Hag‘s sophomore season at Old Trafford is looking like it could end up being one of the worst campaigns in the club’s history in terms of points, still four shy of the lowest-ever tally of 58 posted in 2022/22.
Moreover, much of the criticisms levelled at ten Hag is that it’s been difficult to see any distinct style or patterns of play from his squad, leaving many with a raised eyebrow when he decided to praise them as “one the most dynamic” in the Premier League after drawing at home to a side likely to be relegated.
Unsurprisingly, the reaction online from supporters, Red or otherwise, has been one of disbelief and plenty of amusement – and that’s putting it mildly.
Responses from United fan accounts included: “Thought it was a fake quote, I’m speechless”, “He does not see what us fans see, delusional”; “Nah, he’s taking the p*ss now” and “Nurse, he’s got out of bed again!”. Another simply wrote, “WTF”.
As for other fans and those speaking from a more neutral point of view, they weren’t much more impartial or any less shocked, remarking “People have been sectioned for less”, “Honestly, how are all Man Utd fans not sick of him? This would drive me nuts.”, and many joking that he was either drunk or high.
On the other hand, plenty jumped to quip that they are indeed entertaining – just maybe not quite in the way the Dutchman might have intended, with one account commenting: “To be honest, I’ve watched United play more this season than any other. I just love watching them take a hiding.”
United have certainly created plenty of drama and memorable scorelines this season, not least of all the 19-minute collapse against Coventry City where they gave away a 3-0 lead and had to scrape through to the FA Cup final on penalties.
The only problem is that they can end up being on either side of them; one week they’re celebrating an iconic 4-3 derby win over Liverpool to take them to a semi-final, and the next they lose by the same scoreline to Chelsea in the 101st minute.
The phrase ‘never a dull moment’ has been thrown around plenty in regards to the Red Devils this season – albeit mostly among non-United fans – but the truth is that between those bursts of excitement, chaos and unpredictability, they often look out of ideas and are regularly labelled as ‘boring’.
The proof appears to be in the stats as well. Not only did they make their worst start to a season since 1962 this year, with ten Hag breaking all manner of unwanted records in the process, but they also looked to be a fair way off the pace in terms of the dynamism and creativity that he claims:
The single point against second-from-bottom Burnley and the other results around them have now confirmed that Manchester United cannot qualify for the Champions League next season.
It remains to be seen where they’ll finish in the table and whether a Europa or Conference League place is on the cards, but it’s fair to say that the pressure on ten Hag to make sure that ‘dynamic and entertaining’ version of United he sees turns up against Man City for the FA Cup final next month.
It’ll be a tall order for the faltering side to make it past their fierce and still high-flying rivals but it would make it two trophies in his first two seasons and could be the lifeline the divisive manager needs to keep his job as the club’s rebuild continues.
Where do you stand on it, United fans: would you keep him in the job or does it all depend on whether they lift that trophy come 25 May?
2024 Manchester Marathon raises £29 million for local economy and over £3.7m for charity
Danny Jones
Just under a fortnight on from the 2024 Manchester Marathon and the numbers are finally, with the annual race generating nearly £30 million for the local economy and raising over £3.7m for charity.
This year’s Adidas Manchester Marathon saw record numbers of runners and spectators as over 30,000 took part in the popular race, up by roughly 6,000 from 2023, and more than 125k turned up to line the streets of Greater Manchester.
As a result, these huge crowds spent upwards of £29.2 million at business around the city centre and around the 10 boroughs last weekend, serving as one of the most significant contributions to the local economy on the annual calendar.
Not only was this an approximately £8m increase on last year’s tally but, most importantly, a sizeable chunk of that went straight into both regional and national charities.
Beyond the boost to local vendors, the hospitality sector and retail businesses, over £3.7 million were allocated to charities such as Alzheimer’s Charity, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and The Christie.
Over £32,000 was also raised for the Trafford Active Fund, with £1 from every paid entry to the Adidas Manchester Marathon and Manchester Half donated directly to the initiative that benefits local sports clubs and organisations through Trafford Council.
Better still, with City of Trees selected as the chosen ‘Green Runner’ charity, the eco-friendly drive saw roughly 7% of participants opt out of receiving either a finisher t-shirt, medal or both.
The money saved in production goes towards maintaining woodlands and wildlife across Greater Manchester.
This year’s Manchester Marathon also helped produce some of the highest number of passengers on public transport in the city’s history, with a over 175,000 journeys made on Metrolink alone – the highest number of journeys ever recorded on a single day.
This was a 20% increaseon 2023’s race day (145k), spotlighting how the event continues to be more environmentally conscious as years go by.
With the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon confirmed to be taking place on Sunday, 27 April next year – and over 12,000 places already sold – the city can already look forward to reaping the economic and social benefits of hosting one of Europe’s largest, flattest, friendliest and most-loved marathons.