The city centre will be painted sky blue this evening as Manchester City is set to celebrate their 2021-22 Premier League title.
After what had been one of the closest title races of the past few years, Manchester City yesterday pipped North West rivals Liverpool to the post during an impressive comeback in their final match of the Premier League season to successfully retain their title as the winners of English football’s top flight.
The Citizens eventually made their dream a reality by beating Aston Villa 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium after first going 2-0 down.
Two goals came from İlkay Gündoğan, and one from Rodrigo, all in the second half.
The victory yesterday was Manchester City’s sixth Premier League title in total since returning to the top flight in 2002, and the fourth Premier League title in five years won under current manager, Pep Guardiola.
But the celebrations weren’t just limited to yesterday, as Manchester City has now confirmed plans to take over the city centre this evening for an open-top bus parade and a party fit for champions.
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Here’s everything you need to know.
Open-Top Bus Parade
To show off the shiny Premier League trophy in all its glory to thousands of fans, Pep Guardiola and the Manchester City squad will set off on an hour-long open-top bus parade down the city’s main thoroughfare, before finishing at the Beetham Tower – where a live stage show will take place with the champions.
The parade bus will depart from Exchange Square near the National Football Museum at approximately 6pm, and then travel onto St Mary’s Gate.
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The route will then head south on Deansgate, and finish up near Beetham Tower at 7pm.
While fans will be able to line the streets for the full parade route, entrance to the official parade stage viewing area is only accessible via Deansgate, and not by any other entrance, with all supporters to be subject to a search before entering.
The accessible viewing platform on Great Bridgewater Street is available accessed from the same entrance, and will be available on “a first come first served basis”.
The open-top bus parade route through the city centre / Credit: Manchester City
Stage Entertainment
The open-top bus parade is only part of the party, as onstage entertainment will start at 4:30pm, with the players expected to arrive at approximately 7pm.
The parade party will be hosted by Manchester City’s City Square presenters Danny Jackson and Natalie Pike, who will be joined by former players and special guests, and, as there has been in previous years, there will also be live music from bands and DJs.
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As this is a non-ticketed event, Manchester City is suggesting that fans arrive early to get the best possible viewing experience.
There will also be screens throughout Deansgate showing all the action from the stage.
What is the Council saying?
Manchester City’s Premier League title-winning celebrations are being fully-supported and made possible with help from Manchester City Council.
Commenting on the parade, Councillor Bev Craig – Leader of Manchester City Council – said: “Winning back-to-back titles is a fantastic achievement which I’m sure City fans will be eager to celebrate, especially as the pandemic denied them the chance to do so last season.
“The Council are happy to support the parade and expect a memorable occasion as tens of thousands of fans gather in the city centre to share the moment”.
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Manchester City were crowned 2021-22 Premier League champions at the Etihad Stadium yesterday / Credit: Manchester City (via Twitter)
What else do I need to know?
Manchester City and Manchester City Council have also released some top tips for people making their way to the celebrations, and for everyone else travelling in and around the city centre this evening.
This is an outdoor event and will take place come rain or shine, so it’s recommended that fans:
Check the weather forecast before leaving to attend the celebrations.
Wearing appropriate clothing for the weather.
If it’s sunny, bring sun cream, a hat, and drink lots of water.
If it’s raining, bring wet weather clothing as umbrellas are not allowed.
The weather forecast for this afternoon into the evening in Manchester city centre is predicting a combination of overcast skies and rain showers, with temperatures ranging from 12°C – 14°C.
For all travel advice – including details of bus diversions – refer to the TfGM website here.
Stockport County’s playoff fortunes hampered following Callum Camps injury
Danny Jones
Stockport County’s luck as we head into the crunch time period has taken a less than ideal turn as Callum Camps is confirmed to be injured.
The club now has a clearer idea of how long he’ll be out for, but it’s not great news.
Camps was subbed off in just the 21st minute during County‘s recent away clash with title contenders Wrexham after a full-blooded tackle by fellow midfielder George Dobson – a challenge which went unpunished on the day, much to the frustration of the travelling fans.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester on Friday, 28 March, manager Dave Challinor revealed that the physios expect him to be out for “at least 6 weeks”, meaning he’ll likely miss the rest of the season.
🔵 Stockport midfielder Callum Camps is out for at least 6 weeks. #StockportCounty
As one of County’s most crucial and experienced players, his presence in the middle of the park is likely to be a big miss, especially with the playoff scraps looming large for the promotion hopefuls.
Challinor acknowledged that it’s a big blow not only for the club but the Tameside-born Northern Ireland international, cutting a quietly frustrated figure in his interview and giving away little regarding Camps’ current mentality besides his obvious “disappointment.”
At 29 years old and running out of contract this summer, the injury will no doubt bring an added pressure regarding his future as well, though you would suspect most Stopfordians would like to see him stay at Edgeley Park come 2025/26 if possible.
Not only a reliable operator in the engine room but also considered by plenty of fans as one of their best players this season, there’ll be lots of Hatters worrying how much of an impact this will have on how this year’s League One conclusion pans out.
Even with prior fitness issues in recent years, he’s still managed to make an impact and work his way back into the first-choice matchday squad, and many believe he should be more of a mainstay on the teamsheet for his national team.
Callum Camps was just sublime today and made the difference when he came on. If he’d have been fit more often he’d be right up there as one of our players of the season, he’s been right at it whenever he’s played. https://t.co/7oMZYutCCp
— The Stockport County Shirt Collection (@countyshirts) February 15, 2025
To make matters worse, he’s not the only one set to watch the remaining games from the sidelines, as defender Ryan Rydel also looks set to be out for the next few weeks.
Following an injury suffered at Bolton Wanderers the week prior to the Wrexham game, the Oldham-born left-back who had made 15 appearances for County this season – half of those as an increasingly regular young member of the starting XI – a hamstring problem looks to have cut his campaign short too.
With just over half a dozen league fixtures left, it’ll be interesting to see how they’ll fare if they stay within the playoff places as predicted.
It’s been a frustrating few months for Stockport as they also had to bid a reluctant goodbye to rising star and high-flying loanee Louie Barry, who was recalled by his parent club Aston Villa only for him to be loaned out to Hull City and end up getting injured himself.
When it rains, it pours, as they say.
Infuriating Dobson was allowed to get away with that pretty much for free and now we'll be without a key player for the rest of the season.
The 2025 Manchester Marathon is set to create the UK’s biggest-ever day of running
Danny Jones
The 2025 Manchester Marathon is just a month away now and as this year’s race is once again set to coincide with another major event (quite literally), it’s about to become the biggest day of runningin UK history.
Like, ever…
Greater Manchester is no stranger to making sporting history, be it athletics, football, tennis or otherwise – you name it, we can lay our claim to plenty.
However, stuff like this always makes us feel part of something truly ‘greater’ and genuinely special as the tens of thousands preparing to run through the city centre and surrounding areas are about to put us in the record books in the running world.
Credit: Manchester Marathon
As more than 36,000 racers, joggers, fundraisers and downright legends are scheduled to take on the Manchester Marathon this year – with the annual event on course to break its attendance record – even more will be taking on the equivalent down south, given it is one of the official World Majors.
Recently, the Manchester and London Marathons have been colliding, and with the 2025 editions of both due to take place on the same day for the second year in a row, it means there’ll be an unprecedented number of participants taking on the 26.2-mile challenge.
More accurately, it’s predicted that over 90,000 runners will be out on the roads of the nation’s capital and its second city (yeah, you heard us, Birmingham), which will be the greatest concurrent number in British history – at least on record when it comes to marathons.
The potential milestones don’t stop with just those taking part, either; as per an official press release from the event time, it’s predicted to be a record-breaking day for charity too.
An estimated £80m is set to be raised for charitable causes, including the adidas Manchester Marathon charity partners: the British Heart Foundation, Alzheimer’s Society, The Christie and Cancer Research UK. Incredible stuff.
In one month you’ll be making your way to the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon start line!📢
We are buzzing – are you? Comment the GIF that best describes how you are feeling one month out ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1ioROLfejW
Commenting on what will be a historic day for UK Marathons, Andrew Smith, CEO of A.S.O. UK, said: “Having the adidas Manchester Marathon and the London Marathon take place on the same day — Sunday 27th April — marks a landmark moment for British running.
“We’re incredibly proud to be part of this historic occasion, inspiring 90,000 people to take on 26.2 miles, supported by nearly a million spectators across the country.
As if all this wasn’t already momentous enough, nearly a million spectators are expected to line the streets to cheer on all the PB hopefuls and fundraisers – we can only hope for similarly groundbreaking crowds and levels of support to mark the occasion.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd May 2022 
