One of the hardest parts about getting organised for a major tournament is finding the right place to watch all the games. Planning is one thing but actually getting in somewhere is a battle in of itself.
We’ve been racking our brains over the best places in town to watch England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and after being invited along to ‘Road to Victory’ on Tuesday, we might just have a winning candidate for you.
Road to Victory is the flagship event from fledgling entertainment company AIX Live (Amplified Immersive eXperience), who will be bringing the biggest fan zone anywhere in Europe to Depot Mayfield.
And when we say biggest, it really is massive. Try over 100,000 square feet.
It really is the biggest fan zone in Europe
With a capacity of over 6,000, Road to Victory (RtV) is set to bring the most immersive, multi-sensory football experience we have ever come across besides being in the stadium itself to hordes of England fans living in Manchester.
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Playing England games only (because it’s win or bust as far as they’re concerned), the immense space being used for the fan park will be familiar to those who have been to Warehouse Project before, though it’s never been quite like this.
Even walking in was quite the experience.
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Credit: The Manc
Stretching across three rooms promising crowds of between 1,500 and 2,500 each, the transformed venue promises music, light shows and, most importantly, giant screens on almost every wall to watch the games. You literally can’t miss it.
With everything from burgers and dirty fries to nachos, wings and more – catered by Manchester food brand Oh My Glaze – not to mention all the booze you’ll need to launch into the air when we score, you’ll have everything you could ask for in this unprecedented supporter space.
Credit: The Manc/Supplied
Those paying for seated tickets in the main room or purchasing one of 200 VIP tickets each game via donation can even pre-order food and drink more than an hour and a half before kick-off.
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An interactive audio-visual experience
But it’s just more than tables, chairs and a big telly – you can get that at pretty much any pub. What we were most blown away by were the production levels AIX have delivered for this event.
In addition to the sea of neon lights and huge speakers echoing around the room, our sneak preview included a glimpse at the stunning AV packages promised both before, during and after the game.
As well as visual team sheet presentations which will see the starting 11 read out by an announcer, there will be live match stats throughout the game, running ticker tape around the room and dynamic moments such as a 4D virtual heartbeat should Southgate‘s side win a penalty. Very, very cool.
Credit: The Manc
There’s also plenty of audience participation, not just in terms of cheering on the Three Lions but with quizzes, prize competitions, special guests, DJs and more.
There are even digital activities accessible via a simple QR code such as a virtual game of Pong, where thousands of audience members can play a giant multiplayer game against whoever England’s opponents are that day. They’re really trying to deliver an all-around fan experience.
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It goes beyond just a game
Perhaps the thing we were most impressed with was AIX’s collaboration with the sporting charity Football Beyond Borders (FBB), an organisation dedicated to improving the young people and local communities through the beautiful game.
Credit: The Manc/Football Beyond Borders
But this isn’t just a publicity partnership, RtV and AIX will be donating £500 for every goal England scores in the group games directly to FBB and, better still, a whopping £1,000 for every goal scored in the knockout stages — which will be getting to, thank you very much.
It’s this kind of dedication and confidence in the project and its sheer scale that we admire, as they’re just as convinced it’s coming home as we are. Moreover, they’re making sure that fans and football lovers across the country will benefit regardless of the end result come the final on 18 December.
Tickets for Road to Victory are going to fly
England’s first game against Iran kicks off at 1pm on 21 November but Road to Victory at Depot Mayfield will be open from 10:30am and won’t be kicking people out until the last drink is sunk, “or the license kicks in” — their words, not ours.
Credit: Supplied
In short, the Depot and AIX plan to put on after-parties when England wins each game, not if. This is strictly an over-18s fan zone designed for limbs, limbs and more limbs.
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Standing tickets for Road to Victory start at just £9.50 and seated packages from £15 (plus booking fees), with more information on drink and food pre-order packages set to be released soon.
You’ll be able to buy passes from the likes of Kaboodle, Ticketmaster and See Tickets, so make sure to keep an eye out on their socials for updates and you can find out more info at roadtovictory.co.uk.
But don’t lose all hope if you miss out, there is also Escape to Freight Island’s ‘Festival of Football’ just next door should tickets go wanting and you’re still in search of those fan park vibes.
Tickets go on sale at 10am this Friday, 14 October 14, 2022, so you best be quick if you wanna be there to watch the boys bring it home.
Featured Image — The Manc
Sport
A live orchestral football chant concert is coming to Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
Yes, you heard us right: a whole live concert revolving around the world of football chants is coming to Manchester city centre.
And better still, you don’t have to wait long for it to come around either.
Teaming up with the National Football Museum, our city’s well-renowned Manchester Camerata chamber orchestra will be doing what they do best and putting a twist on some of the most famous songs sung at stadiums around the world.
Being MC’d by Classic FM and sports presenter Karthi Gnanasegaram, the unique show will see the soundtrack of the beautiful game brought to life and to the people in a whole new light.
From local terrace chants like ‘Blue Moon’ and ‘Glory, Glory, Man United’ that are regularly belted at full volume every weekend in our city, to ‘Three Lions’ and other iconic England anthems, die-hard footy fans have helped score (pardon the pun) the sport as we know it for nearly two centuries.
Moreover, they will continue to do so for generations to come – and it’s live, musical spirit that these performances are looking to capture in a fully-fledged orchestral fashion.
The oldest football chant on record is thought to have been written by composer Sir Edward Elgar way back in 1898, who wrote ‘He Banged the Leather for Goal’ in tribute to the once beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers striker, Billy Malpass.
Great last name for a player, by the way.
Speaking ahead of the perfect springtime event, host Karthi recently gave us a better insight into the exclusive show; you can find out more down below.
Spanning all the way from the foundational song by Elgar to more modern-day examples like ‘Wavin’ Flag’ by K’naan, written for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, it’s an oral journey through a big sport of not just sporting culture but countries all over the world.
‘The Beautiful Game’ at the National Football Museum aims to “celebrate the drama and passion of the nation’s most beloved sport”, with the classical arrangements to be conducted by Enyi Okpara.
Fresh off being appointed as Fellow Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2026/27 season, you couldn’t ask for a better pedigree – especially with all the talents that make up the Manchester Camerata itself.
Taking place over the duration of two shows on Friday, 24 April 2026 at 6:30pm and 8pm, Gorton residents can get tickets from just £3, only a fiver for students, and under 30s at just a tenner.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (via MCR Camerata/The Manc Group)
Sport
Sale Sharks secure England veteran Courtney Lawes as he eyes up international return
Danny Jones
Sale Sharks have confirmed the signing of rugby union veteran Courtney Lawes as he returns to the Premiership after a two-year hiatus.
Almost just as importantly, Lawes also looks to be eyeing up an England comeback…
Courtney Lawes officially retired from international duty following the 2023 Rugby World Cup and left the Gallagher PREM in ’24, but now the London-born and former Brive flanker is reannouncing himself to the division, becoming Sale’s latest signing ahead of the Sharks’ 2026/27 term.
Penning a one-year contract, the deal is now done, with the ex-British and Irish Lions star set to journey back across the Channel soon, as the start of the next campaign is coming back around quickly.
Lawes left the UK just a couple of years ago to join the side in southern France, and could have accepted a move to Leicester Tigers but turned down the offer; given the obvious rivalry between them and his former stomping ground, Northampton Saints, it was little surprise.
It’s also worth reminding the his last season with the Saints saw him helping them lift their title in a decade, and even he remains a hugely experienced addition to any squad.
Having been monitored by a number of teams, including his old team, he admitted that his wife’s family being from Cheshire did prove to be a decisive factor.
Now 37, there had been many who questioned how he would fare back in this league – guess we’ll find out very soon.
More importantly, the seasoned member of the second row also made it clear his intentions to at least put himself in the conversation for the national team once again.
Writing in an official statement, he said: “I’m officially un-retiring from international duty, and I’d love to play for England again, but first and foremost I want to play well for Sale, and we’ll see what happens after that.” He also recently penned a column for The Times explaining the decision.
He’s made it plain he’d like to be involved next year.
Courtney went on to add: “I’m really excited to be joining Sale. I’ve been out of the Prem now for a couple of years, and I just want to finish my career playing at the top level. I think Sale have got a brilliant squad, so hopefully I can add to that, and we’ll see what we can do next year.
“My body feels good, and I’m still performing at a high level. I feel like I can compete with the best of them, and then some, and I think if I retired now, I’d probably regret it when I was older.
“As a rugby player, you’ve got a very finite career, and you’re a long time retired, so I want to make the most of it while I can, give it everything for another season and then we’ll see what happens…
“There will be quite a few familiar faces at the club. I’ve played with a lot of the England lads, and Dorian West was my first forwards coach as a professional player. I know the club is bringing in some brilliant players for next season too – guys like Joe Marchant and Alex Lozowski will add a lot on and off the field.
What do we reckon then, Sharks fans: is this a signing you’re happy with?
Danny Jones -
12th October 2022 
