UK pub chain and brewery, Greene King, have pledged at least £250,000 to women’s sport following the success of the Lionesses at the 2023 Women’s World Cup and as part of their continued efforts to back grassroots sports.
Greene King has been helping support women’s football specifically for some time now, having committed to airing as many Women’s Super League (WSL) games as they can from 2022 onwards and hosting talks with the likes of England star Alex Greenwood right here in Manchester.
Now, though, as part of their Proud to Pitch In scheme — an initiative that directly impacts grassroots sports including 10p from every pint of Greene King IPA sold going towards local clubs, sports centres, equipment and so on — the chain is doubling down on their support. Quite literally.
After already providing over £126,000 in funds to women’s sports groups across the UK since the scheme launched nearly two years ago, CEO Nick Mackenzie has now pledged to double that amount in an effort to continue the growth of women’s sport and grassroots support across the nation.
According to research carried out as part of Proud to Pitch In, Greene King found that the average age women stop taking part in group sports is around 16, with a lack of female clubs in communities sadly playing a big part in that statistics.
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The study which polled 2,000 UK women revealed that other key reasons for ditching group sports include the poor quality of local facilities, as well as a lack of interest from friends.
However, the inspiring success of the Lionesses at the Euros and, most recently the World Cup, has led to a massive boost when it comes to interest in women’s sports, with over a quarter surveyed (26%) saying they felt the success of the team had inspired them to take part in more sporting activity.
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As Mackenzie himself put it: “The England team over the last year has changed women’s sport for good. We’ve seen a massive increase in support from our customers right across the UK as pubgoers flocked to their local to cheer on the team, and we’ve also seen a major uplift in women’s clubs applying for fundraising grants. It is vital we continue to build on that momentum.
Greene King IPA’s Head of Marketing, Emma Hibbert, also detailed how “Proud to Pitch In provides grassroots clubs with grants of up to £4,000 to help with whatever their club needs to succeed, and the best thing is it’s open to any over-18 clubs, regardless of the sport…
“To date we’ve provided funding for some incredible projects so far, from rowing clubs to cricket teams and football clubs, and so far, we’ve given over £500,000 in grants to over 200 clubs, including men’s sport, women’s sport, and mixed clubs.”
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Quality stuff. If you know a local women’s club or sports facility that could do with some extra support, you can apply for funding Proud to Pitch In funding HERE.
As for the Lionesses, the legacy they are leaving behind is truly huge and while they may not have lifted the World Cup this year, their influence secured another big win for women’s football and female representation across sport in general last week:
Featured Image — Jason Bye/The Manc Group/Lionesses
Sport
Ex-Man United man Louis Saha says Old Trafford’s deterioration shows a ‘lack of respect’ for the fans
Danny Jones
Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has come to claim that the deterioration of Old Trafford is disrespectful to the fans.
The retired French forward, who represented the club 120 times and scored 42 goals during his time at the club between 2004-08, has come to the defence of the Man United faithful, insisting that the stadium is simply no longer up to the standard.
Speaking to Paddy Power earlier this week, the Red Devils old number nine said, “The state of Old Trafford shows a lack of respect to the supporters. They pay for tickets, create the atmosphere, and they need to have a better experience.
“The images of the roof leaking are ridiculous for those who are proud of the club, it’s unacceptable. It’s a bad sign that the investment has not been made in the right place at the right time.” In case you missed it, the Theatre of Dreams looked more like some kind of drowning nightmare after last week’s flooding.
“I’ve heard Gary Neville complain about it many times, and he’s been warning the club about it for a while”, Saha continued. “For it to get to that point, it was really embarrassing.
Flooding was just spotted in the stands but there were various reports and clips posted on social media showing interior leaks, including in the away dressing room.
The 45-year-old went on to say: “It’s symbolic, but it means a lot. For a fan that has paid so much for their membership and ticket, they haven’t been respected. It needs to be addressed – fans should not be seeing this.”
Fans have been complaining about various problems with Old Trafford‘s infrastructure for years now as despite being one of the most valuable football clubs in the world, Man United’s home ground and various other facilities are widely considered to be pretty outdated.
Saha, like many of the fans, believes the deterioration of Old Trafford symbolises the Glazer’s neglect. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already intimated that he would rather build an entirely new stadium than renovate Old Trafford, especially since it has been estimated that it would cost more to repair and redevelop the existing structure than it would start from scratch.
There have also been plenty of mock-ups as to what a ‘New Trafford’ might look like should the prospective plans be greenlit. Mayor Andy Burham has already been appointed as part of the new stadium ‘taskforce’ and says it could prove to be the biggest regeneration scheme in the country.
Be it giving the iconic football stadium some much-needed TLC or providing the fans with an entirely new one, it’s fair to say the club can’t expect to return to their glory days by allowing Old Trafford to continue deteriorating and letting its legacy slip into squalor.
Featured Images — Web Summit (via Flickr)/Wikimedia Commons/The Manc Group
Sport
Man City confirm Ederson will miss rest of the season following fractured eye socket
Danny Jones
Manchester City have revealed that goalkeeper Ederson will miss the final two games of the season after suffering a fractured eye socket following a hefty collision earlier this week.
City’s second-choice keeper Stefan Ortega was forced to come on and produce some heroics against Tottenham on Tuesday night after Ederson was on the receiving end of a forceful challenge from centre-back Cristian Romero, ultimately being hooked off despite trying to play on for a few more minutes.
The Brazilian number one was left visibly upset by the decision, thrashing his seat on the bench and planting his head in his hands following the understandably cautious substitution, but it proved to be the right move the club has now confirmed a bone-break around his eye.
With manager Pep Guardiola having already to press after the game that Ederson has a “problem with his eye” and “could not see” properly, the club have now confirmed that he will now be out for the rest of the season.
We can confirm that Ederson will miss the final two games of the season due to a small fracture of his eye socket.
Everyone at the Club wishes Ederson a speedy recovery 🩵
As detailed in the update, scans revealed a “small fracture” of his right eye socket and being struck by the leg and hip of the Spurs defender.
It was clear that all was not well in the immediate aftermath of the two players clashing as the 30-year-old was left lying on the floor for some time and medical staff were rushed over.
Although concussion was ultimately ruled out and only the fracture has been confirmed, Ederson did go on to slip with his first kick of the ball and was seen shaking his head as if to shrug off the impact in the following moments.
He was also pictured with a very noticeable black eye following the full-time whistle.
This obviously means that in addition to missing Man City’s last Premier League game of the season against West Ham this weekend, where they might very well lift their fourth consecutive title, he will also miss the FA Cup final against Man United.
With it being just the second Manchester derby cup final in history, a second in a row as it happens, he, the team and the fans will obviously be gutted to be without their go-to shot-stopper.
Nevertheless, it’s a relief to see his safety being prioritised not only during the same on Tuesday night but in the days since and if there’s one thing it proved it’s that Ortega is more than capable of filling in for him when needed.
As any fan would following a scary injury like that, we join the club in wishing him a speedy recovery.