Manchester United and England legend Sir Bobby Charlton’s memorial service is set to take place at Manchester Cathedral on Monday, 13 November as fans prepare to say farewell to the greatest English footballer there ever was.
That being said, a formal memorial service is also scheduled to take place in the city centre, where fans will be able to pay their respects to a beloved sporting hero.
The memorial procession will pass the club’s home ground, with fans advised to use the E2 car park and arrive at the East Stand forecourt from 1pm before the car passes the Trinity Statue around 1:30pm on its way to Manchester Cathedral, where the private funeral service itself will take place at 2pm.
Sir Bobby Charlton's funeral will take place on Monday 13 November at 14:00 GMT.
Full details and information on how you can pay your respects at Old Trafford and Manchester Cathedral can be found below. #MUFC
United confirm the timings and details surrounding Sir Bobby Charlton’s memorial service.
As confirmed in an update from United, although Sir Bobby‘s funeral service will obviously be a solemn occasion, it will focus on celebrating and paying tribute to “Sir Bobby’s incredible life as a husband, father, grandfather and, of course, as one of the finest footballers this country has ever produced.
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“The procession to the Cathedral will pass by Old Trafford for a moment of reflection and provide an opportunity for fans to say a final farewell to a true Manchester United legend.”
It is expected that up to 1,000 guests will be present at the cathedral where eulogies will be delivered by relatives and members of the club.
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During their two competitive fixtures following Charlton’s death, the club held a minute’s silence and a minute’s applause for their former player and long-serving Director, as well as holding an emotional pre-match dedication on both occasions.
The memorabilia placed by mourning fans has now also been carefully relocated to the Old Trafford Museum and will join the tributes left by fans following the passing of Sir Matt Busby in 1994.
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In addition, the club has confirmed that all the plastic will be removed from the floral tributes and will be recycled, with all flowers being composted and used in the gardens at the Carrington Training Complex. Sir Bobby’s family have also asked that instead of flowers, fans donate to one of the charities that meant so much to him:
It’s hard to find the words to sum up a man who meant so much not only to football but countless people in Greater Manchester and beyond, but we gave it a go nonetheless. RIP.
Featured Image — The Manc Group/Man United (via X)
Sport
Manchester set to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches – including England’s opening game
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed to be the host of five matches at the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament in 2028.
This also, crucially, would include England‘s opening match, should they qualify directly.
The joint announcement by Manchester City and Manchester City Council today comes as UEFA has now released key details about the UK & Ireland 2028 competition – which, as it stands, is less than 1,000 days away.
It has been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium – which is known as The City of Manchester Stadium when not relating to Manchester City football club – will host four Group Stage matches across four different groups, offering both local and international football fans the chance to see a range of different national teams in action.
On top of this, Manchester will also be the host a Round of 16 knockout match as the tournament progresses.
UEFA EURO 2028 will kick off at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on Friday 9 June 2028, culminating in the Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 9 July 2028.
Across the UK and Ireland, nine stadiums will host matches during the upcoming tournament – with other northern stadiums including Everton Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park over in Newcastle.
More than three million tickets – as sold by UEFA – are set to be available for the tournament, and more information on this will be issued in due course.
Following an independent assessment, UEFA EURO 2028 is expected to generate up to £3.6 billion in socio-economic benefits for the UK and Ireland between 2028 and 2031, with benefits including job creation, regional growth, and direct spending from international visitors.
The countdown has started in Manchester for #EURO2028!
Five matches are scheduled to be played here – including England's opener if they qualify – and more than 300,000 fans will be welcomed to the city in June 2028.
“We’re a city where football runs deep in our DNA, and we’re counting down the days to UEFA Euro 2028.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Sport
Man City to open latest Greater Manchester club shop at Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club are set to open another brand-new store at the Trafford Centre, and just in time for Christmas.
With the festive period approaching, plenty of people will be looking to buy the latest shirts and merch of their beloved team, and with the Blues now a bigger brand than ever, they’ve put plenty of time into levelling up the club shop experience.
Their third in Greater Manchester, all told, it’s also set to be one of their largest to date.
Credit: The Manc Group
Although confirmation of the plans came back in October, City have officially announced themselves in the Trafford Centre this month.
With the hoardings going up over on Peel Avenue – the section of the huge mall arguably most well-known for its multi-storey John Lewis department store – they’ll be opening their doors just next to the branch of Waterstones.
In fact, you definitely can’t miss it because not only is there a giant MCFC badge plastered over the windows, but it also happens to be right next to the big Christmas tree.
This comes after sports and streetwear franchises like Gymshark and Urban Outfitters joined the North West tourist attraction, not to mention the massive Zara and Bershka sites that opened recently, as well as other global names like Pop Mart.
An idea of what the new Man City store in the Trafford Centre could look like, based on the Arndale shop. (Credit: The Manc)
Put simply, there’s been plenty of new arrivals this year, and there are several others to come.
Although we’ve not got an exact opening date just yet, the posters displayed across the window simply read “Coming November”, so Cityzens won’t have to wait long.
Furthermore, job vacancies for retail roles working within the upcoming location are already listed on the official Trafford Centre careers page.
Last but not least, there are scheduled be a number of other new openings in the shopping arcade, leisure and entertainment destination, so keep your eyes peeled on socials for more info soon.
Danny Jones -
1st November 2023 
