If you’re like us and you’ve been scrambling around for somewhere, anywhere screening the Euro 2024 final after England’s heroics on Wednesday, then you’ll be relieved to hear that there are still tickets left for one of the biggest fan zones in Manchester.
Yes, places like the AO Arena, Albert Hall, New Century and countless other central spots sold out immediately and, naturally, most pubs will also be packed to the rafters, but just on the outskirts of the city there’s a pretty big location that’s rather sneakily become one of the best places to watch the game.
But the secret couldn’t be kept quiet forever and 4theFans – a.k.a. “the original, immersive fan park brand”, first established back in 2020 – has seen tickets for their Manchester location over in Ardwick blow up ahead of the final.
It boasts a whopping capacity of 4,500 and although 90% of tickets have now been sold, there are still just over 200 general admission tickets still to be snapped up.
An overview of what the crowds will look like at the fan zone for the Euro 2024 final in Manchester (Credit: 4theFans)
Based over at The Progress Centre, the massive multi-purpose venue is not only easy to get to whether you’re coming in or out of Manchester but it also boasts some of the biggest anti-glare screens in the UK, a world-class sound system, as well as plenty of food and drink (launching them sky-high optional).
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Oh yeah, and it’s undoubtedly one of the best football atmospheres anywhere in the country right now.
4TheFans has popped up at various different sites over the past few years including the Love Factory for the last Euros and several Champions League finals, Trafford Park’s Soccer Dome for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and now this latest destination.
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Alongside the action, supporters are also guaranteed quality entertainment including live DJ sets, competitions, giveaways and other interactive games; a dedicated 4theFans host and hype-man, plus so much need stress-tempering banter and analysis from a living football legend – no, we’re not telling…
And don’t worry, you get all the bells and whistles of all the other big-budget fan zones too, with celebratory special FX, pyrotechnics and cO2 cannons at the ready for when we bring it home.
Now, while prices were cheap for early bird tickets and standard admission if you were quick about it, those have all been unfortunately sold. However, 4theFans has released an extra 200 or so more tickets for the final in a last gasp to get as many people in as they can.
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Nevertheless, a general sale ticket will still only set you back £33.97 (including all processing fees) for one of the most massive fan zones, largest screens, best atmospheres and the biggest game of our lives.
Euro 2020 against Italy was one thing and, of course, it would have been nice to have won it at Wembley, but to do this on foreign soil for the first time in English history would be groundbreaking.
Grab your tickets via the DICE app while you still can and if you want to join the waitlist for the Premium option, which comes with prime access to the front section for the very best views of the match and more, you can also do so HERE.
4theFans crowds regularly get featured on ITV and BBC’s national coverage when it comes to major tournaments, so if you are at the front, you better make sure you’re supporting and celebrating like your life depends on it. Here’s hoping for similar scenes on Sunday…
The Premier League and EFL should follow La Liga’s lead and bring Retro Matchdays to the UK
Danny Jones
Following the news that La Liga is set to debut a new ‘Retro Matchday’ round, we can’t help but ask the question: why didn’t the Premier League and EFL think of this first?
Well, technically, neither did the Spaniards, but you take our point.
Anyone who follows the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or even the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) equivalent here in the UK and mainland Europe, will know that the concept is nothing new – but by and large, it seems to be for the beautiful game.
In case you missed it, in an effort to further capitalise on the increasing trend of vintage and classic football kit fashion/the wider nostalgia culture that only seems to be growing every year, Spain’s top two tiers will soon host their inaugural Retro Matchday gameweek next month, and we want a piece of it.
Set to be hosted from Friday, 10 April, over the usual weekend of football in their premier and second division, and running until the final lot of fixtures on Monday, 13 April (no, thankfully not an April Fool’s), supporters will get to see players step out onto the pitch in some of the country’s most iconic kits.
Depending on who you ask, some would argue that Spain has some of the nicest footy shirts all time, whether that be the national side or clubs themselves.
To be honest, we definitely have a soft spot for a proper European throwback – we’re thinking Borussia Dortmund’s 1995/96 home kit, the Napoli kits of the 80s, that amazing Toyota-sponsored Fila Fiorentina kit at the turn of the millennium – and even some of the best 2000s ones now look so old-school.
In fact, we actually had a taster of these kinds of special matches in the past, including here in 0161 for the likes of the Manchester Derby.
Reminds me of the Manchester derby in 2008 where they played in retro kits due to it coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster. Looked absolutely brilliant. pic.twitter.com/TLRjKHThbG
When you also take into account that, besides collectors already creating a whole new craze in filling their cupboards with classic kits, the likes of Nike, Adidas and more now regularly turning to old designs like the ‘Futura’, Total 90′ and various ‘adi Originals’ revivals of late, it’s more the rage than ever.
Birmingham’s recent ‘penguin’ remake, Port Vale’s traditional 150th anniversary one, based on their 1953-54 season jersey, not to mention countless other lifestyle fashion collections inspired by historic releases, you can’t move for the stuff – so why not get them wearing it on the grass?
As mentioned, the likes of local ice hockey outfit Manchester Storm have been taking a leaf out of the NHL’s book for ages now, with the annual ‘Retro Nights’ proving to be some of the most popular dates on the calendar, even selling off original shirts in the stadium itself before, during and after the match.
We genuinely can’t think of a single football lover following a team at any level in the English football pyramid that wouldn’t LOVE this. In fact, plenty of them already go to the ground wearing their dad’s second-hand away strip, which has turned out to be a modern cult favourite among the next generation.
These are the kinds of ideas we can see fans actually getting behind; you can find out more HERE. Would you like to see a retro Premier League and/or EFL match day featuring your favourite kits from down the years?
Liam Broady is on the comeback – here’s why you need to watch out for him at Wimbledon
The Manc
Local tennis player Liam Broady is quietly rising back up the ranks on the ITF Tour, and here’s why we think you should watch out for him come Wimbledon 2026 this summer.
He is physical proof that the ATP Tour ranking means so much to a player’s career.
The Stockport-born tennis player has suffered many injury setbacks since turning pro in 2014. With a host of ankle and back injuries plaguing his playing career, he has had to turn to the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Tour to climb the rankings once again.
He is currently placed at 283* on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour after reaching two semi-finals in the space of a month.
With wins on two of Portugal’s hard courts in Faro and Santo António, the 32-year-old has climbed from rank 303 at the start of the year to under the threshold in less than three months.
His hard work on outdoor courts is paying off as his seeding is slowly improving, and his opponents are becoming less of a challenge.
For the unititated, the ATP ranking is decided by a points system that determines your playing level, and therefore who you can possibly draw, with lower seeds getting tougher games as they need more points, and vice versa.
These point tallies factor into every win, loss, serve, and shot as it propels you up or down the table.
With an injury over Christmas, the Stopfordian Team GB player came back stronger for the start of the annual tournament calendar and now looks to be in fighting form on the ITF Tour.
He’s definitely had to tackle some obstacles over the years, both on and off the court…
Competing solely on outdoor hard courts to gain his fitness levels back is necessary, but the grass courts – his speciality – will come around with time and consistent form, with Wimbledon being his home tournament and his highlight of the competitive calendar.
His career best ranking was 93, after becoming the first British wildcard entry to beat an ATP top five player in 2023 when defeating Casper Rudd on Wimbledon’s centre court.
His win against the Norwegian in round two sent him into the top 100 rankings for the first time, and into the shining spotlight alongside British tennis stars.
The adverse effects of time away from the tour are clear to see with Broady’s peaks and dips in the table below; this means taking a hit to player motivation, game-to-game momentum and teamworking within doubles pairs.
Liam Broady’s career rankings progression chart. (Credit: ATP Tour)
It is a likely situation for players to neglect their doubles career without the added stress of injury, so if they are to arise, it does not just impact individual physicality levels but also communication between doubles pairs.
A fellow British player with similar injury problems is Emma Raducanu, who rose to fame with a shocking US Open grand slam win as a qualifier. Since her win, she has had multiple surgeries, which saw her plummet down WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) standings due to time spent off court.
The issues that come with injury upsets can make a career really difficult to reclaim, even at a young age; tour rankings can be brutal on game time and match opponents, such as Broady’s Wimbledon draw against Holland’s Van De Zandschulp and Raducanu’s recent draw against American no.3 Anisimova.
We hope to see Team GB’s athletes fit and ready to fight on tour, and we have a strong feeling we’ll see native talent Broady back in the spotlight where he belongs.
Danny Jones -
12th July 2024 
