Sport

Manchester City reveal world-first third kit… designed by AI

Well, this is interesting

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 27th August 2026

Manchester City have just revealed the club’s third kit for the season, and it’s a world-first AI-designed kit.

The new Man City and Puma kit was revealed in full this morning after days of teasing on billboards across Manchester.

For the first time in professional football history, the kit is designed by a fan, using AI.

180,000 fans submitted designs through the Puma AI Creator, with the winning design now projected on some of the city’s biggest digital billboards – on Market Street, and at Printworks.

Created by lifelong Cityzen and stills photographer Elliott, the final design is inspired by Manchester City’s iconic 13/14 season away shirt.

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Elliott’s creative interpretation was crowned in January 2025 after a global fan vote.

The digital billboards show each different stage of the AI design process, from prompt to finished design, with the tagline ‘designed by one of us, chosen by all of us’.

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The AI Man City kit reveal
The AI Man City kit reveal

Eagle-eyed Man City fans may have noticed a cryptic ‘loading’ screen in town on Tuesday, with just a hint of the shirt visible.

Then on Wednesday, the screens displayed: “AI prompt accepted. Fan vote confirmed. Final Manchester City 26/27 Third Kit design processing.”

Then the full reveal has taken place today, Thursday 27 August, finally unveiling the full shirt with the words: “Designed by one of us. Chosen by all of us”.

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Reacting to live images of the billboards, Elliott said: “Seeing my complete design revealed on billboards in the city centre this morning was unbelievable.

“City has been part of our family’s life for as long as I can remember, so this is as good as it gets for me.

“Creativity is naturally part of my everyday life as a photographer, but it was good to turn my hand to something else and see what could be created with the use of AI.

“The 13/14 away shirt was always my favourite, so it felt like the natural starting point for my prompt. From there, it was amazing to see the technology take that spark of an idea and turn it into something I could actually shape and refine.

“To know that a shirt I designed on my lunch break will now be worn by the players is something I still can’t quite get my head around!”

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The 26/27 Manchester City Third Kit will be available at mancity.com/shop and Manchester City Official Stores, with 10% off for Members and Seasoncard holders (automatically applied when logged in with a Member account online).

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Sport

Iconic Manchester United pub reopens after major £400k refurb

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Iconic Manchester United pub The Tollgate has reopened after a major refurb

An Old Trafford pub that’s long been a favourite with Manchester United fans has reopened its doors after a major refurbishment.

The Tollgate has had a £400,000 investment to become a ‘Grandstand’ sports pub, with gigantic HD screens throughout, tiered seating so you always have a great view of the action, and a menu of classic pub bites to pair with your pint.

There’ll be a big event atmosphere with all key sporting fixtures shown throughout the week, including football, rugby, cricket, tennis, F1, darts, horse racing – you name it, The Tollgate will show it.

The enormous outdoor area has also been refurbished, with new outdoor TV screens and Marston’s ‘Order & Pay’ app letting you order a round from your seat without missing a goal.

You’ll even find screens outside the loos…

Soon, local artist Pic One will be painting a mural onto the side of the pub, making it even more of a landmark boozer for Old Trafford.

The huge new main HD screen
The huge new main HD screen
Inside The Tollgate after its refurb
Inside The Tollgate after its refurb
The Tollgate's installed a TV box outside
The Tollgate’s installed a TV box outside

Back inside, you’ll find a regulation dart board and a pool table, with new competition leagues and ‘free to play’ recreational sessions taking place throughout the week.

As well as a smart new interior packed with local sporting memorabilia, The Tollgate has installed market-leading technology, including one particularly gigantic HD screen, along with multiple other HD screens in every area, and a state-of-the-art sound system.

As you pass by, you might spot a huge TV box outside the pub, which has been installed to reflect how big the screen inside is.

The Tollgate is offering fans and customers a chance to shape its future – they’re calling out for locals to provide more photographs and merchandise to decorate the space, including mementos to celebrate the achievements of local sports stars and teams.

United memorabilia on the walls
United memorabilia on the walls
Inside the new-look The Tollgate
Inside the new-look The Tollgate
A cosy corner of The Tollgate
A cosy corner of The Tollgate

On the menus, you’ll find a new menu of perfect pub bites, including sharing combo boxes, chicken wings, nachos, and burgers.

There’ll be bottomless fries on offer for local sports teams who manage to get their hands on a ‘Black Card’, with even more rewards if they win their game.

And all draught beer (and there’s a lot of it) is now available in two-pint cups.

To celebrate its launch, the pub invited a fellow Manchester United icon Ying-Hoi Soo (affectionately known to Reds as ‘Mr Miyagi’) to pull the first pint and officially mark the pub’s opening.

Ying is recognised for his selfless charity work, and The Tollgate plans to work closely with Ying in the future to support this.

The new Grandstand pub concept has been introduced after research revealed that 86% of sports fans prefer to watch games at sports pubs, thanks to their livelier atmosphere, better screens, and community feel.

A huge two-pint beer
A huge two-pint beer
There's a pool table
There’s a pool table
And dart board inside
And dart board inside
The food offering
The food offering

Marston’s picked Tollgate as one of the pubs to receive the Grandstand makeover due to its involvement with local sports teams, community groups and charities.

Pub Partner, Michael McLoughlin, said: “We’ve loved welcoming the community back with open arms!

“The response has been fantastic to our food and drink offers, as well as the new technology to watch all kinds of sports – we’re thankful that our pub is always full of good vibes, and real community spirit.”

The Tollgate is officially open for business now.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Sport

Baltimore Ravens – The NFL team taking flight in the UK

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Baltimore Ravens - The NFL team taking flight in Manchester

Manchester might soon have a new favourite football team – but it’s not necessarily what you think.

The NFL is becoming increasingly familiar to British sports fans. Games in London have become an annual fixture, American football has found a growing audience across the country, and now one team in particular is building a passionate following here: the Baltimore Ravens.

You may have seen the purple jerseys at watch parties around the UK, or heard fans talking about the ‘Flock’.

But who exactly are the Ravens, and why are so many British fans getting behind them?

To understand the Ravens, you have to go back to 1996.

The city had previously been home to the Baltimore Colts, but the franchise famously relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, leaving behind a huge hole in the city’s sporting identity.

More than a decade later, NFL football returned, when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell moved his franchise to Baltimore (unusually, leaving the Browns name behind in Cleveland, and launching a new franchise in Maryland).

Baltimore Ravens training
Baltimore Ravens training
Manchester has been hosting Baltimore Ravens watch parties
Manchester has been hosting Baltimore Ravens watch parties

Baltimore’s new franchise needed an identity, so it was put forward to the fans, who settled on Ravens after Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, The Raven. The team’s mascots are also called Edgar, Allan, and Poe.

The Ravens played their first regular-season game in September 1996, beating the Oakland Raiders 19–14.

And they didn’t have to wait long to become one of the NFL’s most formidable teams.

The defining moment of the Ravens’ early history came in the 2000 season.

Led by a ferocious defence featuring future Hall of Famers such as linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Rod Woodson, Baltimore powered through – and then dominated – Super Bowl XXXV.

The MT&T Bank Stadium
The MT&T Bank Stadium
Baltimore Ravens cheerleaders and mascot
Baltimore Ravens cheerleaders and mascot

The Ravens had their second Super Bowl triumph 12 years later, when quarterback Joe Flacco led the Baltimore Ravens to a dramatic victory over the San Francisco 49ers. It was the final game, and a fairytale ending, for Ray Lewis’ legendary career.

If Ray Lewis helped define the Ravens of the 2000s, Lamar Jackson has become the face of the modern franchise.

Drafted in 2018, Jackson quickly established himself as one of the most exciting players in American football. He’s arguable the perfect introduction to the sport if you’re discovering American football for the first time.

So, why should Manchester care about Baltimore Ravens? Part of the appeal is the football itself.

The Ravens have traditionally built their identity around toughness and physicality. There is a sense of personality about the franchise too, from the purple colours and the raven imagery to the passionate ‘Flock’ of supporters.

Ravens fans have been gathering in the UK for years, with regional meet-ups and watch parties taking place around the country, including in Manchester. The UK Ravens community continues to organise events where fans can watch games together, whether they’ve followed the team for decades or have only just discovered the NFL.

That’s perhaps the best way to understand the appeal of the NFL in the UK.

You don’t need to fly to Baltimore to experience it. Find a watch party, grab a purple jersey, learn the rules as you go and join the Flock.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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