Considering Manchester’s a city obsessed with football, surprisingly, it’s not always the easiest place to find somewhere good to watch the match.
We’ve been inundated with messages asking us where to go this summer, so we’ve knuckled down and done the leg work for you – digging out some of the best spots in Manchester to watch the football outside (and in) this summer.
Keep reading to find out where you should be booking for all the upcoming fixtures. This piece will be regularly updated as new information becomes available.
Barca Bar
Castlefield
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This Castlefield gastropub has it all: canal-side dining, plenty of outdoor seating and loads of big screens for showing the football. With room for 250 outside alone (and that’s not including the balcony), there’ll be plenty of space for fans to watch the action, weather permitting. If the heavens do open, there’s room for another 300 inside.
Binary Bar
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Castlefield
Binary Bar is a reliable spot for sports fans in Castlefield, showing all the sports fixtures this summer – footie included. As well as a good selection of pints and a classic cocktail menu, they’ve also got a kitchen service up burgers, pizzas, wings and wraps.
Hotel Football & Cafe Football
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Trafford
With it proudly being Manchester’s “home of the Euros” and also owned by the Class of 92, naturally, you’d expect Old Trafford’s Hotel Football to be showing all the important matches this summer. They’ll not only be screening games live, with tickets priced at £10, but two drinks are included in the ticket price, and you can also bag a table to eat for an upgrade.
Confirmed screenings so far include England’s games with Croatia (13th June), Scotland (18th June), Czech (22nd June).
The hotel’s in-house venue, Cafe Football, is also going going all out for the Euros with six-pint beer towers and sharing platters sporting a selection of dishes from competing countries. They’ll be screening all the Euro games live, with packages priced from £24 per person.
The Hilton
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Deansgate
If you want to enjoy the beautiful game with a view, then you’ll want to head up to the Podium Lounge and Bar at The Hilton this summer, They’ll be screening the Euros from on high, with pints, cocktails and nibbles available from the bar.
The Brotherhood of Pursuits and Pastimes
City Centre
With a couple of tables left open for walk-ins, this Mount Street sports bar is a decent shout if you’re looking for somewhere to catch the game last minute. Bringing the inside out, all outdoor seating comes with a guaranteed good view of a TV screen. What more do you want?
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The Crown and Anchor
Northern Quarter
This popular family-run pub on Hilton Street will be showing all the football fixtures this summer, Euros included. Grab a seat in its cute little enclosed courtyard beer garden or up on the roof terrace, and load up on homely grub from the kitchen – washed down with some of the city’s most reasonably-priced bevs.
Event City
Trafford
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Sporting events company 4TheFans will be taking over Event City this summer, building a dedicated, Covid secure Euros Fan Park in Trafford to enable fans to gather together to watch the games safely. Events will adhere to government guidelines until 21st June.
Gasworks
First Street
This beer bar and microbrewery on First Street has some lush beers on draught, many pumped straight out of the brew tanks in its cellar, and decent grub too. They’ll be showing all the football this summer, but to secure a table you’ll need to book by email.
The Dockyard
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Media City
Offering a strong selection of craft ales, beers and ciders, The Dockyard at Media City will be screening all the Euros fixtures this summer. Advance bookings are recommended.
The Stock Exchange Hotel
City Centre
Considering it’s owned by Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, it’d be remiss of the Stock Exchange Hotel not to screen the Euros this summer. Luckily, we have it on good authority they will be doing just that in their private event space, The Vault, which is already fitted out with six large TV screens so “you won’t miss any memorable moments”.
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Packages start from £49 including food and drink by The Bull & Bear, and you can grab your tickets here.
Impossible MCR
City Centre
Impossible MCR made quite a name for itself as a football lovers destination during the 2018 World Cup – and looks set to repeat history again this summer. They’ll be showing the Euros outside on their huge outdoor terrace this summer, with plenty of big screens to make sure everyone gets to see the action.
O’Sheas Beer Garden
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Back Piccadilly
Massive new Manchester beer garden O’Sheas will be showing all the football fixtures this summer, accompanied by one of the best pints of Guinness in the city. The venue is currently staggering booking slots, with the next block set to be released on May 17th.
The ShackBar & Grill
Northern Quarter
With an extensive, American-inspired grill menu and some great drinks deals, The Shack in the Northern Quarter is always a popular choice for watching the football. With a decent sized beer garden in prime position for an outdoor screen, this tucked away spot is a decent
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Off The Square
Northern Quarter
With capacity for 200 people, this Northern Quarter nightclub will be showing most games from June 21st. Newly opened at the end of 2019, it’s housed in the former Texture site on Lever Street.
Point Blank Shooting Range
Deansgate
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Manchester’s only virtual shooting range, Point Blank has quite a swish cocktail menu as well as a good selection of beers and spirit mixes. The venue will be showing all the Euros matches on big screens in its bar from June onwards.
Muse Uppermill
Saddleworth
Just a stones throw from Doestones reservoir, this Saddleworth pub has a huge outdoor area and will be putting up screens this summer to show all the football matches.
News
Government officially approves Eton’s plan to ‘remove barriers’ and open new FREE college in Oldham
Emily Sergeant
Eton’s plans to open a new free college in Oldham will officially go ahead following Government approval this week.
In case you need bringing up to speed a bit, plans for three new post-16 colleges – with the other two being in Dudley and Middlesborough – that are designed to help give young people who’ve done well in their GCSEs the opportunity to achieve the A-Levels they need to go to Oxbridge and other elite universities across the world were first announced back in March 2022, and then given the green light in August 2023.
Eton has partnered with Star Academies – which is said to be the highest-performing state school trust in the country – for the new colleges.
The colleges will aim to recruit ‘dynamic young people from deprived communities’, including in Oldham, and provide them with a ‘rigorous and rounded education’ that supports their ambitions to achieve places at ‘the very best universities’.
Oldham Council has welcomed the news that the new college – set to be named Eton Star Oldham – will go ahead, after the Government confirmed the conclusion of its national review into the proposals.
The decision means that Oldham will become one of the first places in the country to offer this new education model that combines high standards with strong partnerships and expanded opportunities for local young people.
The Government has officially approved Eton’s plan to open a new free college in Oldham / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Approval means pupils from every background will soon have access to the ‘very best’ opportunities.
Cllr Arooj Shah, who is the Leader of Oldham Coucil, said this is ‘great news’ for Oldham, adding: “Eton Star Oldham will give our young people access to life-changing opportunities, no matter their background or where they start in life.
“We have been clear throughout that this must be a college shaped with our young people, our parents and our communities.
“Now that the Government has confirmed it will go ahead, we will work closely with Eton College and Star Academies to make sure this delivers for Oldham’s children and opens doors for generations to come.”
Work will now begin on the detailed next steps – including design, delivery, and engagement with families and communities.
It’s also been confirmed that the college will be built on the current Tommyfield Market car park site in Oldham town centre.
Featured Image – Oldham Council
News
Former Salford Red Devils player planning phoenix club after the team’s collapse
Danny Jones
A former Salford Red Devils player is planning to start a phoenix club from the ashes of the fallen rugby league team.
Retired winger Mason Caton-Brown, who played for the Red Devils between 2014 and 2016, is leading the consortium currently being linked with resurrecting the Salford side.
The Greater Manchester sporting institution sadly folded following liquidation on 3 December after a prolonged period of uncertainty and crippling debts.
Despite investors promising funds and multiple adjournments to their winding-up ceremony, time simply ran out and now Caton-Brown and co. are, hopefully, looking to pick up the pieces.
Heading up the move to bring back the beloved outfit, the former chairman of the ‘Forever Reds Supporters Trust’ (FRST), Malcolm Crompton, local entrepreneurs Paul Hancock and Ashley Washington are also assisting with the proposal.
Simply known as ‘The Phoenix Bid’, they are said to have potentially secured a six-figure sum and have already reached some provisional pre-contract agreements with a new coach and several players ahead of the formal offer being taken into consideration.
Publishing a lengthy mission statement on social media earlier this week, the ex-pro wrote: “I moved to Salford from London over 10 years ago, and the club and city welcomed me with open arms.
“It made me who I am today. The Salford City community is like no other, and the club is a big part of that, so when I saw it was at risk of going under, I truly felt the need to be a part of a solution and give back to the club, city and the community.
“But I’m not on my own, I’m part of a team of people that are passionate about what this club means and truly focused on making sure a true Salford RLFC stays alive and is something the fans and the city can call their own.”
Chatting with BBC Sport Manchester in a recent interview, the 32-year-old Enfield-born athlete turned businessman – who also represented the London Broncos and Wakefield Trinity – claims that conversations with investors and stakeholders are progressing nicely.
🗣️ "We are looking to bring this club back to life"
Former Salford winger Mason Caton-Brown has outlined his plans for a new phoenix club.
Salford fans, make sure to listen back to last night's Total Sport.
Signing off the post with a strong assurance, he said: “If our bid is successful, I promise we will do everything we can to protect the club and build a future Salford can be proud of.”
As for the fans, a spokesperson for the aforementioned supporters’ trust dubbed the prospective personnel spearheading the revival as a “powerful and credible team”, with Caton-Brown promising to reveal all the exciting details if the bid gets green-lit.
Speaking in an official press release shared with The Manc, the one-time Jamaican international and adopted Salfordian added: “This isn’t just about rebuilding a club, it’s about rebuilding belief.
“Salford means everything to me as a club and is part of my story. We want to create something the city can be proud of again; a club that stands for honesty, sustainability, and genuine community connection.”
“We’re inviting the people of Salford to stand with us. Together we can rise again, not just to bring rugby league back to this city, but to make sure it thrives for generations to come.”
Do you think The Phoenix Bid will be successful and, more importantly, do you think this group are the right people to bring the club back and get them moving onwards and upwards again?