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England students to have ‘six-day travel window’ to get home for Christmas

Universities will have to stagger student departure dates from 3 December to 9 December, in accordance with instructions set out by the Department for Education.

The Manc The Manc - 11th November 2020
Lewis Clarke / Geograph

Students in England are set to be given a six-day ‘travel window’ in December to get back in time for Christmas – with mass testing conducted on campus before they leave. 

Universities will have to arrange staggered departure dates from 3 December to 9 December, in accordance with instructions set out by the Department for Education. 

Any student that tests positive must self-isolate for ten days. 

As teaching is currently scheduled to continue beyond 9 December, universities are being encouraged to provide most classes online from this date so students can continue learning from home up until the festive break. 

According to The Guardian, the logistics of mass testing and arranging the travel window has already raised concerns with some Vice-Chancellors across England. 

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Jo Grady, the general secretary of the University and College Union, said: “Allowing just a week for around 1 million students to travel across the country leaves little room for error. 

“If the government instead told universities to move online now it would provide much more time to stagger the movement of students and better protect the health of staff, students and their wider communities.”

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Thousands of students have experienced a turbulent first term since leaving home to start in higher education in September. 

Fresh outbreaks of the virus have left hundreds confined to their halls of residence for quarantine periods, whilst many are also having to learn via Zoom instead of attending normal classes. 

@BenMcGowan_

Tension has been building in the community for months, and the tipping point came last week when the University of Manchester constructed fences around accommodation overnight as a ‘safety’ precaution without informing residents.

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Within 24 hours, students gathered to tear the fences down. 

UoM has since apologised.

Mass COVID-19 testing is expected to take place on campus in the week leading up to 3 December. 

Health Secretary Matt Hanock also confirmed this week that the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester would be included on a list of new counties set to benefit from rapid-speed testing. 

The new tests launched as part of a pilot scheme in Liverpool last week and are capable of giving results in minutes. 

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FA Cup final confirmed for 3pm kick-off time as Metropolitan Police stress safety for fans

Danny Jones Danny Jones 2024 FA Cup final kick off time confirmed for 3pm

The start time for the 2023/24 FA Cup final has officially been confirmed with holders Manchester City and challengers Manchester United set to kick off at 3pm on Saturday, 25 May.

It’s an all-Manc final for the second year running and yet another Manchester Derby this year as City beat Chelsea on penalties to try and defend one of their trophies from last season and Man United did just about enough to scrape through against Coventry City this past weekend.

Logistics and travel arrangements for the conclusion of last year’s FA Cup proved problematic, with the Metropolitan Police stressing that they needed the schedule brought forward to try and help curb crowd trouble – the first time the final had been reverted back to a traditional 3pm start since 2011.

Kick-off times for the knockout tournament have varied for the last three finals, having taken place at 4:45 and 5:15pm in the two years prior to 2023’s historic Manchester derby, but it looks as though the same rationale has been put in place once again.

The kick-off time for the FA Cup final has been confirmed for 3pm.

As per an official statement by the FA, the final has now been officially confirmed as 3pm BST which has been agreed with local authorities, members of the Safety Advisory Group and broadcasters, as well as with the clubs who must take the time needed for fans to travel to and from Wembley into consideration.

While pockets of fighting broke out before and after the game last year, it was deemed that this time would still be the best kick-off time for all parties involved and there will, of course, be an increased police presence in London for the game next month.

Although prioritising safety comes as welcome news, it’ll no doubt prove to be a blow to broadcasters who prefer later kick-offs when eyeing up peak audience numbers; the game is also set to clash with ITV’s coverage of the rugby as the Investec Champions Cup final is also due to start at 2:45pm. 

With last season’s FA Cup final being the first time the two sides had met in the final in the entire history of the oldest competition in all of football, it rounded off a record year of viewing figures for the tournament.

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The game will once again be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and ITV1; ITVX, UTV, as well as STV and there will no doubt be huge screenings of the game all over Greater Manchester, where an increased police presence is also expected.

With Man City having dropped out of the Champions League, this year’s FA Cup final could see them defend the first of their treble for last season. As for their fierce and historic rivals, this is the second year in a row that both United’s men’s and women’s teams have made it to their respective FA Cup finals.

Is it going to be back-to-back FA Cups for the Blues or are the Reds going to make it two trophies in Erik ten Hag’s first two seasons?

Featured Images — @brentflanders (via Flickr)/FA Cup (via X)

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Manchester City start work on next phase of stadium expansion, hotel, museum and more

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester City new stadium expansion next phase

Manchester City have officially started work on the next phase of their ambitious stadium expansion plans which will see their capacity increase and the wider Etihad Campus transformed into a ‘best-in-class entertainment venue’.

Planning permission for the Etihad Stadium update was secured back in July 2023 and the club has confirmed that the first steel beams have now been installed after arriving in recent weeks.

The £300 million project will not only see the Etihad’s capacity climb from 53,400 to over 60,000 but, as previously detailed, the City Football Group‘s plans also entail the creation of a brand new club shop and museum, an integrated 400-bed hotel as well as an updated fan zone set to house around 3000.

With the initial steel framework now in place, not only has ground now been broken 12 months on from full arrival and just in time for the club’s 130th birthday, but they’re already making fast progress.

Man City and CFG issue update on £300m stadium and Etihad Campus expansion.

Man City fans can expect to see the number of seats jump up in time for the 2025/26 season, with the bulk of the stadium expansion and other renovations taking place around the North Stand – the tier facing opposite the brand-new Co-op Live Arena, which faced setbacks this week.

In addition to the other main leisure attractions, once completed, the newly expanded stand will also boast a sky bar and stadium roof walk above the upper tier, giving fans and tourists the chance to enjoy unique views of the pitch and the Manchester skyline.

Drawing parallels to Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, which was finally completed back in 2019, this will see City once again trying to assert themselves at the forefront of modern football experiences.

Moreover, with neighbouring Co-op Live arriving as a joint venture between the CFG and Oak View Groups, the Etihad Campus is perfectly poised to achieve the owners’ goal of becoming a “world-class, all-year-round entertainment venue”.

man city museum sky bar
man city new hotel
Those working on the Manchester City stadium expansion (Credit: Tom Barton via Man City)

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Importantly for the East Manchester district, the stadium infrastructure project will also bring job opportunities and economic growth to the area, with the club insisting they want to build on their “long-standing investment and commitment to its local community”.

As per an official press release, it is estimated that approximately 890 full-time roles will be created during the construction phase alone and even more are expected to be delivered once Manchester City’s new hotel, museum, sky bar and dedicated fan zones are finished.

Speaking at the site, Managing Director of Manchester City Operations, Danny Wilson, said:
“It’s been an exciting few months with the arrival and installation of the first steels and
fantastic to see the development and progress of the build in recent weeks.

“This project has been designed with our fans at its heart and demonstrates our commitment
to creating one of the most memorable fan experiences in world sport. Fans will have the
opportunity to extend their matchday by joining us at the new covered fan zone, visiting the
museum, or staying at the hotel… The next evolution of the campus is well underway and it’s great to mark the progress being made.”

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Manchester City (supplied)

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