News

TfGM issues travel warning ahead of Manchester’s ‘busiest’ weekend of the year

What an exciting few days we've got on the horizon.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 22nd August 2024

An annual travel warning has been issued ahead of what is always one of Manchester’s “busiest” weekends of the year.

Greater Manchester‘s social calendar is never any more packed than it is on August bank holiday weekend, and 2024 is set to be absolutely no different – with Manchester Pride, Bolton Food & Drink Festival, Festa Italiana, major gigs at Wythenshawe Park, Peter at the AO Arena, and loads of other exciting fringe events on the lineup this weekend.

That’s not all either, as it’s also a big weekend for sport too, as Premier League football returns to the Etihad Stadium when Manchester City face Ipswich Town, as well as Test cricket at Old Trafford for England vs Sri Lanka.

So, as you can see, we’ve got a pretty hectic few days on the horizon… and along with that comes thousands of people travelling into Manchester city centre and across the wider borough.

With an influx of people expected, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has, unsurprisingly, done what it does every year and issued a travel warning, urging passengers to “plan ahead” if they want to avoid delays with the number of different events taking place over the next four days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Saturday is set to be the “busiest day”, according to TfGM, with the cricket, football, annual Manchester Pride Parade, Peter Kay, and New Order at Wythenshawe Park all happening on this day, so in this instance, the region’s transport provider is reminding people that the tram is the best way to travel in and out of the city.

On top of this, TfGM is also “strongly advising” against driving into the city centre, due to a number of road closures that will be in place over the weekend.

ADVERTISEMENT

There will be several road closures and parking suspensions around Wythenshawe Park over the weekend, with New Order and Blossoms headlining the Saturday and Sunday night events respectively, and more details for this can be found on TfGM’s dedicated Wythenshawe Park webpage, while everything you need to know about the two gigs can be found here:

TfGM has issued its annual travel warning ahead of Manchester’s ‘busiest’ weekend of the year / Credit: TfGM

On the Sunday for Blossoms, a dedicated shuttle bus service will operate between Stockport Interchange and Wythenshawe Park – with buses leaving the interchange every 10 minutes from 4pm, and following the concert, services will run to Stockport until the site is clear (approximately 1am).

Trams will be running with a 15-minute frequency across the whole Metrolink network, and 7.5 minute frequency for the weekend events.

ADVERTISEMENT

“This bank holiday weekend is shaping up to be a busy one with lots of fantastic events happening across Greater Manchester,” commented Fran Wilkinson, who is TfGM’s Customer and Growth Director.

“While you’re heading out for a good time, we’ll be here to keep you moving and make sure you can get where you need to be, so if you are heading to one of the many fantastic events this weekend, we’d urge you to plan ahead to make your journey as smoothly as possible.

“But most importantly, we hope everyone has a great time.”

Read more:

More general travel information about the bank holiday weekend can be found on TfGM’s dedicated webpage here.

Featured Image – TfGM

News

Manchester United announce record revenue despite on-pitch struggles

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Manchester United have declared a record revenue figure for the full 2025 fiscal term, even with their poor performances on the pitch over the past 12 months.

They may still be a continually struggling Premier League side who seem to be in a perpetual state of transition, but they remain nothing short of a global giant in terms of sporting brands.

Yes, despite Man United recording two of the worst finishes in domestic history in the previous two campaigns and head coach Ruben Amorim having already overseen the worst start to a top-flight season in the modern era following the defeat on derby day, the football club has reached a monetary milestone.

According to their official reports for the fourth and final quarter of the financial year, they brought in a record-breaking £666.5 million throughout 2024/25 – but, as always, it’s more complicated than that.

Released on Wednesday, 17 September, Manchester United PLC confirmed that they had managed to record the biggest revenue figures on several fronts despite crashing out of the Europa League, finishing 15th in the table overall and failing to secure a place in any European competition this season.

The first half of Amorim‘s tenure at Old Trafford saw the club’s worst competitive placing since 1973/74, a.k.a. the last time the Red Devils were relegated from the first division.

Nevertheless, a fresh shirt sponsorship agreement with Snapdragon, new brand partnerships with the likes of Coca-Cola, an extension of their contract with travel experience company, SportsBreaks, and numerous other deals saw United achieve a record commercial revenue of £333.3m.

Elsewhere, match revenue was also up and reached new heights, tallying approximately £160.3m in the 12 months leading up to 30 June 2025 – the most they have ever registered when it comes to ticket sales, concessions, and other transactions in and around game days.

Controversial increases to some ticket prices and seat changes no doubt helped tip the scales in that respect, but it’s also worth clarifying that they still posted overall losses of £33m.

Although this number is a reduction of more than 70.8% what they lost last year (£113.2m), there is still plenty of concern among supporters over how money is still not only being spent but moved around.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS board did pay sizeable chunks of MUFC’s debt, which has piled up at an alarming rate in the two decades since the Glazer takeover, but there has still been plenty of borrowing.

In addition to a number of shorter-term loans, there has also been an increased level of amortisation and significant transfer spending this summer, despite being admittedly cash-strapped.

As well as actually having less money to play with over the past 12 months, they are also set to receive less in TV rights and broadcasting revenues this season due to not making it into any European competition, hence why they went on a post-season Asian tour to try and make up for funds lost.

It’s estimated that the business earned a further £8 million from these games, but it’s also worth noting that significant sums have been spent not only on new signings but also on severance fees and redundancy packages, so it’s hard to assess how much this extra injection helped with the fine margins.

Divisive CEO and former City Football Group exec, Omar Berrada, wrote in the comments section of the full findings and financial report: “As we settle into the 2025/26 season, we are working hard to improve the club in all areas.

“On the field, we are pleased with the additions we have made to our men’s and women’s first team squads over the summer, as we build for the long term. Off the field, we are emerging from a period of structural and leadership change with a refreshed, streamlined organisation equipped to deliver on our sporting and commercial objectives.”

Yet again, it’s worth noting that the same ‘streamlining’ her refers to includes sacking over 450 staff across two rounds of lay-offs.

He adds: “We are also investing [in upgrading] our infrastructure, including completion of the £50m redevelopment of our men’s first team building at Carrington, on time and on budget, following prior investment in our women’s team facilities, to create a world-class environment for our players and staff.

“Meanwhile, planning continues to meet our ambition of developing a new stadium at Old Trafford as part of a transformational regeneration of the surrounding community.

Manchester United’s Old Trafford regeneration project backed by UK government
Total Manchester United revenue may be up but they’re about to shell out seismic outlay for their new stadium costs.

Berrada signs off by insistig that for the club to have “generated record revenues during such a challenging year for the club demonstrates the resilience which is a hallmark of Manchester United.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Our commercial business remains strong as we continue to deliver appealing products and experiences for our fans, and best-in-class value to our partners.”

“As we start to feel the benefits of our cost reduction programme, there is significant potential for improved financial performance, which will, in turn, support our overriding priority: success on the pitch.”

What do you make of Manchester United’s 2024/25 annual report and how it fits into the wider picture/struggles elsewhere around the club?

Read more:

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group

News

FIFA confirm new changes to international breaks – and many fans are divided

Danny Jones Danny Jones FIFA confirm new international breaks schedule explained

Global sporting body FIFA have announced new changes to the annual football calendar and the ever-divisive international breaks, specifically.

It’s fair to say that not everyone is in agreement over the update to what many fans and even players already find a frustrating format.

Put simply, FIFA have revealed that they will be merging the traditional September and October breaks into one extended period of international football from 2026 onwards.

Once again, although the decision has been met with plenty of support, it has also faced just as much, if not potentially even more, resistance.

As detailed by multiple outlets following full confirmation on Monday, 13 September, footy fans are now looking at a combined 16 days of watching national teams in World Cup qualifiers and other fixtures.

While other clubs further down the footballing pyramid will still be able to watch their team, supporters of Premier League sides and several other divisions will see domestic action cease for roughly three weeks when taking into account rest days between international and club fixtures

Besides incorporating more teams into this year’s World Cup (now a 48-team affair) and the still relatively recent advent of the Nations League – which UEFA introduced in the hopes of creating more interest in the much-maligned international breaks – this is one of the biggest changes in some time.

At present, there are typically four breaks: September, October, November and March/April – not including major tournaments themselves.

One criticism of this format has been the stop-start consequence it has on club football, and indeed, struggling to create any real momentum and/or excitement, as well as the impact on form it sometimes has on players both away on national team duty and when they get back to their clubs.

Another big concern these breaks have always been met with is the added risk of fatigue and injury.

Despite being athletes who regularly train to remain at the peak of their physical fitness, the increasingly congested fixture calendar – particularly for those playing in England, with multiple cup competitions, the prospect of European football AND no break over Christmas – continues to push bodies to the limit.

Once again, these new changes to international breaks won’t come into effect until next year, but there are plenty of pros and cons that professionals and supporters alike will continue to debate until the new schedule is implemented.

Where do you land on all of this?

Read more:

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

Featured Images — MCaviglia (via Wikimedia Commons)/US State Department/rawpixel.com

More News

Crime

Family pay tribute to ‘loyal’ son who was killed in a stabbing in Moss Side

Clayface Batman villain DC movie filming in Castlefield, Manchester

Art & Culture

Castlefield is being transformed into Gotham amidst more Hollywood filming in Greater Manchester

Man City staff member sacked after wearing Man United shirt on the bar on derby day

Manchester

Manchester City staff member sacked after wearing Man United shirt to shift

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches