Manchester City is set to host the Barclays Women’s Super League Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium later this season, and tickets are selling fast.
With the 2022/23 football season now well underway, and following what has been a summer to remember for the women’s game, Manchester City’s team of superstars have got a huge run of fixtures lined-up – but they’re already looking forward to the upcoming Manchester derby this December, and are set to welcome thousands of cheering fans to the Etihad Stadium as they face their local red rivals.
And with family tickets from just £18 for a family of four*, and the match taking place in the run-up to Christmas, it’s an ideal day out.
It will be the third time Manchester City’s women’s first team have played at the Etihad Stadium, and the second time the WSL Manchester derby has been held there too.
Although the Academy Stadium is the women’s team’s home stadium, City hosted Everton at the Etihad Stadium back in May 2014, before welcoming Manchester United in September 2019 and clinching a 1-0 win in front of a then WSL record crowd – and what still remains a club record – of 31,213 fans.
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Derby matches are always known for having that extra competitive edge, especially in a city that’s as football obsessed asManchester.
And this upcoming game looks set to be no different.
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Manchester City is set to host the Barclays Women’s Super League Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium / Credit: Lewis Storey & Tom Flathers / Manchester City (via Getty Images)
A derby win is the chance to claim some bragging rights, the chance to feel a sense of pride in the shirt you’re wearing, and crucially, the chance to paint the city red or blue.
Manchester City Women’s head coach Gareth Taylor said the upcoming WSL Manchester derby is “something to look forward to this season”, and the fact that it’s being held at the Etihad Stadium is “amazing news” for the team.
“For the derby at the Academy Stadium earlier this year, it was amazing to see a sell-out crowd there and the demand for tickets was unbelievable,” he explained.
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“A Manchester derby always has a little added spice, but to bring it back to the Etihad again – especially with the growth of the league over the last few seasons – will bring it to another level.”
It’ll be the third time Manchester City’s women’s first team have played at the Etihad Stadium / Credit: Tom Flathers / Manchester City (via Getty Images)
Manchester City’s longtime captain Steph Houghton is also relishing the chance to face up to our cross-town rivals at the Etihad this season, and added that playing in the derby in front of over 31,000 people back in 2019 was one of her favourite moments in her City career “without a doubt”.
“The atmosphere that the fans created was just amazing and it was a day to remember for all of us who were involved,” Houghton recalled.
“As much as the Academy Stadium is our home and it was just incredible to see it sold out for the derby last season, having a bigger venue such as the Etihad Stadium will hopefully allow people who missed out last time to experience our Manchester derby in all its glory.”
Derby matches are always known for having that extra competitive edge / Credit: Tom Flathers / Manchester City (via Getty Images)
Manchester City will face Manchester United in the Barclays WSL Manchester derby on Sunday 11 December 2022 – with kick-off at 12:30pm.
Tickets to the highly-anticipated match are now available from £8 for adults and from £1 for under-18s, and you can get them on the Manchester City websitehere.
You can also grab tickets to any of the women’s first team home gameshere.
Featured Image – Tom Flathers / Getty Images (via Manchester City)
*Dependent on ticket availability and stadium seat location.
Featured Image – Tom Flathers / Getty Images (via Manchester City)
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Thanks to Terminal 2’s major upgrade, now holidays really do start at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
It’s a phrase that’s almost as old as air travel itself, but luckily, Manchester Airport are well and truly getting your holidays started early, courtesy of the new and improved Terminal 2.
T2‘s massive upgrade technically finished in 2025, but with other bits debuting already this year and even more to come in 2026, Manchester’s biggest terminal is a more fully-fledged travel hub than ever.
Complete everything from the essentials and a healthy supply of food and drink, to lots of luxuries and plenty of ways to unwind and kill time between both before and after flights, you can feel extra smug about getting to the airport early.
As part of their latest ‘Terminal Explorer’ campaign, we recently paid a visit to see just how much fun we could get up to in and around T2. Spoilers: quite a lot.
With a little help from their wayfinding screens dotted around the various areas, from the World Duty Free section and ever-growing internal shopping district, to all the bars and restaurants that have opened since the big refurb, we took ourselves on a very fun day out.
And that was without even having an actual holiday booked to look forward to, so just imagine how good it must feel to top all this off with a real trip away.
In fact, you don’t even need to think that hard about it; roughly 80% of all passengers heading in and out of Manchester Airport now come through T2, and with the experience improving all the time, they’re seeing a serious uptick in visitors and their time spent enjoying some leisure before their getaway.
From additions like the LEGO store to keep the kids entertained, as well as numerous places to grab a brew, a bite, or even your first adult beverage of the holiday, it’s up to you how you choose to explore – they’ve just given you plenty of options.
There’s no bigger testament to the latest hospitality offerings in Terminal 2 than the recently opened Great Northern Market, which brings a rather big taste of the Mackie Mayor vibe to Manchester Airport.
A VERY comfortable place to wind down any wait times before you fly.
You’ll be blown away by the amount of choice on offer in here – we certainly were – and, of course, the multi-vendor culinary destination epicentre is just one of many fantastic food and drink offerings now boasted by the T2 ‘2.0.’
For instance, we could happily spend most of the time before our next hypothetical flight just chilling in the super stylish Fever-Tree Bar, which includes a wonderful range of breakfast and light bites, charcuterie boards, small plates, sandwiches and so on – plus a cocktail menu perfect for any occasion.
Put simply, you’ve now been given all the tools and means to turn downtime of almost any duration into an excuse to explore Manchester Airport at its best; in fact, scratch that: it’s an opportunity to go for a wander and make the most of it – and it’s one you don’t want to waste.
Whether it’s stocking up pre-flight or kicking back with your first drink of many, don’t just be another person sitting watching the departures board, be a terminal explorer.
Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Emily Sergeant
This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.
And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.
You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.
Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.
Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied
As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.
200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.
On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.
An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.
“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd November 2022 
