Manchester’s Co-op Live has booked its latest big event as the 2026 Netball Super League (NSL) Grand Final is set to be held at the massive indoor venue.
As one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues not just in the country but all of Europe, there’ll be room for plenty of UK fans to pile into the stands.
This being not only the NSL‘s debut at the arena but the first final to ever be held in the building, it’s set to be a historic night for lots of reasons.
Announcing the huge coup – not just for the increasingly popular female-led competition, but for sports fans around Greater Manchester in general – this week, the reaction to the big date on the women’s sporting calendar has been just as big.
As mentioned in an official press release, “The selection of Co-op Live for the 2026 Soft & Gentle Grand Final builds on the arena’s rapid emergence as a global destination for sport and entertainment, following a programme of major global broadcasts across music and sport.”
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The 23,500-capacity and completely indoor stadium has quickly established itself as a leading destination for live music and more since it finally opened back in May 2024.
Last year’s Super League Grand Final was held down in the capital at The O2 Arena as the fast-rising franchise London Pulse beat Loughborough Lightning 53–45 to lift the title for the first time in history.
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Now, the NSL is looking to capitalise on those record-breaking crowds by bringing the action closer to another foundational home for so many competitive disciplines: Greater Manchester.
With England Netball themselves being headquarted at the England Netball is headquartered at the National Squash Centre and Regional Arena on the Etihad Campus (next door to the arena), choosing Co-op Live only felt natural this time.
Elsewhere, another big tournament is being held up in the North, too, with the Netball Super Cup set be hosted at the Utilita Arena over in Yorkshire – much to our mates at The Sheff‘s delight.
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Treat a netball fan in your life ❤️
🤝 Help them start #NSL2026 in style and get them tickets to see the Netball Super Cup live.
As for Co-op Live itself, general manager Guy Dunstan commented: “We’re incredibly proud to welcome the Soft & Gentle Grand Final to Co-op Live and to make history by hosting the first sporting final at the arena.
“Co-op Live was designed to bring people together for unforgettable shared experiences, and this reflects everything [we] stand for: world-class events, inclusivity, community impact and inspiring the next generation. We can’t wait to see Manchester play host to such a landmark moment for the sport.”
As always, official Co-op members get early access through the venue’s dedicated presale window, which will open at 10am on Monday, 2 March.
Meanwhile, general admission will then be available from the same time the following Thursday (5 Mar); you can get ready to grab your tickets for the Netball Super League Grand Final in Manchester at Co-op Live right HERE.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Co-op Live)
Sport
New Amazon Prime Video docuseries to show Pep Guardiola’s final seasons at Manchester City
Emily Sergeant
A new all-access docuseries featuring Pep Guardiola’s final few seasons at Manchester City is set to air this summer.
Coming exclusively to Prime Video in the UK and Ireland, the four-part documentary is set to take Manchester City fans and neutral viewers alike inside the club as the players and manager – who delivered an era of dominance -make way for a new generation.
Filmed over the past two seasons, this is the ultimate account of an emotional farewell that marks the end of an era in English football, and will offer unfiltered access to Guardiola, his squad, and the City boardroom.
After 10 trophy-filled years – which included six Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, three FA Cups, and five EFL Cups – Pep Guardiola called time on his tenure in Manchester last month, alongside fan favourite players Bernardo Silva and John Stones, as well as Kevin De Bruyne the season prior.
This new docuseries was there to follow them every step of the process.
Fans can follow City from a disappointing 2024/25 campaign right through to a domestic double the following season, charting the raw emotion of a squad in transition.
The series is directed by Academy and BAFTA award-winning filmmaker, Kevin Macdonald, alongside City Studios’ John De Caux, and is produced by Kevin Macdonald for Plan B/KM Films and Gavin Johnson and Ged Doherty for City Studios.
“This is the ultimate account of an emotional farewell that marks the end of an era in English football,” Amazon Prime Video said in a statement.
Joining Prime Video’s wide selection of sports programming, the series will be available to watch at no additional cost to Prime members this summer.
It’ll be ready to stream on 19 August.
Featured Image – Prime Video
Sport
Here’s our petition for ‘Wonderwall’ to become England’s new football anthem
Danny Jones
All things considered, England have made a great start to the 2026 World Cup, pitching themselves as one of the great entertainers this tournament, and the scenes of the supporters and players alike serenading an entire stadium with ‘Wonderwall’ after the full-time whistle gave us chills.
So why not time for a change?
After all, that feels a lot like what this World Cup squad is about: a new manager, new teammates, not clinging to the previous ways of playing – and perhaps it’s time to put ‘Sweet Caroline’ to one side.
Now, we’re by no means saying that we’re ‘done’ with the John Denver anthem that has been reborn as a Three Lions anthem, but look at how good it was watching England belting out Oasis with the fans.
“Today is gonna be the day that England beat Croatia 4-2”, as BBC’s Match of the Day cleverly quipped.
Obviously, we’re biased as Mancs, but we also think there’s something special about having that particular track feel so good to hear again.
As much as we love Oasis, for a long time, it felt like we couldn’t enjoy arguably their biggest-ever single anywhere near as much as we once did.
We assume it’s something akin to hearing ‘Mr Brightside’ non-stop for what felt like millennia, and in truth, hearing those repetitions of “ba, ba, ba… SO GOOD, SO GOOD!” over and over again at sporting fixtures beyond just national team games has taken the magic out of it at times.
Perhaps it’s just a case of saturation in certain settings and songs simply being overplayed – FIFA’s co-hosts over in the US certainly helped see to that when it came to ‘Wonderwall’ for a long time.
On the other hand, it feels like we’ve now come full circle; singing those famous lyrics at the top of our lungs in a sea of Mancs and fans travelling from all over to Heaton Park for Live ’25 last year felt better than ever, and like we’d all remembered how great a tune it’s always been. So did this…
In fact, this felt so emotional that you’ve got people who aren’t even English praising both those on the pitch and up in the stands for the moment online.
Even the admittedly rather American Man vs Food himself, Adam Richman (though he does have British ancestry), felt compelled to write a moving response on social media: “Shut up. You’re the one that’s crying. Bravo, England.”
He’s far from the only one who was left bowled over by the atmosphere – us included.
What do you think? Is it time for a new go-to tournament anthem for the Three Lions moving forward?
Danny Jones -
17th February 2026 
