Sport

WSL Manchester derbies to be held at Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium this season

It'll be the first time the women's derby has been ever held at Old Trafford.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 7th August 2023

In a historic moment for Man City, Man United and women’s football in general, both of this year’s WSL Manchester derbies will be held at the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford, respectively.

This isn’t just the first occasion that both derby fixtures will be played at each of the club’s main stadiums, but also the first time in history that United will have ever hosted a Women’s Super League derby at the Theatre of Dreams.

While this will be the second year running that City has held the derby over at the Etihad and not at the adjacent Academy Stadium, it marks just the fourth game to have ever been held in front of fans at Man United’s home ground since the women’s team restarted in 2018.

The female Red Devils play the majority of their games at Leigh Sports Village but with women’s football bigger than even both in the UK and globally, not to mention Marc Skinner’s side going so close to the title last season, it’s a better time than ever to play the derby in front of as many fans as possible.

A historic match is coming in just a few months’ time.

More than 60,000 supporters bought tickets for the two games held at Old Trafford last year and both clubs will be hoping to break attendance figures this season, with a club record of 44,259 fans also turning up to watch the most recent meeting between the two at the Etihad.

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The last match between the two ended in a 1-1 draw in December and Man United Women’s last home derby saw a record crowd of 7,864 turn up to see the Reds get one over on the Blues at Leigh Sports Village, winning in a 2-1 blockbuster to keep their title hopes alive on the final day.

Both sides ultimately ended up missing out on the WSL trophy last season after a tightly-contested campaign, with United finishing just two points behind champions Chelsea who lifted their sixth title, the most of any team since the league began in 2010.

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After both teams went so close in the last campaign, you can expect the stadiums to be packed out and even greater attendances all season long, with the first round of fixtures getting underway on 1 October.

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Speaking on the announcement, Skinner said, “These fixtures represent one of the biggest rivalries in world football and it is fitting that both games will take place in stadiums that provide more fans with the opportunity to attend and support us…

“Women’s football is again capturing the nation and playing these matches at grounds like Old Trafford and the Etihad can only add to the ever-increasing profile of the club, the WSL and the women’s game in general.”

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As for his opposite number, head coach Gareth Taylor said: “It’s fantastic news that we’ll be returning to the Etihad Stadium once again this coming season… We’ve seen so many new fans attending our games over the past year, and it will be brilliant to hopefully see many more joining us next March.”

The first WSL Manchester derby will be held at Old Trafford on Sunday, 19 November and the reverse fixture at the Etihad will take place on Sunday, 24 March 2024. Although City are yet to announce their full list of prices, United fans can secure their derby day seats now from just £15. The question is, can the two Manc teams push each other even closer to the title this season?

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

Featured Image — Manchester United/Manchester City

Sport

A Salford community centre is hosting a specialChristmas-themed pro wrestling show

Danny Jones Danny Jones festive wrestling event Salford community centre

A local community centre in Salford is hosting a Christmas-themed pro wrestling show this festive period and it might just be one of the coolest-sounding fundraisers we’ve heard in a while.

Do sleigh bells and body slams go together? Well, we’re going to find out.

Hosting the special seasonal edition of PinFall Wrestling, the local sports entertainment group based out of Salford Gymnastic Centre, beloved local organisation The Rec will be helping put on a whole evening of fighting action from their 20ft wrestling ring.

Scheduled to get underway on Saturday, 14 December, a whole slew of UK wrestling talent will be competing in PinFall’s Christmas Chaos 2024.

Managed by the Salford Involved Cooperative, a non-profit enterprise that helps fund places like The Rec, nearby gyms and other important community outlets,

Promising “turkey, tinsel and takedowns”, the star-studded roster includes ITV’s World of Wrestling stars Sheikh El Sham and Martin Kirby, plus fan favourites like Commander Sterling.

Better yet, as well as many other familiar faces to those immersed in the British wrestling scene, the event will also feature talent from the Top Rope Wrestling Academy (TRWA), all of which will be making their PinFall debut.

Christmas Chaos takes place at The Rec on Camp Street in Salford (M7 1ZT), just five minutes or so outside of Manchester city centre, with doors opening from 2:30pm.

Adult admission is only a tenner and children aged 15 and under go even cheaper at just £6. Tickets are available HERE and you can even spring for early access through VIP passes if you’re feeling fancy.

Once again, all the funds raised through ticket sales go straight back into the centre and towards organising other community events throughout the year.

Credit: PinFall Wrestling (supplied)

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The Rec is based in East Salford, which has eight out of its 13 neighbourhoods listed as the lowest 10% on the country’s index of multiple deprivation.

They offer a wide range of support services throughout the week that help tackle the effects of poverty in the area including recovery support for those struggling with addiction, refugee and asylum seeker classes, sports, youth activities, food banks and more.

As well as ticketed events like these, they regularly hold free community fun days such as their annual Easter event and Christmas present drive, which saw over 250 presents handed out to locals in 2023.

Working with multiple regional and national organisations such as Greater Manchester Police, the NHS, National Lottery, Sports England, Children in Need, The Mustard Tree and more, the importance of the work done at The Rec cannot be overstated.

More importantly, places like this need constant support directly from the communities that they serve, especially during difficult times like the one we are facing right now. So, if you fancy helping the much-loved Salford community centre and watching some festive wrestling shenanigans, see you there.

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

Featured Images – Supplied

Sport

Rúben Amorim outlines the three key things Manchester United need to work on

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ruben Amorim first pre-match press conference Man United

Rúben Amorim has conducted his first full press conference as Manchester United manager and has outlined the three key things he wants to address when it comes to his new team.

Amorim officially joined Man United on Monday, 11 November after being given a ‘now or never’ which meant he had to leave his former club Sporting CP in the middle of the season.

Replacing Erik ten Hag, who was sacked less than 24 hours after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham and had overseen a run of bad results, the contract extension he was given in the summer ultimately proved obsolete and now the Portuguese head coach must lift his new side from a measly 13th in the table.

That being said, speaking to the media in his first full pre-match presser ahead of his maiden Premier League outing against Ipswich Town this weekend, Amorim has already highlighted three key areas in which he wants United to improve as a matter of priority.

What did Amorim say in his first full Man United press conference?

Although the 39-year-old coach – who is only three years older than resurgent centre-back Johnny Evans – started off by assuring that his main focus at its core is to win the next match (and the one after that, as the football cliché goes), he boiled the current squad issues down to a troublesome trio.

In his eyes, a lot of it just comes down to pure physical effort.

Improve possession

First and foremost, Amorim was quick to point out that United “lose the ball too often” and simply have to retain it more throughout the 90 minutes.

Although they have enjoyed spells of greater control in games, their average possessions stats in the Premier League not only under ten Hag but Ole Gunnar Solskjær and even short-lived interim boss Ralf Rangnick never flirted too far above 50-53%.

While that might sound like the signs of nothing more than a well-contested game, the club need to be looking at much higher numbers if they want to start being a dominant force again.

Track back more

The second area he said that the team desperately needs to improve in is the distances covered per match, especially when it comes to running back towards their own goal and tracking back during defensive phases.

Addressing it in a rather matter-of-fact manner, he told reporters: “We have to be better at running back, I think that is clear for everybody [to see].” He told Gary Neville something very similar in his other recent interview with Sky Sports.

He said it with a smile on his face but it’s clear that he knows there is a narrative surrounding United in recent years that they just don’t work hard enough, both on and off the ball. Having played mainly in the middle of the park for Belenenses, Benfica and SC Braga, running is a non-negotiable.

Focus on the ‘details’ first

Lastly, Amorim said he believes one of the big things he can do for these players is to help them fine-tune the small things. He added that although there is a feeling that fans want there to be “a lot of change” and pressure to make “big” decisions, he reiterated that “it’s the small things.”

The former utility player knows a thing or two about playing in lots of positions and going back to the opening point of his press conference in which he discussed getting the team to believe in “one thing”, he believes that the minute differences can contribute to changing how they approach the game.

There is understandably lots of talk surrounding his trademark 3-4-3 formation and whether these details refer to tactical tweaks, we will see, but he insists that so long as they put in the effort and pay attention to the little stuff, those on the pitch will start to play in the same way that he wants them to.

You can watch his press conference ahead of the Ipswich away this Sunday in full down below:

Amorim was also happy to casually call out those who ‘don’t believe in’ his new players in his first press conference as Man United coach.

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

Featured Images — BeanymanSports (via YouTube screenshot)

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