Sport

A new membership-based community is helping bring the world of sports and business together

Not just a networking group but a community of like-minded people who all love sport.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 16th February 2024

A brand-new membership-based community and networking group aiming to bring people from the world of sports and business all around the North West together has just launched and you can be a part of it.

Let us introduce you to The Changing Room: a new networking hub and platform specialising in helping those involved in non-league and semi-professional sports, as well as those who might have recently left their discipline/been released, better manage the demands of running their own businesses or day jobs.

Hoping to create opportunities both on and off the pitch around the region, this isn’t just a members-only group, it’s a community of like-minded people trying to learn from each other, expand their personal and professional portfolios, as well better understand their everyday environments.

As a company that regularly tries to bridge the gap between the media industry and sports, we know all about the challenges balancing the two can be at times, so we’re very excited to be collaborating with this promising new platform.

Be it football, rugby, cricket or otherwise, there are business connections to be made everywhere.

What does The Changing Room membership include?

Being a member of The Changing Room and its social network comes with a whole host of advantages designed to support your sporting and business pursuits, no matter what level you’re at.

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  • Access to the group — You will have the opportunity to interact and network with like-minded individuals, creating synergies between sport and business.
  • Personal profile page on the website — Showcase your sporting and business achievements to a wider audience.
  • Monthly meetings and social events — Attend informative and engaging meetings and social events designed to facilitate networking and learning.
  • The Changing Room Club benefits card — Enjoy a multitude of discounts from selected retailers, sportswear brands, hospitality services, and restaurants.
  • Community engagement — Be part of the dedicated TCR WhatsApp community, opening doors to daily interactions and connections.
  • Referral scheme — Gain access to TCR referral scheme, expanding your business network and potential clientele.
  • Networking opportunities — Meet keynote/guest speakers from various business and sports industries, gaining insights from their experiences.
  • Social media PR — Benefit from social media promotional activity featuring you and your business.
  • Exclusive events — Participate in key events such as golf days, paddle tennis competitions and hospitality opportunities.
  • Exclusive opportunities and recruitment days and Expo Games — Access to exclusive opportunities and our recruitment days, providing career and business advancement options.
  • Business advice — Receive invaluable advice from top-level owners and directors, helping push your business to the next level.

Beyond these specific perks, The Changing Room club members will also benefit from an increased level of exposure for their own projects as well as a new way to socialise in general. Unlike lots of other professional networking groups, these lot believe in mixing business with pleasure.

We’ll cheers to that.

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The Changing Room will help connect business and sportspeople all over Greater Manchester, Cheshire and the North West.

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Membership is available to anyone interested in joining who has strong sporting links. The annual membership is £180 and your monthly subscription is £50, (totalling £780 annually) or an upfront payment of £730 for the year (saving £50).

Once you’re part of The Changing Room, you’ll be able to convene and network with other members at regular monthly intervals across various sports clubs around the region, kicking off with the launch event at Morleys Hall in Astley, Greater Manchester on Wednesday, 28 February.

Promising a welcoming atmosphere to all the newcomers, guest speakers and more, not to mention plenty of opportunities for people to connect in a relaxed and sociable manner from the off, people can arrive from 6:30pm.

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To find out more about The Changing Room, their launch event and to potentially sign up, click HERE.

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

Featured Images — The Changing Room (supplied)

Sport

Tyson Fury has officially revealed his comeback fight after coming out of ‘retirement’ once again

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Tyson Fury has officially announced the opponent for his comeback fight after yet again returning to professional boxing.

Fury supposedly ‘retired’ for seemingly the umpteenth time last January following his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk the month prior, and some even believed it might have actually been his final outing.

Nevertheless, ‘The Gypsy King’ said he was coming out of retirement once more earlier this year, and now his next match-up has been confirmed.

Revealing the other contender as Aslanbek Makhmudo, the fight will be aired live on Netflix only.

Partnered exclusively with boxing magazine, Ring, the bout between Fury and Makhmudo is the latest big fight night to be picked up by the streaming giants.

The most recent example was, obviously, Anthony Joshua’s brutal knockout of influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul this past December.

Makhmudo, just a year younger than his opposite number, is a fellow experienced heavyweight based mainly out of Canada with a decent pedigree of his own.

The Russian, simply known as ‘The Lion’, has a record of 21 wins – more than half of those coming by KO.

With that in mind, he presents a potentially exciting prospect for the famous Manchester fighter, who hasn’t won a proper competitive fight since the defence of his WBC belt against Derek Chisora in December 2022.

Similarly, this should at least see two very well-seasoned pros going head to head.

He did fight MMA veteran Francis Ngannou in a one-off exhibition, but there was no title or anything tangible on the line.

In fact, even Fury himself admitted it was a “below par” showing.

Many fight fans would argue that there haven’t been enough proper big heavyweight dates since Fury vs Usyk, and even then, we are still yet to get a date for the all-but fully confirmed final fight of the trilogy.

Fury himself did state that the conclusion of their clash is scheduled for this April, but nothing official has been set in stone by any promotion or venue and the new date means it’s even less likely to be any time soon; meanwhile, plenty are still hoping for AJ vs Fury.

The 37-year-old will take on Makhmudo on Saturday, 11 April, and you can bet the world will be watching.

Read more:

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

Featured Images — FurociTV (via YouTube)/Netflix/Ring Magazine/@Mike_DiDomizio(via X)

Sport

Manchester City finally release special Year of the Horse collection for Lunar celebrations

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man City year of the horse shirt

Manchester City have officially launched their new ‘Year of the Horse’ kit, along with several other items in their latest lifestyle range.

The collection, which has been released as part of the Lunar New Year Celebrations, was leaked online in late 2025 before being officially teased earlier this year, but now Man City have fully unveiled the limited edition clothing items.

It follows the commercial success of their previous Chinese New Year-inspired kits and wider fashion lines over the last few seasons.

For anyone not up to speed on their Zodiac calendar knowledge, 2026 is officially (you guessed it) the year of the horse, hence this choice for the new ‘Capsule Collection’.

As explained on the club website, “It’s the Year of the Fire Horse, and Man City are bringing the heat.

“Set in earthy, neutral tones, the limited-edition Year of the Horse Capsule Collection captures both the stillness of vintage Chinese portraiture and the motion of a team in full stride.”

Revolving around a grey and almost beige colour palette, the full drop includes a new pre-match ‘Anthem’ jacket, a dark graphic design tee, a baseball cap, as well as a soft horse plushie.

The focal point, however, is obviously the jersey itself – though it remains to be confirmed whether or not the special seasonal strip will be worn in any games this campaign as other one-off/special limited edition shirts have been in the past.

You can see the kit in more detail here:

The price points range from £15 for the soft toy to £90 for the adult shirt, with the aforementioned Puma KING Anthem zip-up jacket already available in six colours.

What do you make of the latest lifestyle collection, Blues?

Somewhat fittingly, the Year of the Horse and other items finally debuted on the same day that their local rivals across the other side of town, Manchester United, released some new threads of their own: the second Adidas x The Stone Roses collection.

As for this years Lunar celebrations, the official plans for here in Manchester city centre have now been revealed. You can find out more down below.

Manchester’s legendary Dragon Parade returns next month to celebrate Chinese New Year 2026

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

Featured Images — Manchester City Football Club (via website)

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