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

Manchester City plotting spending spree ‘before’ Club World Cup

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man City summer signings before Club World Cup

Manchester City are set to embark on somewhat of a spending spree this summer transfer window as the club’s higher-ups are looking to get business done before the 2025 Club World Cup.

With FIFA’s intercontinental club competition set to get underway in mid-June, the Blues don’t have too long to welcome in new players, but Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has reiterated their urgency regarding recruitment.

Despite having brought in four new acquisitions in a very short space of time last season, the 50-year-old argued that he wasn’t completely happy with the extent and speed of their business.

Giving a lengthy interview this week, CFG‘s founding chairman has imposed an internal deadline ahead of the lucrative knockout competition.

Speaking with club media, Khaldoon recognised that while there were incomings in January of this year, he believes they “should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do, adding that he believes it “cost [them].”

“I can tell you today, we have clearly identified who exactly [the targets are], in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option”, he continues.

More importantly, he goes on to add: “We’ll go about our business, and it will be very clear, very swift. Our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”

He also suggested the flurry of activity this past January was not just atypical of the administration, but felt the squad fell into a crisis state with the number of injuries, insisting they “had to act.”

City have already been linked with a hugely talented and highly-rated European target in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne‘s departure and a lack of strength in depth in midfield.

Manchester City reportedly set to snap up Serie A star this summer
An initial bid is said to have been received already and will likely be the first of many City summer signings.

He also insisted that the players who joined last season weren’t scattershot, emergency transfers (perhaps barring the resigning of İlkay Gündoğan) but were the start of the rebuild and “gives [fans] an idea of what’s coming this summer.”

Another player linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium is Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who scored in big moments during their Europa League run this year, registering 32 goal contributions across all competitions throughout the 24/25 campaign.

Who would you like to see added to Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, then, Man City fans?

You can watch Khaldoon Al Mubarak’s interview in full down below:

What do you make of the plans?

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/Manchester City (press shots)

Sport

Ruben Amorim reacts as Manchester United are booed off after Malaysia friendly

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ruben Amorim on Man United being booed off in Malaysia friendly

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has delivered a fairly brutal response after his club were booed off by supporters during a friendly in Malaysia.

The Red Devils recently embarked on a post-season tour following a calamitous 2024/25 campaign, both domestically and continentally, with that limp loss in the Europa League final, but have already resumed what has become alarmingly normal service with yet another defeat.

Finding themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur – a squad comprised of various talents from around the region who had never played together before and were only founded as an actual team back in 2014 – it was all far from clean slates and fresh starts.

In the wake of the shock result, Man United were booed off by the Malaysian and other international fans inside the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which saw more than 70,000 in attendance.

For context, the ASEAN All-Stars had only trained together for the first time just days before the game itself, but the de facto exhibition outfit still managed to break the deadlock in the 71st minute against a United side that rarely looked like scoring.

What made things even more damning was that so many up in the stands travelled from far and wide to see Ruben’s Reds and what remains a beloved global sporting brand drastically disappoint, with some reported as having paid as much as $350 (approximately £260) for a ticket.

All that being said, Amorim had some choice words for his own players in his post-match duties after their first post-season tour fixture, insisting that while he always remains accountable, those out on the pitch perhaps received somewhat of a deserved reckoning too.

He began by stating, “I’m always guilty of the performance of the team, no matter what. [I have been responsible] since the first day”, but went on to argue: “The boos from the fans, I think it something that we need, maybe.”

It’s also been claimed that Amorim has now told young winger Alejandro Garnacho to find a new club due to some of his recent public comments – a conversation which is said to have taken place in front of other teammates.

Citing that the Old Trafford faithful and die-hard away fans have always been loyal and supportive despite frustration in the league, he suggested that “maybe they will change the way they behave” following this latest reality check.

Despite adding that he has seen reasons for optimism in performances against Man City and Liverpool, for instance, where he felt he saw “belief” and seeds of what’s to come, he’s made very few excuses for the poor displays up to now.

United face the Hong Kong national team in their next friendly on Friday, 29 May, and it’s fair to say anything less than a win would be beyond bad for the predictably unpredictable Premier League club.

You can see his full post-match press conference down below.

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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 United (screenshot via YouTube)/Edward Kuruvilla (via X)

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