Sport

Relaunch date revealed for majorly revamped Altrincham Leisure Centre

A long time coming.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 11th August 2025

The opening date for the relaunch of Altrincham Leisure Centre, which recently underwent a serious revamp, has officially been announced.

Yes, Alty Leisure Centre – or rather, ‘move Altrincham’, as it will be known moving forward – is finally set to reopen in full following a significant rebrand and redevelopment.

Works on the local Trafford leisure centre and community hub actually first began way back in January 2023, but now, over two and a half years on from its closure for refurbishment, it’s just weeks away from being reopened to the public.

Now officially relaunching on 26 August, move Altrincham comes three years on from the opening of a fellow fitness facility in the borough, with move Urmston debuting in 2022.

Much like how the pandemic delayed the unveiling of their counterparts, it’s taken quite a while to complete the Altrincham Leisure Centre (ATC) overhaul.

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The Urmston venue saw over £7 million pumped into resurrecting the old 1980s building back but in the case of ATC, more than £20m has been invested into this latest project overall.

Featuring a new, bigger and better fitness suite, state-of-the-art swimming pools, ‘The Cove Spa’ post-workout recovery and wellness assessment room; a brand-new purpose-built gymnastics hub, an expanded sports hall, as well as lots more, the place is set to be virtually unrecognisable.

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As well as a rejigged changing room set-up, catering to men, women, groups and crucially inclusive, there’ll also be an enticing new cafe, featuring a resident in-house bakery from native artisans, MOST.

They really have put everything you could hope for into this major regeneration.

Local authorities have already dubbed this move Altrincham the “most sustainable sports facility” in the region, ahead of its opening later this month.

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Sure to be a busy Alty outlet, Trafford Council has also confirmed that the building will use huge air source heat pumps and solar panels, saving upwards of 400 tonnes of carbon per year, with the remaining electricity imported off the grid pulled from a 100% green, renewable supply.

“More than 8,000 tonnes of carbon will be saved over the lifecycle of the pumps and panels, addressing the Council’s priority of addressing the climate crisis and becoming Carbon Neutral by 2038″, they go on to add.

Fixtures like this have been funded with support from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and the UK government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, with over £2m of funding secured to bring the scheme to life.

Even the ‘purer’ pools will cost less money and water to run, not to mention the bonus of safe storage for bikes, nearby travel links to the Bee Network and EV charging points in the car park.

A long time coming.
Credit: move Altrincham

Speaking on the impending opening date, Cllr Aidan Williams – Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Climate Change – beckoned the reborn leisure centre as a shining example of the borough’s commitment to crucial environmental change.

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“move Altrincham is a great example of how we’re setting new standards in Trafford that will help the Council achieve its zero carbon goals and send a powerful message to our communities that we treat climate change seriously and are working hard to create a greener, cleaner future,” says Williams.

Once again, the new and improved Alty Leisure Centre opens its doors on Tuesday, 26 August, and we can’t wait to see what the neighbours make of it.

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Featured Images — move Altrincham (via Facebook/Press Shots)

Sport

Salford Red Devils deducted points for breaching ‘RFL operational rules’

Danny Jones Danny Jones Salford Red Devils points deduction

The situation at Salford Red Devils has once again gone from bad to even worse as the local rugby team has been deducted two points by the Super League due to breaking ‘operational rules’.

In short, following a full inquiry by the Rugby Football League (RFL), Salford Red Devils round one match against St Helens back in February was found to have breached multiple regulations – namely, fielding a weakened side.

Amid their ongoing ownership saga and financial crisis, this latest sanction sees Salford‘s total points tally drop from six to just four, and although it does not affect their final finishing place in the table (12th), it does also come with a hit to their IMG grading.

You can see the Betfred Super League statement in full down below.

As mentioned, their IMG grading – which takes into account on-field performance, finances, stadium facilities, community value and supportership in giving clubs an overall score – has also been reduced by 0.25, which, although not catastrophic, adds yet more pressure on the administration.

IMG ranking replaced relegation and promotion at the start of the year, giving each team the chance of earning up to the maximum of 20 points, with the 12 highest-scoring clubs secured for the top tier. 

The Red Devils were awarded 13.97 in October last year, which was enough to seal their admittedly already likely place in the Super League, but as problems continue to pile up around the Salford Community Stadium.

The 1873 supporter group rallied once again for another protest before the previous home game against Wakefield Trinity last week, going on to lose 52-16; meanwhile, with their already twice adjourned HMRC winding-up petition deadline now fast approaching, the period leading up to 29 October is crucial.

Acknowledging their serious test of resolve over the past 12 months or so, the club shared a post on social media on Monday night, writing: From all our players and staff to our amazing fans and the wider rugby league community, thank you!

“In a season of heartbreak, you gave us courage. Your support has meant everything.”

With players and coaches leaving, wages being left unpaid, other sides from within the division having to loan members of the squad just to keep the lights on, it’s been a year to forget and then some.

Only time will tell whether they secure the necessary funds to keep going at the top level and/or survive, full stop, but it does feel like the fans have been left praying for a miracle.

Responding in the comments below, a rival fan said: “As a Wigan supporter, Salford has been fantastic this season [even in] the worst season in the club’s history. Get them owners out [of] your club, cut the dead wood […] Never stop fighting, all the very best next season…”

Greater Manchester Mayors Andy Burnham and Paul Dennett met with RFL to explore options that would not only ensure the “long-term future of the club” but also “implement a city-wide rugby strategy” across the region.

Put simply, all hope is not yet lost, and the fans are keeping the spirit of Salford alive.

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Featured Images — Anthony Parkes (via Geograph)

Sport

Manchester City star Bernardo Silva weighs in on growing fixture list congestion concerns

Danny Jones Danny Jones Bernardo Silva says fixture list congestion is unfair

Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has become the latest Blue and high-profile Premier League player to weigh in on growing concerns around the increasingly congested fixture list.

Silva’s comments come after Man City ended up conceding an equaliser to walk away with a draw instead of three points in what was already tipped as a title-challenging clash between Pep Guardiola and his protégé, Mikel Arteta, whose Arsenal side managed to score in stoppage time.

The number of games was a big talking point after the game – as it has been on multiple ocassions over the past year or so – and captain Bernardo Silva was one of the most outspoken on the matter following the full-time whistle.

Addressing the media during his post-match duties, the ‘Cityzen’ and Portugal midfielder said the current playing schedule is “not right” and is simply untenable for footballers to keep up with. You can see the full clip down below.

He gave an extensive response to the ongoing debate.

Speaking with multiple media outlets, the 31-year-old began by clarifying that his statements were not because his team lost, but because “the reality is we cannot come to one of the most important games [against title rivals Arsenal] in the season with such a disadvantage, in terms of rest.

“It’s not fair to play one of these games like this, it’s just not right”, says the Man City man. “[Arsenal] had five days, we had two and a half. In one of the most important games, this cannot happen.

“I wasn’t feeling in a perfect condition to play, and people who have not played at the highest level don’t know how it feels to play a game like this.”

Targeting his response at the likes of UEFA and those in charge of the current and undeniably full-on schedule, specifically, Silva said: “They don’t listen to us – it is what it is. We would like to change something, but it never changes.

“It doesn’t really matter, but for the fans, for the respect of the clubs, and for the fairness of the competition, I don’t think what happened was good…”

“The schedule is the schedule, and I understand you have different competitions and UEFA, the Premier League, and broadcasters want to make their money; we don’t mind playing every three or four days, and don’t mind playing 60 games – we’re used to that, but what we ask for is common sense.”

It looks like City are putting up a united front on the matter, with Pep Guardiola sharing similar sentiments on Sky Sports (a question he quite clearly resented), stating that his squad were “incredibly tired” even going into the game.

As for the City skipper, he went on to reiterate: “This is one of the biggest games of the season. It’s not because of us, I don’t think they’re trying to make us lose – it could happen to Arsenal or Liverpool in a few months…

You need to have a bit of common sense and understanding of these situations, and in such an important game, players need to be in the same physical conditions; otherwise, I don’t think it’s fair.

In short, the senior City deputy and Portuguese international said he could tell the difference in the two teams’ fitness levels in the first half, adding: “If you play at the highest level, you know two days playing against one of the best teams in the league, away, with the travel, you need at least one more day to recover.

“It doesn’t matter if Arsenal had four, five or six days [to recover], just give us one more day, and that gives us three-and-a-half days, then you make it an even game. Two-and-a-half days is not enough to recover our bodies and perform at the highest level…”

Do you agree with Bernardo Silva and so many other players’ opinions on the fixture list congestion?

Manchester City star Rodri warns that players are ‘close’ to going on strike over too many games

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Featured Images — soccer.ru)/Sky Sports/NBC Sports (screenshot via YouTube)

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