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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
Manchester Storm confirm club veteran will serve in a ‘player-coach’ role this season
Danny Jones
Ice hockey team Manchester Storm have confirmed that a long-standing club servant will return in a dual player-coach role for the new season.
Unveiling the news on Monday, 11 August, Manchester Storm commented, “Was it ever in doubt?”, as they announced that fan favourite Dallas Ehrhardt is back at the ice shelter only with an adjusted sphere of responsibilities for 2025/26.
Approaching nearly a full decade here on the European circuit, this upcoming campaign marks Ehrhardt’s ninth Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) season, representing both Manchester Storm and Great Britain over his many years spent across the pond.
Having already operated as a highly experienced and valuable figure in the dressing room for some time, his focus will now switch primarily to coaching, but he will still be eligible to pull on a jersey when needed.
🤝 Was it ever in doubt?
Manchester Storm are pleased to confirm veteran defenceman Dallas Ehrhardt returns for his ninth full EIHL season. While stepping back from a full-time playing role to focus on coaching, he will remain on the active roster and be available when required.… pic.twitter.com/swu9WNv3nb
— Manchester Storm | #TakeShelter (@Mcr_Storm) August 11, 2025
Writing in an official statement on the club website, the Storm said: “Veteran defenceman Dallas Ehrhardt returns for his ninth full EIHL season. Despite stepping back from a full-time playing role to focus on coaching, he will remain on the active roster and be available when required.
“Ehrhardt holds the franchise record for league appearances (420) and leads the club’s all-time points, goals, and assists charts for a defenceman with 207 points (70G, 137A).
“Since joining the Storm in 2016, he has featured in over 90% of all league games and has earned 20 international caps for Great Britain.”
The 33-year-old will also be joined by assistant and junior development coach, Mike Morin, who is remaining in his post, helping the senior team whilst also helping support the growth of local and academy players.
In terms of playing personnel, Manchester Storm have been doing plenty of recruitment at the same time, announcing multiple new signings for 25/26.
All three of these backroom figures have represented Storm for multiple decades between them, so they know the place inside out.
Fellow club veteran and now former player turned head coach, Cam Critchlow, said of the appointment: “Dallas and Mike both have a deep understanding of the game and of this club.”
“Dallas’s experience and leadership will be vital behind the bench, and Mike’s commitment to developing players speaks for itself. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both.”
While Ehrhardt’s on-ice experience will no doubt be called upon throughout the season, it’s good to see plenty of new and exciting faces being brought into the Storm Shelter – case in point:
Manchester United announce another big signing with Benjamin Šeško swoop
Danny Jones
Manchester United have confirmed a third big signing of the summer transfer window after seemingly swooping in to hijack a deal for Benjamin Šeško from a fellow Premier League team.
While perhaps not direct rivals, Man United look to have virtually snapped up highly sought-after Slovenian striker, Šeško, from the jaws of Newcastle, who appeared to be getting closer to sealing a deal following a second bid.
Roughly a week later, Ruben Amorim now has another attacking option to choose from, with Šeško arriving at Old Trafford on a deal worth reportedly upwards of £73.3 million.
Signing a five-year deal with the club, Šeško will earn around £160,000 a week when it comes to wages, with his contract also including potential add-ons, according to Sportklub writer Rok Viškovič.
United are said to be paying an initial fee of £66.3m, with the super-fast forward supposedly having made it clear that he preferred a move to United once he was made aware of their interest.
After the news broke of an agreement being reached, it didn’t take long for people to start tracking his equally quick turnaround flight, with the towering Bundesliga prospect – who clocks in at the same height as soon-to-be Man City rival, Erling Haaland – travelling to Manchester Airport on Thursday evening.
In fact, speaking of Haaland, a recently resurfaced quote should give fans plenty of food for thought ahead of his debut in red.
As the player with the most goals scored – 39, to be specific – of any player under 23 since he arrived in Germany in the middle of the 22/23 season, it’s no surprise that United moved quickly on the deal to bring Šeško to the English top flight.
With his medical believed to have been conducted that same night, his official unveiling as an MUFC player on Friday, 8 August, sees INEOS’ spending so far this season tip over the £200m mark, even despite having recorded their worst domestic finish in the modern era in the previous campaign.
Should the add-ons in the roughly £71m deal for Bryan Mbuemo, not to mention the approximately £62.5m and nearly £7m outlay (all possible bonuses considered) for young defender Diego Leon, materialise over the course of the next year or so, that figure is more like £215m.
They’re not messing around.
Manchester United's new front three in all competitions last season:
Benjamin Sesko: 🏟 45 games ⚽️ 21 goals 🅰️ 6 assists
Šeško will be presented in front of the Old Trafford faithful before their final 25/26 pre-season game against Fiorentina, where a special presentation will also be held in honour of former goalkeeper, David de Gea.
What do you make of Amorim‘s latest signings, and how well do you think Šeško is going to take to life in the most competitive league in the world?
Perhaps more importantly, what might it mean for some existing players?
Danny Jones -
11th August 2025 
