Local brand AO, the UK’s most trusted major electricals retailer and sponsor of the Manchester Arena, have announced they are pumping more than £2 million into children’s sports and grassroots teams as part of an exciting new partnership with an NFL team.
With the Bolton-based, nationwide business continuing to support local teams and further invest in youth sport across Greater Manchester and beyond, AO‘s latest venture will see an estimated 472,800 young people benefit from a new initiative with an American football team looking to make an impact in the UK.
Teaming up to sponsor the Jacksonville Jaguars and their growing UK arm, whose support has been growing on this side of the Atlantic since 2013, the two organisations are combining to provide a new scheme to sponsor sports kits amongst grassroots teams across the country.
Better still, more than 87,000 youngsters will benefit from AO and the Jacksonville Jaguars sponsorship through their ground-breaking and hugely exciting new UK sports programme known as ‘JagTag’.
JagTag is a simplified version of tag-based American football, which was invented by Jaguars and is already sweeping across British schools, getting kids active and interested in a new and different sport.
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Most similar to the likes of tag-rugby, the game is already being taught in over 300 schools as part of their PE curriculum, not to mention having caught on at countless youth centres and sports halls nationwide.
AO has also created a hub on its website, where all types of grassroots youth sports teams can apply to have their kit paid for and sponsored by the retailer.
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Not a bad deal at all — and it’s by no means the first time AO has teamed up with local clubs and sports centres to ensure kids and young people have the right kit and equipment.
The initiative follows the Centre for Social Justice’s (CSJ) new report, ‘Game Changer: A plan to transform young lives through sport’, which found that providing a “right to sport” to 3.6 million UK secondary school pupils could help “slash youth crime, improve school attendance and boost their academic prospects” overall.
Speaking on the new partnership, AO Founder and CEO John Roberts said: “Talent is evenly distributed across the UK, but opportunity is not. Inside most of these kids is incredible potential yet they get ignored by politicians, so we need to start building them a future they care about and believe in.
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“By extending our grassroots kit sponsorships and our JagTag partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars UK, we’ll give almost half a million young people the chance to get involved in sport over the next five years.”
You can register your interest in the AO grassroots programme on behalf of a child, school, sports club or youth centre HERE.
Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it
Emily Sergeant
Erling Haaland has answered the all-important question.
The question heard around the world, the question on everyone’s lips, a question that has absolutely nothing to do with football whatsoever… that’s right, he’s answered Letterboxd’s famous question of ‘what are your four favourite films?’.
If you’re unaware of what Letterboxd is, it describes itself as being an ‘online diary platform and app for film lovers’ and it gives users the chance to display their four favourite films at the top of their profile for all to see (and judge).
An extension of this has then been Letterboxd asking celebrities in press junket interviews and on red carpets what their ‘four faves’ are – and it’s gone on to become something of a phenomenon in the film world.
Everyone from massive A-list movie stars, to indie darlings and up-and-coming names have answered this question before, and now (it appears) to be Erling Haaland’s turn.
He’s not the first footballer to be tasked with question though, as the entire Spurs team was ambushed with it by former player – and famously massive cinephile – Alfie Whiteman last year, but it’s fair to say that after the summer he’s had with Norway at the World Cup, achieving international fame in the process, that Haaland is one of the most high-profile to answer it in a long while.
So, what’s on Erling’s list then?
Well, to self-confessed ‘film bros’ out there, you’re not going to find any deep cuts in this selection unfortunately, and you’re probably not going to get any recommendations for movies you haven’t seen before either, but come on, he is only a footballer after all.
Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it / Credit: Letterboxd
First up for the Manchester City striker is a pretty common pick by straight white men, it’s The Wolf of Wall Street, and he doesn’t give much of a reason for it, other than just suggesting: “I think you understand why”.
He then follows that up with Ridley Scott’s classic Gladiator, calling it ‘amazing’, before naming 2004’s epic Troy, and then rounding it out with a Christmas favourite for many, Home Alone, adding that he ‘watched it a lot as a kid, and then again now’.
As for fan reaction to Haaland’s four favourites, let’s just say it’s been mixed.
Among the 1,000+ comments on the Instagram video, you’ll find just as many people called him ‘king’ and saying he has ‘goated’ taste, as you will comments like this: “He has the most male gazed top four in history of Letterboxd.”
Manchester City reveal world-first third kit… designed by AI
Daisy Jackson
Manchester City have just revealed the club’s third kit for the season, and it’s a world-first AI-designed kit.
The new Man City and Puma kit was revealed in full this morning after days of teasing on billboards across Manchester.
For the first time in professional football history, the kit is designed by a fan, using AI.
180,000 fans submitted designs through the Puma AI Creator, with the winning design now projected on some of the city’s biggest digital billboards – on Market Street, and at Printworks.
Created by lifelong Cityzen and stills photographer Elliott, the final design is inspired by Manchester City’s iconic 13/14 season away shirt.
Elliott’s creative interpretation was crowned in January 2025 after a global fan vote.
The digital billboards show each different stage of the AI design process, from prompt to finished design, with the tagline ‘designed by one of us, chosen by all of us’.
The AI Man City kit reveal
Eagle-eyed Man City fans may have noticed a cryptic ‘loading’ screen in town on Tuesday, with just a hint of the shirt visible.
Then on Wednesday, the screens displayed: “AI prompt accepted. Fan vote confirmed. Final Manchester City 26/27 Third Kit design processing.”
Then the full reveal has taken place today, Thursday 27 August, finally unveiling the full shirt with the words: “Designed by one of us. Chosen by all of us”.
Reacting to live images of the billboards, Elliott said: “Seeing my complete design revealed on billboards in the city centre this morning was unbelievable.
“City has been part of our family’s life for as long as I can remember, so this is as good as it gets for me.
“Creativity is naturally part of my everyday life as a photographer, but it was good to turn my hand to something else and see what could be created with the use of AI.
“The 13/14 away shirt was always my favourite, so it felt like the natural starting point for my prompt. From there, it was amazing to see the technology take that spark of an idea and turn it into something I could actually shape and refine.
“To know that a shirt I designed on my lunch break will now be worn by the players is something I still can’t quite get my head around!”
The 26/27 Manchester City Third Kit will be available at mancity.com/shop and Manchester City Official Stores, with 10% off for Members and Seasoncard holders (automatically applied when logged in with a Member account online).
Danny Jones -
12th October 2023 
