Sport

AO announced as new front-of-shirt sponsor for Altrincham FC

Can't lie, a simple 'AO, Let's Go!' chant would go off at Moss Lane.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 2nd July 2024

In another big step forward for non-league Altrincham FC, local electric retailer AO has been unveiled as their new front-of-shirt sponsor.

As the Greater Manchester club continues in its bid to become a bigger sporting entity and one of the fastest-growing football teams in the region, AO being announced as the new official sponsor of Altrincham FC kits for the upcoming season onwards is a big step.

The Bolton-based brand is recognisable throughout the UK and lends its name to Manchester’s iconic arena, so to get them on the front of their 24/25 strip is a landmark moment for the resurgent side, who will debut the new look this weekend.

Confirming the announcement via social media on Tuesday, 2 July, the club confirmed that AO will replace the J. Davidson logo after 13 years, though the Alty scrap company will remain as the club’s long-serving stadium sponsor.

Being splashed front and centre on the new Altrincham FC strips also marks AO’s fourth North West sponsorship alongside the self-titled AO Arena, this year’s Netball Super League Grand Finalists Manchester Thunder, Bolton Lads and Girls Club as well as Lancashire County Cricket Club.

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The partnership will see the distinctive AO smile logo feature on the front of the National League team’s home and away shirts as part of a multi-year agreement.

Alty’s new home shirt will be debuted in their pre-season fixture against Colne this Saturday, 6 July and the away version is set to be worn for the first time next week.

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However, the club have now given their fans a first glimpse at the latter:

Looking good.

The new shirt sponsor also comes not long after they received sizeable investment for a club of their size as a number of local individuals and organisations decided to back The Robins.

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Last season was one of the most successful in the club’s history, reaching the playoffs and falling just two games shy of securing promotion to the EFL for the first time ever, ultimately missing out in the semi-finals to League Two debutants, Bromley FC.

It’s an exciting time for the town and their football club.

Altrincham FC receive £1.5m cash injection as 20 new investors back the club

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Sam Mackenzie, Chief Executive at Altrincham FC, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with such a dynamic and thriving company as AO. Their values and outlook align closely with ours, making this partnership a perfect fit.

“The longevity and commitment from both sides in this partnership will mirror the successful ongoing relationship we have with J. Davidson. We deeply appreciate J. Davidson’s invaluable contribution and thank them for their continued support as we enter this exciting new partnership.

“The AO partnership is a significant development for the club, particularly in terms of the activation and outreach it will bring. As a national brand with a strong presence, AO will help us grow. Their culture is something I hugely admire – their team have been wonderful to deal with and work alongside.”

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As for AO, Group Marketing Director Vicky Monky expressed a palpable buzz about teaming up with the club during such an “exciting time in their history” as they continue to consolidate as a full-time professional outfit. It’s not the only eye-catching collaboration they’ve announced recently either.

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

Featured Images — AO (supplied)/Michael Ripley (via Flickr)

Sport

Manchester City reveal trailer for upcoming Together: 4-In-A-Row documentary

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester City four in a row documentary

Man City have revealed the first trailer for their new Together: 4-In-A-Row documentary, charting the course of their record-breaking four consecutive Premier League titles.

The follow-up to the Together: Treble Winners series, City‘s highly-anticipated documentary dropped earlier this year following their historic 2023/23 season, the movie will follow the same concept and relive the Manchester club’s latest unprecedented feat from 20/21 onwards.

While the previous TV outing was picked up by Netflix, the latest instalment is set to arrive at the end of this month exclusively on CITY+.

You can see the trailer for Together: 4-In-A-Row down below:

The new Man City documentary will feature exclusive interviews with manager extraordinaire, Pep Guardiola, Ballon d’Or winner and Champions League-winning goalscorer Rodri, club captain Kyle Walker and many more.

There will also be footage including soon-to-depart Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain, as well as the City Football Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Ferran Soriano.

Swapping the series format for a feature-length film this time, this is arguably CITY+‘s biggest release to date, with the content subscription service typically offering full match replays, youth academy coverage, as well as smaller documentaries and podcasts.

The streaming service (accessible via the website, Man City app and smart TVs) was only started back in 2024 but now four years later, rather fittingly, it’s set to document the most important years in the club’s history.

We’ve seen multiple Man City docs in recent years – their 2018 All Or Nothing Amazon Prime Video mini-series being the first – but the launch of the Together franchise back in April has helped put City Studios, on the map.

The in-house entertainment arm, first set up in 2022, has even more ambitious plans for the coming years, with a huge deal to create multiple big-budget productions in collaboration with Sony.

City Football Group strike landmark deal with Sony for series of TV shows
Fans are getting even more behind-the-scenes content soon.

Gavin Johnson, Media Director at CFG, said of the trailer reveal: “We’re delighted to announce the release of our latest offering in the ‘Together’ collection.

“Produced once again by our award-winning in-house production and creative hub, City Studios, the documentary film offers our fans a true insight into the team and how they achieved the historic four-in-a-row success.”

Set to be released at 6pm UK time on 20 November, Together: 4-In-A-Row will only be able to watch via the CITY+ platform.

So, if you’re a Blue who wants to relive the last four years of non-stop silverware, you can enjoy a 30-day free trial, after which CITY+ is just £4.99 a month. An annual subscription can be purchased for £34.99 a year or for £30 with an Official Cityzens membership/season ticket.

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Featured Images — Manchester City

Sport

Man United legend Eric Cantona stuns Manchester artists with surprise visit to GRIT Studios

Danny Jones Danny Jones Eric Cantona surprises Manchester artists at GRIT Studios

Artists working at a Manchester studio were left speechless by a recent surprise visit from none other than Man United legend Eric Cantona.

The former United forward’s love for the city has never waned no matter how many years have gone by and as a lover of all things art, be it music, painting, acting or what he did with a football, he never fails to engage with local culture whenever he’s here.

He may not be based here anymore but the Frenchman – who knows a thing or two about art given his past acting jobs, newfound music career and previous showcases – still pays plenty of visits to 0161, including a recent unannounced one.

Cantona was back in the city centre this week to pay GRIT Studios resident Michael Browne, the artist who he collaborated with to create his National Football Museum exhibition last year, but the one thing Browne didn’t do was let the other people working in their city centre location he was coming.

GRIT Studios Manchester Stockport
Cantona pays Manchester art studio a surprise visit
Credit: GRIT Studios Manchester (supplied)

To be fair, anyone would double-take if they saw Eric Cantona walk into a room, so this was quite a memorable occasion for the unsuspecting artists.

After working on 2023’s From Moss Side to Marseille with Browne, the 58-year-old has been reimmersing himself in the world of Manchester art and there aren’t many places that epitomise that more than GRIT, who are based in Stockport with a second studio at Great Northern Warehouse.

Landing in Manchester from Paris, Cantona arrived in the late morning and ended up staying for over an hour, taking time to meet a number of artists and tour the space with co-founder John Macaulay.

Clearly impressed with their work and genuinely enthused by the sense of community within the local grassroots art scene, it was a special visit for everyone involved.

John, a die-hard Man United fan who has seen the Red Devils play in 25 countries before going on to set up GRIT Studios and much-loved Art Battle MCR with his wife Sophie, said: “It’s full circle for me having watched Eric play all over the world, it’s true honour that he’s flown in to see our talented artists.”

eric cantona back in manchester
eric cantona at manchester art studio
Credit: Supplied

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Artists spent time chatting with Eric and talking through their creative processes; those present included mosaic artist, Francis Thorrington, plein air (outdoor) artist, Sketch MCR – a.k.a. Ben Rock – painters Jodie Silverman, Helen Davies and Sophie Macaulay, as well as woodworker Gus Riddell.

Also a fellow United fan, Francis said he simply “couldn’t stop smiling the whole time” after Cantona described his work as wonderful.

Eric looked at home when he picked up and started strumming Chris Pollin’s hand-made guitars, which are handcrafted from driftwood and take hundreds of hours of work.

The enigmatic sports personality turned pop philosopher and cultural figure clearly enjoyed the visit. His final message was that it was refreshing to see a place where “art was for everyone” not just the elite.

As for Browne, he is sworn to secrecy on his next project but let’s just say you can expect some big announcements in the coming weeks. As for GRIT, you can visit one of their open days this Saturday, 16 November and make sure to check out their Stockport studio if you’re in the area.

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

Featured Images — GRIT Studios (supplied)

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