A football tournament unlike any other will kick off in Wigan this summer.
It might be made up of amateur players and little-known teams, but the Atherton Charity Shield is arguably the most important football tournament to take place all year.
In June, three days’ worth of fixtures will go towards raising crucial funds and food donations that could change lives for the better.
Atherton-born sports student Chris Colgan developed the idea after watching England star Marcus Rashford battle child poverty in Manchester and beyond – realising he could use his love of football to help deprived families in his own local community.
Chris worked with Manchester Creative Collective Marketing (MCCM) owner Richard Renda to set up a sports tournament that would raise money for those who needed it – earning the backing of FareShare, Sky Sports, Andy Burnham, Mitre Sports, SikSilk Clothing, and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation in the process.
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As plans for the tournament were put in place, an opportunity arose to support another cause: Raising awareness of the journey of a young girl called Holly.
The daughter of Chris and Richard’s mutual friend, Holly was diagnosed with a very rare genetic condition called Bloom Syndrome in 2020 – causing immune deficiency, growth impairment and sensitivity to sunlight. Not long after Holly’s diagnosis, she was sadly diagnosed with a Wilm’s Tumour (kidney cancer).
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Holly’s parents Mark and Jenny have since begun a research campaign to find information about the impact this will have on Holly throughout her life – and what can be done to help.
Now, as well as battling food poverty, the Atherton Charity Shield will generate money for Holly and her family to attend the vital Bloom Syndrome conference in Chicago.
— Atherton Charity Shield (@AthertonShield) April 6, 2021
Chris said: “‘It’s been crazy the amount of kind comments and support we’ve been shown by everyone.
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“We still have more really exciting news to announce and some great guests for the event. We are pushing out information daily via Facebook, Insta and Twitter so that’s where people can find out more.”
Miranda Kaunang, head of development at FareShare Greater Manchester, said the organisation “couldn’t be more proud to be involved with the Atherton Charity Shield tournament.”
“The impact of COVID has meant that the need for our service has never been higher, and we’ve doubled the amount of food we distribute in response to the crisis,” she stated.
“Unfortunately, the reality is the hard work is far from over with demand unlikely to relent within the coming months.
“That’s why it’s more important than ever that charities and communities work together to support the most vulnerable.
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“Chris’ efforts are a shining example of what can be achieved when we come together with a common aim.”
The Atherton Charity Shield will take place from June 25-27 at Atherton LR’s Crilly Park and tickets go on sale soon.
Teams, event information and ticket updates will all be announced via the Atherton Charity Shield social channels:
Benjamin Mendy wins legal case against Manchester City over unpaid wages
Danny Jones
Ex-Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy has officially won the legal case against his former employers over unpaid wages.
The French defender was suspended from Man City without pay in September 2021 after being charged with six counts of rape and one instance of sexual assault before ultimately leaving the club last June.
Despite multiple allegations and the high-profile case going to trial in August 2022, Mendy was eventually cleared of all counts in July 2023 and has been demanding he receive his ‘lost’ finances earned at the Etihad ever since.
Mendy took legal action against City last November and now, nearly a full year on, the 30-year-old fullback has won his claim against them and is expected to receive most of the outstanding wages accumulated while he was in custody and on bail, as he was still unable to play due to FA sanctions.
As detailed in an official judgement summary, “The result of this decision is that Mr Mendy will be entitled to receive the majority of his unpaid salary, although not all of it.”
BREAKING: Benjamin Mendy has been successful in his employment claim against Manchester City 🚨
In her judgement, published on November 6, Judge Joanne Dunlop's concluded that Manchester City were not entitled to withhold Mendy's pay while he was not in custody. pic.twitter.com/dRWmfHpfgO
The former Premier League star initially entered into an employment tribunal to claim around £11 million in compensation for the wages he missed out on during the period between his suspension in September 2021 and City letting him go in the summer of 2023.
Mendy’s wages were worth around £500,000 a month after joining the Manchester club back in 2017 for a then-world-record fee for a defender, £52m. While he was unsuccessful in claiming all unpaid wages back, City are expected to hand over approximately £8.5m.
Writing on social media, the Frenchman welcomed the decision which found that the club had “unlawfully made deductions from my wages for a total period of 16 months and 23 days.”
Mendy urged the club to do the “honourable thing” and pay the outstanding wages promptly, along with other amounts included in his contract, so as to “finally put this difficult part of my life behind me.”
He went on to conclude the statement by thanking family, agent and legal team for their support and while it’s unclear how soon Man City will be forced to cough up the sum, the footballer will be playing this weekend as usual. You can read his full statement down below:
The club themselves are yet to respond to the decision but will be required to pay out the number within a certain period by law. Mendy has been back playing football in his home country at Ligue 2 club, FC Lorient, who he signed for just days after being acquitted even despite huge backlash.
Meanwhile, their well-publicised case against UEFA and the outstanding 115+ charges regarding FFP and PSR has now begun but isn’t expected to be settled for some time.
Featured Images — Soccer.ru (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
Sport
A pro-am tournament is coming to Manchester’s newest padel club – and there are some big sporting celebs taking part
Danny Jones
The padel craze is slowly taking over the country and Europe at large and with Manchester now home to multiple clubs, we’re now preparing to host our first-ever pro-am tournament too.
Unveiled just last month, the new Pure Padel location over in Cheetham Hill is just the second site opened by the growing sporting brand which started out at nearby Alderley Park in Macclesfield and is now set to take the city centre by storm.
Debuting as the sport’s only indoor facility in Manchester, it’s already set itself apart from the equally popular competition and is about to create an even bigger buzz by welcoming the official Pro Am Padel Tour to the region for the very first time – plus some familiar faces.
With the likes of sports personalities such as John Terry, Danni Wyatt, Theo Walcott; Bobby Zamora, Jos Buttler, Mark Noble and Carly Telford, as well as celebrities Jeff Brazier, Spencer Matthews, Kem Cetonay and many more having played in the past, the word is getting out about the competition.
Pro-am tournaments take place all over the world in other spheres such as golf, snooker and tennis, pitting professionals from within the discipline against amateurs – and, in this case, both current and former athletes from different sports – against each other in a series of exhibition matches.
Think celebrity boxing match or a charity football game, only you can actually pick up a trophy at the end of this one.
Put simply, the Pro Am Padel Tour pairs Britain’s top padel professionals with high-profile guests from the worlds of sport and entertainment for a thrilling, round-robin tournament.
Having launched back in April 2023, the competition is still in its infancy but has already seen some big names and their upcoming Manchester event is expecting even more.
Confirmed celebrities this time around include Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty and Matt Richards, retired Lioness and Manchester City legend Jill Scott; former England footballer and pundit Joleon Lescott, as well as Man United alumni Phil Jones and Katie Zelem.
Where the first and only pro-am padel tournament in Manchester will be taking place this year. (Credit: Pure Padel via Instagram)
More sports personalities and celebrity guests are expected to be confirmed soon but even now, there are plenty of names we’d like to see with a racquet in their hands and see just how good they are at the fast-paced court sport.
Scheduled to start at 11am on Wednesday, 20 November, the 2024 Pro Am Tour Manchester edition will be an all-day event and while it is an exclusive event, you can keep an eye on their socials for content from the matches.
The Manc -
9th April 2021 
