Australia sets the example for return of sports fans
Australia is setting the example for British sports stadiums when it comes to getting significant crowds back watching the action. But Manchester, and Britain as a whole, could well have a long wait to enjoy exactly what Aussies are experiencing Down Under.
Australia is setting the example for British sports stadiums when it comes to getting significant crowds back watching the action. But Manchester, and Britain as a whole, could well have a long wait to enjoy exactly what Aussies are experiencing Down Under.
While small numbers of crowds have been permitted to head back into Premier League grounds at clubs not in Tier 3 areas in England, as well as horse racing tracks, the numbers are still minute when you consider Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium pull in more than 50,000 when full.
It seems likely to be a long time off before stadiums are packed to the rafters again. But Australia, parts at least, are already there. Australian horse racing tracks like Randwick and Rosehill Racecourses in Sydney and Flemington and Caulfield Racecourses in Melbourne are being run with the type of crowds that the likes of Cheltenham and Aintree would love.
And sporting venues have had even bigger crowds. A total of 30,000 got to view the AFL Grand Final in Brisbane in October, while 37,303 packed into ANZ Stadium in Sydney the following day for the NRL Grand Final.
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The Bledisloe Cup rugby union clash between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park in Auckland attracted 46,049 spectators in October as the flow of fans back into stadia also extended to across the Tasman Sea too.
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In November, it was a massive crowd of 52,500 that lined Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane for the State of Origin decider between hosts Queensland and rivals New South Wales. Significantly, the partisan home crowd helped their state to victory.
Then in early December, 48,000 packed into the Sydney Cricket Ground for the third and final T20 international between Australia and India.
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New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian and her government permitted 50 per cent capacity, followed by 100 per cent – the 48,000 crowd – with the promise that “life will be very different in New South Wales”. It’s something we can still only dream about.
A further 27,000 a day will be inside the Adelaide Oval for the first test between the two nations too – with the South Australian government still opting for 50 per cent capacity. It will see 25,000 a day inside the MCG in Melbourne for the Boxing Day test with the Victorian government opting not to throw caution to the wind after months of lockdown.
How did Australia get to the point of having full, or near full, stadiums once again? The answer – just as is the case here in the UK – is based on the coronavirus cases. With each of the states reacting incredibly early with lockdowns and severe restrictions on the back of just a handful of outbreaks, they managed to get on top of the outbreak and stay on top of it.
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So what can football clubs, race tracks and the like expect here in Britain to be able to do to follow the Australian example? The simple answer is not a lot until we, as a country, get on top of the outbreak numbers.
Strict quarantine rules on international arrivals and travellers between states in Australia has meant a zero new case count on all fronts. The 0 led to 50,000+ sitting inside of stadium for the first time since pre-March.
While the rules in the UK have been relaxed to let small crowds back, other than those in Tier 3 areas, capacity crowds still look some way off. Perhaps even next year, given just how different the positive case numbers differ between Australia and the entire British Isles.
Premier League fixtures, the Cheltenham Festival, Grand National, even the delayed Euro 2020 look highly likely of taking place with half-empty stadia at best. Until the rest of the world matches Australia’s success in suppressing coronavirus, the roar of a full stadium still looks an awful long way off.
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Football Manager 25 has been officially cancelled following delays
Danny Jones
Beloved videogame simulator Football Manager 25 has been officially cancelled following continued delays.
The long-standing game where players take control as virtual managers of football teams has been a mainstay of digital sporting entertainment for more than three decades.
Developed by London-based studio Sports Interactive and published by gaming giants SEGA, the game hasn’t missed a single season since it began life as Championship Manager back in 1992.
However, following two significant delays to this year’s title, Sports Interactive have confirmed that Football Manager 25 has now been cancelled, despite countless pre-orders having already been made.
While the news doesn’t come as a total surprise, with FM25 having first been delayed ahead of its initial November 2024 release date and then moved again to March 2025, many fans would
The statement reads: “Sports Interactive [SI] regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release.
“For the large numbers of you who pre-ordered FM25, we thank you enormously for your trust and support – we’re very sorry to have let you down. Please see the FAQs below on obtaining your refund.
“We know this will come as a huge disappointment, especially given that the release date has already moved twice, and you have been eagerly anticipating the first gameplay reveal. We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision.
“Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.”
Insisting that they pride themselves on “delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment”, they simply didn’t feel like they were able to release the latest FM title to a good enough standard in its current state following playtesting.
They go on to add that ahead of working on this, the studio undertook the “biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era”, hence why the significant delays. The news has been met with mixed reactions, to say the least.
Don’t worry only gotta wait till November!!! Only in February FFS
— Out of Context Football Manager (@nocontextfm1) February 7, 2025
You can read the statement in full HERE, in which they also rationalise that it simply no longer made sense or felt fair to expect people to buy FM25 when it was ready only to purchase the next instalment later in the year.
Fortunately, with regular updates as well as community mods and patches to the current Football Manager (FM24 was released back in November 2023), loyal fans have been more understanding about the delays and now the cancellation.
SI signed off by stating: “Through the cancellation, every effort is now focused on ensuring that our next release achieves our goal and hits the quality level we all expect. We will update you on how we are progressing with that as soon as we are able to do so.
“Thank you for reading, your patience and your continued support. Our full focus now returns to creating a new era for Football Manager.”
Lighting a candle for the people who collect a physical copy of every Football Manager, with no FM25 their collections will be ruined forever. pic.twitter.com/M1S5LiLJtQ
Salford Red Devils confirm new owners after completing takeover
Danny Jones
The takeover of Salford Red Devils has officially been completed with the club revealing their new owners this week.
Confirming a full change of ownership on Friday, 7 February, the Greater Manchester rugby league side has handed over 100% control to an investment bank.
Pending full ratification from the Rugby Football League (RFL), news of the buyout couldn’t have come at a better time as the Red Devils prepare to get their season underway in just a week’s time.
Sharing a lengthy statement on the club site, they informed supporters of the decision “that secures the future of the club.”
The update explains that following extensive talks with stakeholders, the Community Benefit Society (CBS) and Salford City Council, the purchase of the Super League rugby club has been approved.
It has now been revealed that Salford has been taken over by a group of investors led by businessman Dario Berta, a Swiss banking insider, former director of the global UBS financial group and now CEO of Matanel, which specialises in real estate.
The update goes on to detail that Chris Irwin, the former Chief Commercial Officer at Salford Red Devils and more recently Exeter City Football Club, has rejoined the club as the new Chief Executive Officer.
Most importantly for Salford Red Devils, Berta and co.’s first act following the takeover was to clear all of the club’s debts and put forward “additional significant investment for future growth.”
This will be music to fans’ ears, no doubt, especially given the less-than-ideal order handed down by the RFL given the state of Salford’s books and recently enacted financial regulations.
The process of recruiting a new internal management structure is already said to be underway ahead of the final green light to the new owners, though it is understood to be merely a formality at this stage.
CEO Irwin is said to have met with Paul Rowley, Kurt Haggerty and the current men’s first-team squad at the Salford Community Stadium in Eccles on Friday morning ahead of training.
Although squad reinforcement is inevitable as part of the investment, the statement goes on to clarify that “there will be a selection restriction for this weekend’s Challenge Cup Third Round fixture against the Midlands Hurricanes” but will be lifted ahead of their 2025 season opener.
Significant funds will also be allocated towards stadium redevelopment and the wider club infrastructure. New owner Berta went on to state: “This is the start of a very bright and successful future for Salford…
“I’m very proud to be involved, and with Chris at the helm, I feel like we have the perfect opportunity to build something special. Our focus and dedication now is to work together with stakeholders and fans to build sustainable success on and off the pitch for the long term.”
Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, added: “I’m very happy to welcome Dario Berta to Salford and look forward to working closely together to see an exciting future for Salford Red Devils, building on the successes of the last five years.”
The Red Devils are set to get their new domestic campaign underway against St Helens in their Super League opener on Saturday, 15 February.
Meanwhile, international rugby has returned to our screens and Manchester city centre has plenty of places to watch every second of the action.