Just a few short weeks ago, we all witnessed a monumental sporting moment – football finally came home.
And it was the women’s game that did it, only a year since the England men’s team came so close to lifting the Euros trophy themselves.
The nation is bursting with pride for the phenomenal achievements of every player on England women’s team, affectionately known as The Lionesses, but we just had to give a little shout out to one of our local girls.
Ella Toone. The Wigan-born star has been called wonder kid and a golden girl, but she prefers to be ‘just Ella’.
Credit: Instagram, Ella Toone
The 22-year-old has built the bulk of her sporting career here in Greater Manchester.
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Born in Tyldesley, she spent many years as a junior at Manchester United – but the team, until very recently, didn’t have a senior women’s team for her to move up to.
So it was off to Blackburn she went, then briefly she played for Manchester City, before finally joining Man Utd in 2018 for their inaugural season.
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In an interview with BBC Sport, Ella – a life-long United (and Cristiano Ronaldo) fan – said: “It’s the best feeling in the world. Growing up a Manchester United fan, and then being able to play week in week out for the club that you love and support is really special.
“Growing up it was tough – I was in the United academy for seven/eight years, and there was nothing to look up to. There was no women’s team to try and get in to.”
But once news of a Manchester United women’s squad landed, Ella said: “It was home. I knew that my ambitions matched theirs. I’ve been happy ever since.”
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Fast forward to 2022, and she has become a household name thanks to her stunning performance with the England Women’s team at the Euros.
Ella’s impeccable chip into the net had all of Wembley on its feet during the final, and it was one of two goals that saw England storm to victory.
Along with her teammates, she is now riding the wave of the team’s success to try and make changes that will last an eternity.
The Lionesses recently penned an open letter to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, demanding that young girls are given the opportunity to get into the sport and that women’s football is given proper investment from school age onwards.
They told the prospective PMs that only 63% of girls can play football in PE at school, saying ‘a generation of school girls deserve more.’
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The letter stated: “Throughout the Euros, we as a team spoke about our legacy and goal to inspire a nation. Many will think that this has already been achieved, but we see this as only the beginning.
“We are looking to the future. We want to create real change in this country and we are asking you, if you were to become Prime Minister on 5 September, to help an achieve that change.”
The highly-praised letter went on to ask the Government to ensure all girls have access to a minimum of two hours a week of P.E.
The co-signed letter said: “They deserve to play football at lunchtime, they deserve to play football in PE lessons and they deserve to believe they can one day play for England. We want their dreams to also come true.
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“This is an opportunity to make a huge difference. A change that will impact millions of young girls’ lives. We – the 23 members of the England Senior Women’s EURO squad – ask you to make it a priority to invest into girls’ football in schools, so that every girl has the choice.”
And as Ella Toone herself once said – “I was once just a little girl with a lot of dreams, and I’ve managed to achieve them.”
About Manc of the Month
We all know that Manchester is home to some special people, some born here and others drawn here, and after a bumpy two years that effectively amounted to one big lockdown, it’s these special people that have inspired and led us through the tough times – so we decided to start a series that shines a light on those who should be celebrated.
Following on from our ‘The Mancs of the Year’ feature towards the end of 2020, Manc of the Month officially kicked off in July 2021, with Marcus Rashford MBE, Manchester’s mural king Akse P-19, the local chef feeding the region’s vulnerable families Mary-Ellen McTague, and Manchester’s groundbreaking new Council leader Bev Craig among previous honourees.
Featured image: England Women’s
Sport
Salford Red Devils have officially gone bust after more than 152 years
Danny Jones
After more than a century and a half as one of the biggest and most well-supported rugby league teams in the country, Salford Red Devils have unfortunately been liquidated.
It’s a very, very sad day for the Super League and UK rugby at large.
Salford Red Devils had been flirting with insolvency and complete collapse for far too long, and even with the promise of investment following what has now proved to be a fruitless takeover back in February, the local sporting institution has now been folded.
Issuing an update to the fans on Wednesday, 3 December, what remains of the organisation shared an official statement online confirming the news, along with a picture of the crest blacked out.
They wrote the following: “We regret to inform stakeholders, supporters and partners that Salford Red Devils and its operating company, Salford City Reds (2013) Limited, have been subject to a winding-up petition filed by HMRC, and liquidation proceedings have now commenced.
“We understand the gravity of this situation and the uncertainty this creates for everyone connected with the club. For the original club staff who remained up until this point, this is an incredibly emotional moment.
“Whilst there is sadness in seeing things come to this point, there is also a sense of relief that an extremely challenging period for the club has finally come to an end. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to all the fans who have stood by us through everything.
“Your passion and loyalty have meant the world to us. More than anything, we hope that the club’s proud name and history can live on and continue to represent the people of Salford.”
Reacting to the dreaded but not unexpected news on social media, vocal fan group The 1873 – who have been both outspoken, militant and dedicated in their protesting of the ownership group – added: “You tried to destroy something that was not yours to destroy – but today you have been defeated.
“Salford Rugby League will rise again, and the rebirth will be beautiful. The 1873.” While they chose to lean towards optimism where possible and belief in a fresh start, many more are undoubtedly still busy mourning the 152-year-old family as they know it.
Salford Red Devils were liquidated today after 152 years. The original Red Devils. Beyond heartbroken. If the club is reborn I'll throw my heart and soul into it. pic.twitter.com/6IvUNklNWJ
The local outfit where given a reprieve regarding their winding-up petition over unpaid debt, not once but four different times, over the past few months.
Financial worries had been lingering plenty before this, of course, with concerns being raised well over a year ago, with bridging loans and players ultimately having to be borrowed from other teams in the division, before various members of staff eventually were let go and/or walked out.
Having been officially relegated from the premier British rugby league competition in October (which also accompanied their IMG grading being dropped), to some, it felt like only a matter of time before this outcome would eventually arrive.
Nevertheless, some are still holding out hope that phoenix – or devil, rather – can rise from the embers and that Salford Red Devils will return in some form under a new regime. One can only hope.
Salfordians – what do you think needs to change if the club comes back?
Erling Haaland breaks yet another Premier League record after nine-goal thriller
Danny Jones
Erling Haaland has broken his umpteenth record since arriving in the Premier League and donning a Manchester City shirt, becoming the fastest player to reach 100 goals in the competition.
Let’s be honest, are any of us surprised?
While yet another goal from Haaland and entering himself into the 100 club was a notable narrative on the night, the real headline, however, was that scoreline, as City barely escaped by the skin of their teeth.
Despite persisting questions surrounding the Blues’ defence, it was nevertheless a landmark moment for the Norwegian number nine, who remains the most prolific striker on the planet. Here’s how he did it:
Commenting on the achievement on social media, the big blonde bagsman simply wrote, “When football takes you to places you could never have imagined” – signing off with a ‘100’ emoji, of course.
Despite it being reiterated that he doesn’t think too much about the various milestones he continues to surpass with each passing game, he admitted he knew about this particular one and was visibly chuffed with being in such good company.
For context, it took Haaland 111 matches to score his 100th goal in the division, which is 13 appearances quicker than the next fastest Premier League legend, Alan Shearer, who took 124 games to reach the tally when the modern era of the top flight first began three decades ago.
You can see who else has achieved the feat and how fast here:
Even more impressively, this wasn’t the only rather incredible statistic that came from the fixture either, as he walked away with a frankly ridiculous bit of pedigree among the strikers’ union.
As well as his opening goal, which well and truly opened the floodgates (at both ends, as it turned out), Haaland was caught offside in a PL away game for the first time in more than TWO whole years, the last occasion being against Sheffield United in August 2023.
To quote a post we saw on X, “Do you know how crazy a stat this is?…”
If you didn’t manage to catch the game on Tuesday night, we seriously recommend you watch the many highlights from the win over Fulham down below.
Daisy Jackson -
12th August 2022 
