One of the biggest podcast releasees of 2021 is coming out of Manchester.
Messi, Zlatan, Gerrard… what drives some of the modern-day giants of football? Who is the greatest player this century? 21st Century Football: A Complete Guide (So Far) is on a mission to figure this out. The new podcast will celebrate the best of the beautiful game this side of 2000, launching Monday 1st March.
Championing the greatest players of the last twenty years, the pod sees host Will Brazier, sports presenter and producer, joined by a regular panel of guests to dissect the career, honours, stats and stories behind legendary players. Regular guests include football analyst Statman Dave, YouTuber Stephen Tries and Adam Brown
Crowd Network
The new podcast is produced by Manchester’s audio-on-demand network Crowd Network, and is the company’s first show to be recorded solely in its home city. 21st Century Football will be the network’s 12th podcast since launch in September 2020.
Launched in September 2020, Crowd Network is an audio-on-demand network on a mission to become Europe’s largest podcast network. Home to shows including The Joe Marler Show, Death of a Sports Star and Quiz Chat Repeat with Miquita Oliver, Crowd Network makes ground- breaking audio that makes people feel part of something bigger than themselves.
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Crowd has recently signed a number of established podcasts as it looks to become Europe’s biggest podcast network by 2025, including Football Book Club, Le French Rugby Podcast, and The Fertility Podcast. Original Crowd titles include true crime thriller Murder in House Two, Geraint Thomas Cycling Club and We Didn’t Start The Fire.
Crowd Network
Will Brazier, host of 21st Century Football, said: “Although the stars of each of our episodes are some of the biggest names in football, their legacies have been relatively unexplored as compared to the sporting icons that came before them. We’ve seen some of the best players of all time emerge post-2000, so we wanted to use the pod to finally figure out who is the greatest this century. We look at the insane stats and bizarre stories so we can really measure the impact they’ve each had on the game.
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“The series has so much scope to grow, and we’ll be looking at the managers and coaches behind some of the greatest players this century as the pod progresses.”
21st Century Football: A Complete Guide (So Far) will be available for download on all major podcast platforms from 1st March, with new episodes released every Monday.
Exciting new CGIs released of £500m Therme Manchester wellness resort as construction continues
Emily Sergeant
As construction continues on Manchester’s massive wellness resort, some new CGIs have now been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed, construction of the £500 million Therme Manchester wellness resort officially began last September after several years of planning, and now developers have released some exciting new CGIs – with an update on how construction is going, as a new milestone has been reached this week.
Set to open to the public in 2029, Therme Manchester will become one of the largest urban wellbeing resorts in the world.
Visitors can expect to make the most of a 10 pools – both lagoon and wave pools included – thermal bathing, multi-sensory sauna rituals, steam rooms, 18 water slides, affordably-priced luxury spa therapies, and health and fitness experiences.
Exciting new CGIs released of Therme Manchester have been released / Credit: Supplied
At the heart of Therme Manchester will be three distinct zones, each offering a different way to spend time at the resort.
Play will bring together water-based fun and attractions for families and visitors of all ages, and Restore will focus on thermal bathing and restorative experiences designed to help visitors unwind, while Relax will offer spaces for relaxation and wellbeing.
The latest CGIs showcase the design as it develops – including the resort’s extensive indoor and outdoor spaces, and its 53,000sq ft wellbeing garden.
Construction is still underway on the £500m wellness resort / Credit: Supplied
The plans also feature a new public plaza designed to strengthen connections between the resort and the Bridgewater Canal.
Professor David Russell, CEO of Therme UK, said: “We have taken the opportunity to refine the design, improve how traffic and parking are managed and create a more welcoming environment for everyone arriving at the resort.
“We are creating an even better experience for visitors while supporting more efficient and sustainable operations.”
Therme Manchester was initially touted as a £250m project that would complete in 2025, but it’s now up to £500m and is scheduled to complete it 2029.
It marks one of the most significant building developments to ever take place in the North.
Featured Image – Supplied
Sport
Manchester City release limited-edition Blossoms shirts exclusively in new flagship store
Daisy Jackson
Manchester City have released a limited run of special Blossoms shirts, which will be available exclusively at the new flagship City Store.
Etihad Airways has donated the front-of-shirt space for the special drop, which celebrates the Stockport band’s lifelong support of Man City and will fundraise forCity in the Community’s 40th anniversary.
The Manchester City x Blossoms collab features the band’s logo across the chest of the 2024/25 season’s away shirt – one of the Club’s most popular designs in recent years.
Profits from sales of the shirts will be donated to CITC to support its 40th anniversary fundraising, which empower healthier lives with city youth through football.
Blossoms have just secured their fifth UK number one album with their latest release, ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’, and will soon be heading on an arena tour that includes two massive shows at the Co-op Live.
There’s a very limited run of the Man City Blossoms shirts, available in sizes small to large, which will exclusively be sold at the new flagship CityStore.
The shirts have dropped in-store this morning, with further drops to be released around the band’s tour dates this November and December.
As for that new City store – it’s a whopping 21,000 sq ft, three-floor space at Medlock Square, right beside the Etihad Stadium, and is the biggest shop in the club’s history.
The new flagship has opened today in collaboration with PUMA and Stichd, and features a new, interactive ‘Make It Yours’ customisation station as well as an expanded range of Manchester City products.
The Manc -
26th February 2021 
