As residents and local businesses in various parts of the region continue to pick up the pieces after recent flooding, one of the venues worst affected is Didsbury Sports Ground, which sadly suffered “catastrophic” levels of damage.
Having stood in South Manchester for over 100 years, Didsbury Sports Ground (DSG) has been a key community institution for generations, home to rugby, cricket and football clubs, as well as the weekly parkrun, just to name a few of its regular leisure activities.
Unfortunately, following the recent floods which hit several of the 10 boroughs hard, as well as many parts of Cheshire from New Year’s Eve onwards, the pitches, car park, clubhouse, storage and changing rooms have all rendered unusable or completely ruined following the major incident.
And when we say unusable, we mean a lot of it is still underwater.
Credit: Didsbury Sports Ground (supplied)
After banks burst up and down the River Mersey and the North West downpour continued, not only were the various playing fields left heavily waterlogged, but the club’s central building also suffered significant structural damage.
ADVERTISEMENT
In addition to a large hole being knocked through the main clubhouse wall, with collapsed fencing and tree limbs littering the perimeter, the constant flow of water has seeped right down to the foundations.
Speaking on the damage,DSG‘s director Ian Bailey said: “The devastation caused by the flooding is nothing short of heart-wrenching. The Grounds have been a landmark and local hub within the village for over a century. The damage is catastrophic and the impact on the community is immense.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Our Ground is far more than just a sports facility, it is a place where people connect, grow, and thrive, and embrace the community spirit. To lose such an iconic and central community resource would be unthinkable and such a travesty, which is why we’re calling on local and central government support.”
“Every week, DSG brings together over 800 people from the local area for Manchester sports, fitness, social activities, recreation and community events, creating a place for well-being, a fantastic social circle and helping to build an all-round happier and healthier community.”
As a result of the damage and loss to the community, the team behind DSG are now frantically trying to raise enough funds to carry out a raft of remedial repairs and some serious groundwork.
ADVERTISEMENT
Setting themselves a total target of £50,000 for the entire clean-up operation, every penny of which will go towards getting the sports ground back in a usable state.
Thus far, thanks to nearly 500 donations by loving locals and kindhearted Mancunians who know the value of leisure centres and clubs like this, they have already more than 30% of the amount needed in just over a week (just over £17k). Legends, every single one of them.
Bailey went on to add: “We are so grateful for the immediate help of our volunteers and the fantastic people at this club […] We will, however, need more than time, we will require the funds to bring the Grounds and Clubhouse back into full use and to safeguard from future flooding, which is why we have launched our ‘Repair & Rescue’ Fund.
As Ian reiterated, “Every contribution will make a huge difference”; you can see more proof of just how much work needs to be done and donate if you wish HERE.
Manchester Marathon to host the 2025 English Championships
Danny Jones
More running pedigree beckons for 0161 as this year’s Adidas Manchester Marathon has been officially selected as the host of the 2025 English Championships.
Set to take place on Sunday, 27 April, which is now the UK’s largest day of running in recent history with the London Marathon taking place simultaneously down the other end of the country, Greater Manchester is once again set to transform into one of the most popular races in Europe.
Known as favourite personal bests given its ‘fantastically flat’ nature, an estimated 36,000 runners are set to descend on the city centre and beyond, with countless more expected to spectate.
With the Manchester Marathon officially being selected for this year’s national championships by England Athletics, there’s even more reason to line the streets.
We are delighted to announce that England Athletics have selected us to host the English Championships 2025! 🏆We’ll be welcoming some of the best endurance athletes to the iconic 26.2-mile course in April.
As per an official update on the race website, the elite competition is due to see more than 50 athletes compete for titles, including 22 participants currently in the Men’s Category and 29 in the Women’s.
The line-up at present includes 2024 Men’s winner Adam Clarke, who finished the event in a ridiculous 02:16:29 last April and, fingers crossed, Women’s champion Charlie Arnell is expected to defend her title this year too.
Arnell, who won on her marathon debut, completed the Women’s race last year in a stunning 02:37:12 – a feat she trained for all whilst full-time for the NHS clinical systems team.
Simply staggering stuff.
The fierce competition between the elite waves will begin first thing on event day before the hordes of runners eventually follow in their wake, and we’re sure it’s going to be an absolute blockbuster.
As well as hosting the English Championships, this year will also mark the first new finish line in some time as the 2025 Manchester Marathon as the home stretch has been changed from the familiar tarmac of Talbot Road.
Last year’s Manchester Marathon was one of the biggest ever, not only seeing record numbers of participants but nearly £30 million raised for the local economy and £3.7m for charities alone.
A member of The Manc or two may or may not also be taking part again this year – by which we mean they definitely are – so watch this space and we hope to see you cheering on the sidelines.
Public places for this year’s marathon have well and truly sold out but you can still register your interest for 2026 HERE.
Indoor golf bar with state-of-the-art simulators to open in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A stylish new bar is heading to Manchester where you can play simulator golf and shuffleboard with late-night DJs soundtracking your swing.
Pitch will be branching up north from London in March, promising 10 state-of-the-art simulator bays, a TRENDYGOLF concept store and plenty more.
The brand is set to open at Goods Yard, alongside Caravan (another London export) and Fenix.
Pitch says its arrival to Manchester will ‘change the way the sport is played in the city centre’, making golf more diverse and accessible to all.
Visitors to the stylish space, which will be open seven days a week, will be able to recreate the experience of real golf through their high-tech simulator technology.
You’ll be able to virtually visit the world’s most famous courses, including the Old Course at St Andrews Links and Pebble Beach in California.
Inside Pitch, there’ll also be a sleek bar and kitchen with a wide range of cocktails and dishes, including an Asian-inspired ’18 Greens’ menu.
The new venue will also extend the brand’s academy for beginner women golfers, in partnership with Adidas, which has welcomed more than 1,000 golfers in London.
The on-site TRENDYGOLF Concept Store will be open six days a week stocking brands like Lindeberg, Hugo Boss, Manors, Malbon Golf, Ralph Lauren and G/FORE.
Pitch is opening its first bar in Manchester, with golf simulators and more
Pitch co-founder and CEO Elliot Godfrey said: “We’re very excited to open our first venue in Manchester at the start of 2025, giving Pitch a presence in one of the UK’s busiest cities and one with a special relationship with sport.
“When we began the process of expanding beyond London, Manchester was one of the first places we set our sights on, and it’s fitting to open our innovative concept somewhere that has always striven to be at the forefront of development and progress.
“Pitch venues are the perfect places for social gatherings, and it is a way of playing and engaging with the game that is open to everyone.”
Co-founder Chris Ingham added: “Enterprise City is the perfect setting for a Pitch venue and our new branch will become part of one of the UK’s best social and cultural hotspots when it opens.
“With a TRENDYGOLF Concept Store and no shortage of food and drink options, we envision this being a place where Mancunians can spend hours socialising, golfing and dining in style.”
Pitch Manchester will open its golf bar at Goods Yard in March 2025.
Danny Jones -
10th January 2025 
