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.
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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.
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“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.
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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.
adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to reward themselves with free Nell’s pizza this weekend, thanks to a collaboration with adidas and JD.
The sportswear giants will be teaming up with one of the city’s top pizza spots to hand out the ultimate post-race reward at Kampus this Sunday.
It’s all to celebrate the launch of the new adidas EVO SL ATRs, a shoe that’s built with running miles in mind.
And there’ll be a chance to grab an exclusive t-shirt too, and have your official marathon finish time branded on-site.
adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal / Credit: Supplied
As well as a free slice of Nell’s famous New York-style pizza and a drink, Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to enter into a range of giveaways, with prizes including the EVO SL ART, adidas merch, and range of other prizes.
And you’ll be recovering with a slice in hand and a live DJ keeping the post-race energy high
All you need to do is show your Manchester Marathon medal at Nell’s at Kampus, to grab your free slice, and check out adidas and JD’s latest drop.
Friends and family are encouraged to join too – after all, all runners know a marathon isn’t possible without that support crew.
There are also a bunch of giveaways and more to look forward to / Credit: Supplied
Pizza slices will be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis, so make sure your sprint to Nell’s is your fastest yet.
Thankfully, the adidas EVO SL’s are built for speed…
adidas x JD x Nell’s – Manchester Marathon event
Taking place on Sunday 19 April, from 12pm to 8pm
Free pizza slice and a drink when you show your Manchester Marathon medal (while stocks last)
Exclusive merch and great prize giveaways from adidas and JD
Plus photo moments, live DJs, and more
Find it at The Bungalow, Kampus, M1 3GL (next to Nell’s)
Dave Challinor ‘extends’ Kyle Wooton’s career ‘by five years’ as Stockport County striker turns CB
Danny Jones
Stockport County manager Dave Challinor has quipped that he might have just extended star striker Kyle Wootton’s career “by five years” at the very least by moving him to centre-back.
Challinor‘s squad has been riddled with a fair few fitness setbacks for a good chunk of the season, but following Joseph Olowu’s MCL injury, he has now been left with just one traditional central defender available for selection.
As a result of this growing crisis, Wootton has been moved to centre-half for the time being, making his full debut in defence earlier this week.
Better still, he helped shore up County’s backline well enough to secure them not only three more important points but a clean sheet in the 2-0 win over AFC Wimbledon.
Naturally, with the Hatters having one of League One‘s leading scorers in Wootton with a total of 22 contributions so far (19 goals and three assists), it’s fair to say no one was expecting to see him pulled out of the position in which he’s reached new heights this term.
Already putting together his most productive campaign ever – netting more finishes across all competitions in 2025/26 than in any of his previous professional calendar performances – fans will no doubt be wanting him to return up top as soon as possible, but for now, Challinor is taking the gamble.
There is the possibility of January signing from Bolton, Josh Dacres-Cogley, taking up the mantle when he returns from injury, and County have since recalled youth product Christy Grogan from his loan, but for now, the 6’3″ centre-forward may have just discovered another option for the future of his career.
Nevertheless, despite the 29-year-old striker expressing some of his own concerns about playing such a crucial role at the other end of the pitch, his gaffer has already said he’s happy to flak should anything go awry in the coming weeks.
However, although County were unable to win the EFL Vertu Trophy Final against Luton earlier this month, where Wootton first had to drop back into defence, he met the assignment when making his maiden defensive appearance on Wednesday night.
While obviously not ideal, the travelling Stockport supporters were left pretty impressed, too.
"Kyle Wootton's magic, he wears a magic hat…" coming from the 700 travelling #StockportCounty.
Commenting on ‘Woots’ even showing a willingness to take on the task in the first place, his head coach labelled him “the most selfless player I’ve worked with in terms of doing jobs for the team.”
A glowing review, indeed, and that’s beyond the huge impact he’s already had in attack over the year.
Speaking to County TV, he went on to say: “We’ve probably extended his career by five years, haven’t we? […] When he gets tired of sticking the ball in the net, he can stop people at the other end.”
Noting that his side currently possesses “more fit forwards than defenders, he added: “It becomes about finding a way. I didn’t think that way would be having our leading goalscorer at centre-back, but it’s worked for us on the night, and we’ll see what Saturday [at Exeter City] looks like.”
You can hear Dave Challinor’s post-match interview in full right HERE and see the highlights from an important win over Wimbledon down below.
Danny Jones -
10th January 2025 
