Our beloved sporting city’s premier ice hockey team, Manchester Storm, are hosting their annual fan-favourite Retro Night this weekend and it’s set to be a stormer. Pun absolutely intended.
The Storm and the Elite Ice Hockey League as a whole are no strangers to unique events and special occasions throughout the season but this one, in particular, is up there with the most popular of all on the calendar simply because of the unrivalled nostalgia factor.
Set to face off against the Guildford Flames on Saturday at 7pm, both teams will be rolling back the years and pulling on jerseys of the past. In the case of Manchester Storm, they’ll be donning a revamped version of their 1996/97 shirt, commonly known as the ‘Eye of the Storm’.
The league-wide initiative takes place every year for at least a week and on top of getting to look back on the club’s wonderful history, the night is packed with plenty more action too.
— Manchester Storm | #WeAreStorm (@Mcr_Storm) March 3, 2023
For starters, Retro Night isn’t just about the players wearing old kits: it’s about everyone getting involved, having a laugh and a good time.
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With that in mind, they’re encouraging fans to turn up their finest 90’s garms and there’ll even be some fun and exclusive themed prizes awarded to the best dressed. No, we’re not going to tell you what they are — the incentive alone should be enough for you to get involved.
Furthermore, there’ll be plenty of 90’s anthems being played before puck-drop as well as during the break, and considering Manchester pretty much smashed that decade (if we do say so ourselves), you can expect plenty of Oasis, Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, not to mention The Prodigy, Blur, Weezer and plenty more era-defining artist being played.
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As if that wasn’t enough, there’s even going to be plenty of 90’s nostalgia TV playing, including some old-school Manchester Storm footage from the ‘Arena’ days that the young’uns might have never seen.
90'𝘀 𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗨𝗣
If you're signed up to our official newsletter, you'll have read today that we will be selecting SIX of the best dressed fans to have a post-game photo on the ice with the entire squad! Be sure to dress to impress, Manchester! ⛈️ #WeAreStorm | #RetroNightpic.twitter.com/yWTW6NP9hP
— Manchester Storm | #WeAreStorm (@Mcr_Storm) March 2, 2023
It was always going to be a night of fun and excitement but as the Storm are currently on a roll of five consecutive victories and just as many league games remaining in the season, it’s all set up to be a blockbuster as coach Matt Ginn and his squad look to continue their winning streak!
With forward Anthony DeLuca third in the race for top scorer with a total of 23 goals and Jeremy Brodeur fourth in the league for goaltending with a huge 91.88% save percentage, fans could be in for another blockbuster.
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Knowing that nearly 15,000 have piled into the Storm Shelter at Planet Ice, Altrincham in 2023 so far, they’re expecting another bumper crowd this weekend.
If it’s anything like the turnout and the atmosphere produced for the ‘Air the Bear’ event at the end of last year, you really don’t want to miss this one.
If you fancy bagging yourself a ticket for Manchester Storm’s Retro Night, doors open at 6pm and the face-off is set for 7pm. The best part is, tickets will cost as little as a tenner — you can grab yours HERE.
£10 is the standard price for adult admission but family tickets are also available not only is parking free after the doors open, but the travel links are right on the doorstep too.
The hearing over Manchester City’s 115 FFP charges will officially start next week
Danny Jones
After more than a year of speculation as to when proceedings will finally start, it has been confirmed that the hearing regarding Manchester City and their 115 FFP charges is set to begin next week.
Man City were first slapped with the laundry list of alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) and failure to comply with Premier League rules on profit and sustainability (PSR) back in February 2023, but little movement on the case has been reported since then.
In that time, they also won the coveted Treble and their record-breaking fourth league title in a row; meanwhile, the club have continued to deny all claims of rule-breaking.
However, it has now been revealed that City‘s hearing will now kick off on Monday, 16 September.
BREAKING: The hearing over Manchester City's 115 charges will start on Monday 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9ujOCryVMF
As explained in various reports, given the extended nature of the claims made against the Manchester side, it is estimated that the case could run on for up to two months if not longer.
Furthermore, it is thought a decision isn’t expected to arrive until spring 2025 – again, this is simply due to the number of charges brought up over the best part of a decade.
In case you need a refresher, the allegations levelled at Man City date back to 2009 and concern a supposed nine years of financial irregularities, as well as subverting UEFA FFP rules.
Some of the accusations made against them also include failing to cooperate with the European football body and the Premier League, as well as offering ‘secret contracts’ so as to pay one particular manager a larger sum than what they recorded in their financial statements.
The final verdict, whenever it is reached, will be handed down by an independent commission and City will still be able to make an official appeal.
It goes without saying that were they to be found guilty, it would be the biggest financial scandal in English football history and could be seismic for the future of money in the sport and regulations surrounding ownership, which have already grown tighter following the charges being issued.
And in case you needed a more detailed refresher on what exactly they are being tried for and what the possibilities are regarding punishment if found guilty, here’s a quick rundown:
Featured Images — Arne Müseler (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Billy Harris’ sensational Davis Cup debut helps secure GB’s opening win in Manchester
Danny Jones
Great Britain grabbed their first win in the opening game of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals group stage this week with a hard-fought day against Finland which featured a truly stunning debut from would-be dark horse Billy Harris.
‘The World Cup of Tennis’ returned to Manchester’s AO Arena on Tuesday for the next stage of the tournament, with Britain getting their Finals group games underway this past Wednesday and starting as they mean to go on.
It may have been too early to throw in Jack Draper – who despite being one of their most promising squad members is still pretty raw from his draining semi-final defeat in the US Open last week – but, thankfully, experienced Dan Evans got the ball rolling and it became a case of building on the advantage.
That being said, you could tell from the early points of Evans’ opener against world no. 703 Eero Vasa that it was going to be a long day for the home team, as the sets felt drawn out right from the off.
Birmingham’s finest was taken to a tense tie-break in the first set of the day but, tough as always, he weathered the early test and emerged with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over the Finnish underdog who looked to be playing well above form.
Evans’ stamina and resilience were a big factor in their dominant display in the qualifiers last September too, but energy levels can only take you so far and after a tiring first match, Finland piled on the pressure in the doubles fixture where he and partner Neal Skupski just couldn’t quite survive two tie-break sets.
The 34-year-old duo were truly put to the test but, fortunately, the game was already a bit of a dead rubber, as the real star of the show came in the form of surprising debutant Billy Harris from Nottingham, who impressed everyone with his emphatic performance against in the other singles fixture beforehand.
Harris only earned his first ATP Tour win last year and is admittedly a bit of a latecomer to the party, but his journey is an inspiring one: working hard over the last 12 months and simply continuing to push so as to now earn his stripes with a Wimbledon debut earlier this year as well.
At 29, he’s at a crucial point in his prime years as an athlete, so it was important that he did his utmost to leave his mark on the GB squad at his first Davis Cup, and he tackled that objective head-on.
Notching a comprehensive 6-4 7-6 (7-4) win against Otto Virtanen – who is no slouch in this particular tournament – team captain Leon Smith said of the showing: “I’m thrilled for Billy – I think that’s one of the best debuts you’ll have seen. It was that good.”
Even on an early afternoon mid-working week, the second day of this year’s Davis Cup managed to attract nearly 6,500 fans to the AO Arena (roughly 90% capacity), which just goes to show how much of an appetite there is for the sport here in Manchester.
The opening rounds of the competition’s return to the city after a whopping three decades late last year saw its biggest overall attendance ever in this country and it’s clear Great Britain look very at home playing here.
Our boys take on Argentina in the next round this Friday, 13 September, where hopefully the likes of Draper can come back into the fold and give the likes of Evan, who has struggled with fitness of late, a much-needed bit of rest where possible.
Even without the likes of the now-retired Andy Murray, an injured Cam Norrie and Stockport’s Liam Broady, GB still look to be one of the teams in with a really strong chance of going all the way. Is The World Cup of Tennis ‘coming home’ and just how big a maiden tournament is Billy Harris going to have?
Danny Jones -
3rd March 2023 
