The city centre will be painted sky blue this evening as Manchester City is set to celebrate their 2021-22 Premier League title.
After what had been one of the closest title races of the past few years, Manchester City yesterday pipped North West rivals Liverpool to the post during an impressive comeback in their final match of the Premier League season to successfully retain their title as the winners of English football’s top flight.
The Citizens eventually made their dream a reality by beating Aston Villa 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium after first going 2-0 down.
Two goals came from İlkay Gündoğan, and one from Rodrigo, all in the second half.
The victory yesterday was Manchester City’s sixth Premier League title in total since returning to the top flight in 2002, and the fourth Premier League title in five years won under current manager, Pep Guardiola.
But the celebrations weren’t just limited to yesterday, as Manchester City has now confirmed plans to take over the city centre this evening for an open-top bus parade and a party fit for champions.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Open-Top Bus Parade
To show off the shiny Premier League trophy in all its glory to thousands of fans, Pep Guardiola and the Manchester City squad will set off on an hour-long open-top bus parade down the city’s main thoroughfare, before finishing at the Beetham Tower – where a live stage show will take place with the champions.
The parade bus will depart from Exchange Square near the National Football Museum at approximately 6pm, and then travel onto St Mary’s Gate.
The route will then head south on Deansgate, and finish up near Beetham Tower at 7pm.
While fans will be able to line the streets for the full parade route, entrance to the official parade stage viewing area is only accessible via Deansgate, and not by any other entrance, with all supporters to be subject to a search before entering.
The accessible viewing platform on Great Bridgewater Street is available accessed from the same entrance, and will be available on “a first come first served basis”.
The open-top bus parade route through the city centre / Credit: Manchester City
Stage Entertainment
The open-top bus parade is only part of the party, as onstage entertainment will start at 4:30pm, with the players expected to arrive at approximately 7pm.
The parade party will be hosted by Manchester City’s City Square presenters Danny Jackson and Natalie Pike, who will be joined by former players and special guests, and, as there has been in previous years, there will also be live music from bands and DJs.
As this is a non-ticketed event, Manchester City is suggesting that fans arrive early to get the best possible viewing experience.
There will also be screens throughout Deansgate showing all the action from the stage.
What is the Council saying?
Manchester City’s Premier League title-winning celebrations are being fully-supported and made possible with help from Manchester City Council.
Commenting on the parade, Councillor Bev Craig – Leader of Manchester City Council – said: “Winning back-to-back titles is a fantastic achievement which I’m sure City fans will be eager to celebrate, especially as the pandemic denied them the chance to do so last season.
“The Council are happy to support the parade and expect a memorable occasion as tens of thousands of fans gather in the city centre to share the moment”.
Manchester City were crowned 2021-22 Premier League champions at the Etihad Stadium yesterday / Credit: Manchester City (via Twitter)
What else do I need to know?
Manchester City and Manchester City Council have also released some top tips for people making their way to the celebrations, and for everyone else travelling in and around the city centre this evening.
This is an outdoor event and will take place come rain or shine, so it’s recommended that fans:
Check the weather forecast before leaving to attend the celebrations.
Wearing appropriate clothing for the weather.
If it’s sunny, bring sun cream, a hat, and drink lots of water.
If it’s raining, bring wet weather clothing as umbrellas are not allowed.
The weather forecast for this afternoon into the evening in Manchester city centre is predicting a combination of overcast skies and rain showers, with temperatures ranging from 12°C – 14°C.
For all travel advice – including details of bus diversions – refer to the TfGM website here.
Bryan Mbuemo transfer saga looks to finally be over as Manchester United agree deal with Brentford
Danny Jones
In one of the biggest transfer sagas of the 2025 summer transfer window, it looks like Manchester United have got their man, as an agreement with Brentford FC is in place and a move for Bryan Mbuemo looks to be a done deal.
Following weeks and weeks of speculation, minor nudges back and forth in the market, it has now been reported that French-born Mbuemo is heading to Man United, having made it apparent that Old Trafford was his desired destination for some time.
Having initially entered a bid of around £45 million before bonuses last month, the west London club stuck to their guns and appear to have got their overall asking price for the player.
According to Ornstein, a trusted transfer source and ever-reliable journalist, United are expected to pay Brentford an estimated £65m for Mbeumo’s signature.
However, with add-ons of approximately £6m, the attacking midfielder’s total price comes out at more than £70m, making his a fee a sales record for a now established Premier League side who have become known as a ‘feeder/selling club’ with excellent recruitment.
It is also said that MUFC and INEOS have arranged for a payment structure that will see the transfer funded over the course of four-year instalments, with a contract valid until 2030 and the option to extend by a further 12 months.
Well-known for using the so-called ‘Moneyball‘ model to their success in recent years, Mbuemo was signed by the Bees back in 2019, when they were still in the Championship, and he cost just £5.8m from ES Troyes AC – also a club record signing at the time.
Fast forward just a few seasons, not to mention 121 goal contributions in all competitions (28 of those coming last season alone), and he’s been deemed worth about 12 times that amount.
Here are just a few reasons why they’ve been after him.
"He's a player who likes to attack space!" 🔥
With Bryan Mbuemo Manchester United-bound, what can we expect from the winger? 👀 pic.twitter.com/ebmG8scUBy
Still just 25 years old, it’s fair to say he fits the balance of age and experience that the club are looking to recruit, as well as boasting a profile that suits the system Ruben Amorim is looking to deploy with his ever-shifting squad.
At least on paper, anyway.
Meanwhile, outgoing deals are still expected to be completed before the end of the summer window, with key first-team players like homegrown Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and loanee Antony all still expected to depart.
Stockport school sees under 15s girls football team crowned national champions
Danny Jones
A local Stockport secondary has welcomed home their under-15s girls’ football team as national champions after winning the English Schools’ FA Cup.
Marple Hall School (MHS), located in the south-east part of the old Cheshire borough, is a high-performing educational institution known for its strong investment in youth sport.
Boasting a large sports hall, dedicated 3G footy pitches, MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area), gymnasium, netball and tennis courts, as well as other grass surfaces, many of the town’s nearby clubs make use of the facilities throughout the year.
However, it’s their homegrown talent that is having the spotlight rightfully shone on them this week, as a side of junior female footballers won the prestigious FA tournament for sporting youngsters.
The squad of Year 10 girls – consisting of Marple Hall players aged 14-15 – faced off against Kings Langley last week in the decisive fixture away at Sixways Stadium, home of Worcester City FC and the Worcester Warriors rugby union side.
Following their landmark victory this month, this most recent title has seen them crowned Stockport, Manchester and now National champions, thanks to their 2-1 win in the Development Cup Finals.
Writing in a proud and lengthy post on the school’s website, headteacher Joe Barker described the campaign as “a remarkable run for a remarkable team” and a “thoroughly deserved” trophy, despite coming up against a “really strong team” travelling from the Hertfordshire village.
Barker went on to add: “Team MHS were supported so well by the travelling family and friends, and of course by the 44 students who made their presence known in the stands. Outnumbered but certainly not outvoiced, the chants from team MHS were non-stop and so supportive.
“Not only that, but the whole school got behind the team with the tie live-streamed into every classroom and our halls over lunch.
“My colleagues tell me that they have never felt an atmosphere like it at MHS, the whole school site reverberating to the cheers when the teams came out, when Penny scored her two amazing goals, and at the final whistle.”
He even cited an anecdote of one young pupil telling fellow teacher Miss Gregory: “This is a really mint day for our school, isn’t it, miss? I’m really glad I come here!” He was responding to the moment the aforementioned Stopfordian star, Penny Hallos, scored an audacious backheel to make it a brace.
Unsurprisingly, she earned the player of the match award for her game-winning efforts.
To make things even sweeter, the incredible achievement was also recognised in the House of Commons, with Hazel Grove MP Lisa Smart motioning to toast their success among her fellow peers.
Celebrating not just the English championship but their Treble-winning year, Smart declared: “The whole of the town is incredibly proud of these girls for their achievements.
“My recent hundredth speech in Parliament was on ensuring that girls and young women were given the opportunities to participate in sport, and it is fantastic to be able to celebrate these young women who are doing just that.
“It’s great to be able to help celebrate their national success at Parliament, and I look forward to them achieving wonderful things going forward.”
Better still, nearly £1,500 was raised on top of the fund collected in order to help get the girls to the ground on matchday, and all that money is going directly towards further sports provision for the girls and young women’s sport, specifically.
You can watch the game in full down below, but we’ve highlighted that ingenious second strike from Hallos for you (rewind to around 41:45 to see her equaliser).
Congrats again to the SK, Greater Mancunian and now National champions – we hope we go on to see plenty of your names up in lights soon enough.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd May 2022 
