FC United of Manchester have put out an urgent appeal to try and help raise funds for attacking midfielder Callum Gribbin’s potentially “career-saving” surgery.
The former Manchester United youth player was on the receiving end of a heavy collision along the touchline barely 90 seconds into a 1-1 draw against Warrington Town at Broadhurst Park on 28 January, and after being knocked down was left unable to get back up.
Following a scan, it was discovered that the challenge ruptured not only his anterior cruciate ligament, as well as his medial and posterior ligaments — all three of which are crucial in providing stability to the knee and are “devastating for anyone in terms of mobility”, not least an athlete.
While a crowdfunderwas originally set up to help give Gribbin and his family some financial support to “get through a year out of football”, the surgery is now more crucial than ever and his club are trying to make sure he gets back on the pitch.
As manager Neil Reynolds goes on to explain in the video message, the former United prospect — once dubbed the ‘next Ryan Giggs’ — Gribbin is not only a player with “brilliant quality on and off the ball”, but a “beautiful lad inside and out”.
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With that in mind, the idea of the 24-year-old, who has already had numerous setbacks in his career, having previosuly suffered with injuries and being released from his boyhood club after 11 years, being forced to give up the game he loves still so early in his career would be a real shame.
As a result, the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) have kindly funding 50% of the costs but the Salford-born lad still needs to find the other 50% of the cost by Friday, 17 March or the operation will sadly have to be delayed.
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Even after the operation, Gribbin still faces 9-12 months of rehabilitation before he can get to playing and as a non-league player trying to make a living, every bit of playing time counts.
Speaking in the statement on their website, the club said: “Everytime a player pulls on the shirt and crosses the white line, like any player in any team, they are doing so to get the best result possible for their club… they are also doing is putting their physical well-being on the line…
“Anything you can afford, no matter how small, it would help Callum through an incredibly tough period in his life – he wouldn’t ask for this support himself – but he needs it more than ever.”
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Set up by FC Westhoughton fan Tim Browning, his fundraising page has already accrued nearly £9,000 of its intended £10k goal but still needs that extra push to get him over the line. Moroever, as alluded to earlier, anything extra will go towards helping support him and his family over the next year or so.
You can donate to Callum Gribbin’s GoFundMe and help him secure his career-saving surgery HERE. All the best, Callum, we wish you a speedy recovery.
Featured Image — FC United of Manchester/Callum Gribbin/Ben Roberts Photography (via Twitter)
Sport
The route for the 2027 Tour de France Femmes revealed ahead of Manchester debut
Danny Jones
The route for next year’s women’s historic Tour de France has been announced, with some of the best riders in the world set to pass through Greater Manchester and more.
Yet another big coup for the region and our sporting scene.
Speaking with the City Council, now that the full route has been revealed, our very own Dame Sarah Storey joined many in celebrating another huge moment for us; the female Tour de France is not just back up and running, but aiming to become bigger than ever.
🚴♀️ The world’s best cyclists are heading to Manchester! 🚴♀️
The routes for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 have now been revealed, with Manchester set to host the Stage One finish on Friday 30 July and the Stage Two start on Saturday 31 July. pic.twitter.com/OMMlhdorqP
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) April 21, 2026
The Stockport-born swimmer turned Team GB cyclist and multi-Olympic gold medallist knows all about what makes this particular sport special, having swapped a previous and highly successful career for an entirely different discipline.
As has now been fully confirmed, the 2027 Grand Départ will be getting underway with our friends in Leeds, before heading through Yorkshire and into Greater Manchester.
Upon entering our neck of the woods, the course will pass through the likes of Rochdale and Oldham into Manchester city centre, before heading into Stockport and neighbouring North West county, Derbyshire, and finally heading back through the Peaks.
Spread across two incredible days, the race itself will finish in Sheffield, with another UK first happening down in London, as the capital will also host the inaugural team time trial held in this country.
You can see the official event’s breakdown of what locations feature in which stages of ‘The Big Loop’ in more detail below.
Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, went on to add: “Being able to watch the world’s best cyclists in action and in such an iconic event, taking place right here on our doorstep in the heart of Manchester next summer, is going to be epic on so many levels.
“Championing women and girls to participate in and enjoy sports – including cycling – at all levels from entry through to elite, is really important to us and next year’s Tour de France Femmes is set to play a huge part in helping inspire the next generation of sporting talent from our city.
“With millions of spectators expected to line the routes, including here in the city centre, we’ll be going all out to help ensure the event’s success with what is set to be a ‘Tour takeover’ of the city to maximise opportunities for local people and businesses to get involved, to grow their own sporting skills, and to take part in the many community activities being planned.”
Having hosted everything from the BRITs and the MOBO Awards to another Super League Grand Finals in both netball and rugby, not to mention numerous other huge events over the past couple of years, it truly is a great time to be living in Greater Manchester.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Manchester City Council)
Sport
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)
Danny Jones -
15th March 2023 
