Sport

A massive skateboarding zone and free cultural event is coming to Manchester’s Aviva Studios

The skating renaissance just keeps growing.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 18th July 2024

In the latest programme announced on Factory International’s 2024 calendar, a huge skate park and free cultural event is coming to Aviva Studios this summer.

As Factory International and adidas Skateboarding collide for a dozen days over at the huge art, culture and music space later this month, Mancs will be treated to a custom-built skate plaza, a festival full of free activities for all ages, as well as a whole host of collaborations from local and global skating brands.

The event will also feature skate schools for beginners and beyond, trick competitions, food and drink, DJ sets, appearances by leading figures in the sport and much, much more.

Simply called ‘Build Manchester’, it’s one of the biggest skating events the city has ever seen.

An exciting collaboration between the official adidas Skateboarding arm, their professional team of global riders and Factory International (now based permanently at the Aviva Studios hub), this event is about more than just letting people run free with a board – as much as we do love that.

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With 12 whole days of stuff to get stuck into, there’ll be exclusive product launches, exhibitions, film premieres and workshops all based around the world of skating, not to mention giveaways, demos by the very best in the business and even the opportunity to help build parts of the skate plaza piece by piece.

Better still, the mobile custom builds are set to remain in the space for the foreseeable, meaning they will be open to use by the public and provide a new space for the local skate community beyond the likes of Lincoln Square, Hulme Park and Projekts MCR.

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Speaking of which, Projekts is one of many Manc skating brands getting involved with the festival, self-built park skate pioneers Gooseside DIY, viral fashion label Drama Call and, of course, Note, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.

adidas skating festival manchester
skateboarding event aviva studios
Credit: Zander Taketomo (supplied)

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If you’re into your pro skating, then this is your chance to see the likes of adidas global riders Blondey, Jarrad Carlin, Tom Snape, Nikolai Piombo, Gabriel Summers, Dan Fisher and more.

But even if it’s just the wider, more casual skating culture that you’re into, you can still immerse yourself in the lifestyle this summer and enjoy what feels like something of a first for Manchester, at least in the city centre anyway.

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The completely free-to-enter Build Manchester skate park and festival comes to Aviva Studios on 27 July and runs until 8 August. You can find the full programme schedule and sign-up for specific sessions HERE.

aviva studios events factory international
Credit: Supplied

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Featured Images — Zander Taketomo/Supplied

Sport

The annual Manchester Remembers Foundation charity football match has shut down

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Remembers charity game 2025 cancelled

The annual Manchester Remembers charity football match has been cancelled for 2025, and unfortunately, the wider Foundation has also shut down for the foreseeable.

Set up back in 2020, the Manchester Remembers charity game was created to help raise funds for the families of those lost in the tragic 2017 Manchester Arena attack, raising nearly £200,000 in donations for multiple organisations.

It has been a truly treasured community event across Greater Manchester, welcoming thousands to the likes of Manchester City Academy Stadium and Oldham Athletic‘s Boundary Park, as well as spotlighting local musicians and notable figures volunteering their help for a deeply important cause.

However, the Foundation is now set to hang up its boots. Confirming the news over the bank holiday weekend, founders Aaron Lee and Paul Corrigan shared “a difficult statement to make and a decision not taken lightly.”

As explained in the lengthy and emotional post, it is with a “heavy heart” that this year’s charity match has now been officially cancelled, and tickets already purchased up to this point are now being refunded.

Having played a small part in helping spread awareness around the game and the Foundation since it began, we were gutted to learn of this sad news.

The 2025 MCR Remembers game was scheduled to take place this June at a new venue for the event, Bury FC’s home ground at Gigg Lane, but following what they have labelled “a lack of support” from Greater Manchester leaders and “influential people needed to carry the event forward.”

Lee – a former police officer turned firefighter who was one of the emergency responders on 22 May, 2017 – went on to share a follow-up video reflecting on the announcement.

As he puts in the piece to camera, he says that even if those who had been reached out to in recent times were to suddenly respond, that it is “sadly too late.”

Taking time to thank not only past sponsors, managers, ex-pros and celebrity players who have been part of the event in the past, but everyone who bought tickets to the event(s) over the past few years, stating simply: “We cant thank you enough.”

Lee, who was given both a Chief Fire Officers Commendation and British Citizen Award in 2024, went on to address those “so-called leaders and influential people” in a subsequent post, adding: “All we needed was a bit of help. But we were ignored. Thanks for the memories.”

Unsurprisingly, the comments on social media have been awash with messages of love, support and sadness upon learning of this year’s cancellation and the end of The Manchester Remembers Foundation after more than half a decade.

There is some hope, though, as he ends the video by saying, “Who knows if this is the end or not? […] I dare say we’ll be back at some point.” We can only keep our fingers crossed he’s right and the MCR Remembers charity game won’t be shut down for good.

Manchester will always remember.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Manchester Remembers Foundation

Sport

25,000 free footballs are being given away across the UK

Danny Jones Danny Jones Barlcays bank giving 1000 free football across the UK

A total of 25,000 free footballs are up for grabs this month as part of a new scheme from Barclays, who are giving them away to mark a special anniversary.

The British multinational universal bank, which boasts over 850 branches and more than 48 million customers worldwide, has been supporting the beautiful game for a quarter of a century now and has been the primary Premier League sponsor since the 2001/02 season.

Approaching 25 years helping fund and promote English football, they’ve come up with a new initiative to celebrate, simply called the ‘Lost Ball Project‘.

We’ve all seen scenes like these before.

barclays free footballs
lost ball project
Credit: Barclays (supplied)

Tapping into the national and generational memory of losing a ball to a pond, up a tree, over a fence or on a roof and so on, Barclays are making up for those heartbreaking little losses – one ball at a time.

Lost Ball will see the bank give away 25k footballs across the UK, with Barclays customers able to claim a free ball for themselves or someone else who has lost theirs.

Already up and running, the scheme is off to a flyer and free footies will be available until Thursday, 22 May, so we wouldn’t wait around.

The bank has played an integral role throughout the British football pyramid for decades now, sponsoring to only the Premier League but also the WSL, Barclays Women’s Championship; the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Championship and the Scottish Women’s League One

They’ve even put together this emotive, albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek video:

Excellent song choice.

As they put it, the mission of the Lost Ball Project is simple: “Let’s keep the nation playing the beautiful game. Because there’s no football without grassroots football.”

In addition to backing established leagues, they have continued to support the country’s footballing community at large, especially in terms of the women’s game.

For instance, the Barclays Girls’ Football School partnership with The FA has seen the number of participating schools rise from 3,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2024, helping more than 2.5 million schoolgirls access football.

Important work done from the ground up.

Credit: Supplied

Barclays’ Group Head of Sponsorship, Tom Corbett, said in a statement: “We are immensely proud of our pioneering work and funding to grassroots football over the past 25 years.

Giving away 25,000 balls to replace our customers’ ‘Lost Balls’ means they will never be without the one thing you need to be able to play the game we’ve supported at Barclays for all these years.”

If you bank with the group, you can find out how to claim your free football HERE.

We quite fancy a kick around now.

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Featured Images — Barclays (supplied)

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