But not every team has received the recognition they deserve.
Stockport County FC – a club that sits seven miles south of Manchester and four tiers below the region’s two top teams – has been hit harder than most by the pandemic.
But they’ve still been doing their bit to help out their local community.
Right at the start of lockdown, The Hatters donated £75,000 at to the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and have since pledged to donate £3 from every purchase of their new 2020/21 shirt to the trust as well.
When the situation is put into perspective, it becomes clear just how significant the contributions from Edgeley Park actually are.
There are plenty of out of contract players in the lower divisions who are at risk of unemployment.
Some football clubs may even go under entirely.
Things will only get worse if fans are not allowed into stadiums next season, with many teams relying on ticket sales to keep their clubs running.
That’s why a side in Stockport’s position, making donations in the current climate, is worthy of applause.
Of course, County know what it’s like to go through financial difficulties.
The club struggled throughout the 2000s, eventually being sold in 2005 to the Stockport County Supporter’s Trust for just £1.
The club were later placed into administration in 2009 as their situation failed to improve.
The financial troubles eventually spilled over onto the pitch, with the club sliding down the leagues until they dropped out of the football league entirely in 2011/12 for the first time in their history.
We are excited to kick-off the next chapter at Edgeley Park. Evolved Club badge, kit partnership and a famous Stopfordian celebrating the spirit of the Club. Enjoy the journey. pic.twitter.com/F2AacGkY0u
— Stockport County (at ?) (@StockportCounty) June 1, 2020
Fans nowadays, however, about more positive about the future under new owner, Mark Stott.
David, who runs the supporters group @stockport_fans on Twitter, believes the club will be “fine” during this time and has faith in the new owner to do what’s best for the club:
“Mark Stott has the financial punch to keep this club afloat while being sensible,” David tells The Manc.
“He has laid out plans of what he wants to do and achieve already and has put together a team to keep it that way.
“We can survive.”
It’s perhaps no surprise supporters are happy, given that their owner is a longtime fan of the club and recognises the importance of Stockport County to the town.
Following the takeover back in January, Stott said that he wanted to deepen the club’s “longstanding ties with the local community”, calling Stockport a “unique community club”.
County clearly haven’t forget how the community supported them during their most “arduous” times, and they have been looking to lend a hand wherever possible during the pandemic.
In recent weeks, Stockport have also been putting the spotlight on their local sponsors.
On the club website, you’ll find a series which aims to “highlight the current operations and offerings of [their] club sponsors during these most difficult of times” in order to “return the favour” for all the support the businesses have given them over the years.
Despite the financial improvements over the past few months, fans are still weighing in to help the club in whatever way they can – backed by community group Help the Hatters.
David, a volunteer for Help the Hatters has said the group is all about “getting things done”.
While volunteers primarily provide practical support to help maintain the facilities at Edgeley Park, they’ve also created The Stockport County Museum at the ground – turning an unused space into something useful for the community.
The group has defied its size to make a definite difference over the past decade.
Just last month, they were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – which is the highest award a volunteer group can receive in the UK.
Wikipedia
Following their award, Chief Executive for the Hatters, Johnny Vaughan, said: “Ever since I came to County in January, I have been staggered by the amount of work this relatively small group of volunteers achieves on a weekly basis.
“This accolade is deserved recognition for everything they do and we are delighted that they are being honoured for their incredible efforts.”
Community is at the heart of Stockport County, but above all else, fans just want to get back to watch their team play.
As Russ Johnson, founder of the fans podcast ‘The Scarf Bergara Wore’, aptly summarised: “County fans are so because we go to the games, we walk the streets and we know our club inside out.
“It doesn’t bear thinking about that we cannot have our match days.”
Sport
The latest on Salford Red Devils financial situation as ‘winding-up’ petition is adjourned
Danny Jones
The current situation at Salford Red Devils is far from ideal, with the rugby league team currently owing hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt, not to mention facing further stress over finances with players owed wages, key personnel leaving and remaining uncertainty over future ownership.
So, why is the board expressing reassurance among supporters following the recent adjournment of a ‘winding-up’ petition, and what exactly does this mean?
It is no doubt a complex issue, but with the season concluding in October and the Greater Manchester club essentially being given a stay of execution, for lack of a better phrase, it’s possible that a corner could hopefully be turned soon.
Here’s everything we know so far about the situation in Salford and where the Red Devils’ finances are currently at.
Salford Red Devils’ finances and more – explained
For a start, they’re late on payroll again this month.
Salford Red Devils players have been told they will not receive their salaries today.https://t.co/ofHTR0uZyN
According to recent reports, Salford Red Devils owe more than half a million pounds to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at present, with current estimates said to be in the region of £600,000.
The Super League side has fallen into debt due to a number of factors: their own performance as a business, cuts to local funding and a period of spending in terms of recruitment and pre-season preparation under the assumption of a subsidy from Salford City Council (SCC).
However, this would-be uplift – despite it being promised late last year – never came as the Council (having already provided £315k in ‘immediate’ financial aid back in March 2024) U-turned on the decision after it was revealed further backing was not in the budget.
SCC ended up owing around £2 million itself after stepping in to save both SRD and fellow rugby league outfit Swinton Lions, handing out loans to both clubs even prior to purchasing Salford Community Stadium and the surrounding area.
The Council ultimately shelled out north of £7.7m to buy the ground and sever commercial ties with previous owners, Peel. They had hoped to further alleviate pressure on the club, but Salford Red Devils (SRD) had already spent the money they were expecting to receive on new players, training and more.
SRD were then told to sell off a number of players by the league.
With all this in mind, something called a ‘winding-up’ petition – basically a document sent by creditors that demands the immediate liquidation of a company/organisation that owes them money – was filed by HMRC back in May, with the tax authorities demanding payment of the outstanding sum.
However, special dispensation appears to have been made not only due to the complicated and unforeseen circumstances Salford have faced along the way, but also for the sake of the Rugby Football League (RFL) itself, with the Red Devils still seen as a valuable sporting and community asset.
One of those unexpected twists was the takeover by a new consortium led by Dario Berta, whose investment failed to clear in time and resulted in the club being hit with the financial sustainability problem that saw them cutbacks.
In a small bit of good fortune, it has now been decided that the petition to liquidate the SRD has been postponed, though not indefinitely.
As expected, there is good news that the winding-up petition filed by HMRC against Salford Red Devils has been successfully adjourned by the club's representatives in London until after the season has finished in September.
It's important to focus on supporting Salford as they…
— The Game Caller 🗣🎙📻 (@TheGameCaller) June 25, 2025
What could happen next?
The date for coughing up what debt they owe to the tax authorities has now been pushed back to September, meaning they have until then to find the finances, or else they could very well be made insolvent in a matter of months.
However, as per BBC Radio Manchester, those involved in the ongoing process are “confident” that bridging loans will be put in place over the coming days to keep HMRC at bay.
And, nevertheless, head coach Paul Rowley has insisted that he can see “green shoots” starting to emerge around the club, despite still sitting bottom of the table with just one win to their name.
What’s for sure is that the local area isn’t giving up on them, with numerous fundraisers and charity events being set up to help support the club via the official Salford Red Devils Foundation.
Fingers firmly crossed that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Wigan Athletic sign third forward of the summer window so far
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester side Wigan Athletic have announced yet another summer signing with the arrival of 22-year-old Dara Costelloe.
Not only is he the fourth acquisition of the transfer window so far, but the now ex-Burnley prospect is the third new forward picked up by Wigan ahead of the 2025/26 season.
The Irish striker, who started out in the youth academy at Galway United before breaking into the senior team and being bought by the Clarets, has spent the last couple of years on loan, representing five different clubs since 2023.
Having most recently been at Northampton Town, scoring six times in 15 games, he finished the previous campaign with a total of a dozen goal involvements from 36 appearances – a direct contribution in nearly every other game. Now he’ll be tasked with finding similar success with another League One outfit.
𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙏𝙞𝙘! 💙
The exciting striker arrives from Burnley on a three-year deal, with the option of a further year! 🤝#wafc 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/9VzrqDR5uL
Commenting on the move, the youngster said in an official club statement: “I’m delighted to get the move over the line. It’s been a great day for me and my family – I brought my Dad over with me, and having seen the stadium, we definitely made the right choice.
“It is a great Club, and I cannot wait to get started. I’ve spoken to the Gaffer [Ryan Lowe] for quite a bit, and the plan that was outlined is to get this Club back to the Championship. That’s my ambition as well, so we’ll try to achieve that.
“I’ve seen the strikers the Gaffer has worked with, and how he’s helped progress their careers. Hopefully, he can do the same with me.”
As a retired forward himself, the strikers Costelloe is referring to include Southampton’s Cameron Archer, fellow Irishman and ex-Spurs graduate Troy Parrott, as well as former Man City, Ipswich and now Chelsea marksman, Liam Delap, who was on the radar of several teams this summer.
Speaking of Lowe, the Latics head coach confessed, “Dara is a forward who I have admired for some time, and I’m delighted he’s decided to come to us. [He] has all the attributes we are seeking in a new signing – and is hungry, ambitious, and wanting to improve.
“He is a real threat in the final third, and already has experience at this level following his successful spell at Northampton last season.
“Dara adds to the attacking options we have at [Wigan], and we’re looking forward to working with him and helping him to develop his game further. It enables us to have some really healthy competition in the striking department, which will spur each of the lads on throughout the season.
Not only is it usually reassuring to hear when a manager secures a talent they’ve been keen on for a while (the assumption being that they’ve done their due diligence and the player has been well scouted), but it says a lot about the 46-year-old’s ambition for this season by picking up three new attackers.
Snatching his permanent signature from a division rival is a nice bonus, too.
Wigan didn’t score enough goals in 24/25, simple as – finishing in 15th on minus two goal difference after registering just 40; that being said, the signing of Dara Costelloe, Christian Saydee, and most notably, prolific English forward, Paul Mullin, should help bolster those numbers to kick off this new era.
There’s certainly plenty of excitement surrounding the Wrexham hero on loan for the season.