Club de Padel has finally opened its doors in Manchester city centre this week, bringing the world’s fastest-growing sport to the city for the first time.
The brand new sports club has taken shape at the foot of the Deansgate Square skyscrapers (and all the others springing up nearby).
There are four state-of-the-art open-air courts where players can take on the popular game, all with jaw-dropping views of the surrounding towers.
Federal, a wildly popular local brunch and coffee spot, has also opened here in a shipping container, serving coffees, pastel de nata, and a selection of alcoholic drinks in the evenings.
For those unfamiliar, Padel is a mash-up of tennis and squash, where players are enclosed by walls and can play the ball off any wall.
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The sport was first invented in Mexico in the late 1960s but has exploded in popularity across Europe in recent years, drawing legions of famous fans.
Andy Murray, David Beckham, Pep Guardiola and Serena Williams have all declared themselves fans, and Lionel Messi went so far as to install a Padel court at his home.
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Federal at Club de Padel in ManchesterThere are four state-of-the-art courts at Club de PadelInside Club de Padel ManchesterClub de Padel is at the foot of the Deansgate Square towers
Speaking of the club’s launch, Lucy Noone-Blake said: “We can’t get over what an incredible opening day it’s been. We’ve been almost fully booked all day with seasoned players and new players alike, everyone seems to be so excited.
“We’ve got a few spots available for the rest of the week but it’s filling up fast and we’re looking forward to our coaching programme starting in the new year.”
Club de Padel is partnering with Adidas and HEAD on its equipment and will have one of the UK’s top padel competitors, Alberto Cubero Torregrosa, as head coach.
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Alberto said: “I can’t wait to get started at Club de Padel. Having grown up in Malaga, I have been playing padel for over 25 years, so I’m delighted to see it finally arrive in Manchester, where I now call home.
“It is important to me that everyone can enjoy this amazing sport, so it doesn’t matter if you are a complete beginner or an experienced player, I am committed to helping you improve and have fun while doing it.”
Tommy Fury announces return to boxing after dropping out of I’m a Celeb 2024 last-minute
Danny Jones
Manc fighter Tommy Fury has announced his sudden return to boxing after dropping out of this year’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The Wythenshawe-born boxer hasn’t been in the ring since his victory over YouTube star turned fighter, musician and jack of all trades, KSI, back in December 2023, but he has now booked his next bout.
Preparing to take on former UFC middleweight Darren Till in the New Year, he’s set a blockbuster date for the hometown fight as Fury vs Till will be held at none other than Manchester’s state-of-the-art entertainment venue, Co-op Live.
Not even Tyson has had a Co-op fight yet – at least not the arena one, anyway.
Sharing the official DAZN fight poster this past weekend, the 25-year-old will take on Till as part of the next Misfits event, an ever-growing boxing promotion co-founded by his former opponent KSI.
This has all transpired very quickly as the 25-year-old looked set to feature on the 2024 I’m a Celeb lineup but ultimately pulled out in the 11th hour.
National treasures and long-serving hosts hosts, Ant and Dec, even made a dig about it on the first episode of this season which aired on Sunday night, expressing their disbelief at replacement Barry McGuigan doing the show before adding, “Well it was either do this or fight the YouTuber on Netflix.”
Besides the fight against KSI (real name Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji), his Fury‘s most notable fight famously came against fellow influencer and celebrity boxer Jake Paul, in which he was declared the victor following a split decision.
Meanwhile, Paul has continued to dive deeper into his now-pro boxing career, which officially began in 2020, and just recently a shock win over 58-year-old sporting legend Mike Tyson on points – though the exclusive Netflix-produced fight has been accused of being ‘rigged’.
31-year-old Till, on the other hand, has long maintained his opinion of the younger Fury brother’s boxing ability and seems pretty confident he knows what the outcome will be.
Tommy Fury vs. Darren Till just got announced for January 18th on Misfits Boxing 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gayFTXAmmA
Hailing from Walton, in Liverpool, not only will it be a homecoming night for ‘TNT’ but it will also be an all-North West affair with plenty of local rivalry fuelling both boxers and the crowd.
Tommy Fury vs Darren Till comes to Co-op Live in Manchester on 18 January and it will be just the second combat sports event ever held at the venue after UFC 304 earlier this year, where fellow Manc Tom Aspinall retained his interim heavyweight title.
Co-op Members can access pre-sale from 10am on Tuesday, 19 November, with general admission tickets going live at 6pm later that same day. You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Featured Images — Ghazi Twaissi (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
Sport
Manchester’s 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness raises a whopping £50k for ‘A Bed Every Night’
Danny Jones
This city can stand up and pat itself firmly on the back after this year’s 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness raised a whopping £50,000 for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.
Manchester, you truly are incredible.
Returning for the sixth time last week, the 2024 edition of Manchester’s annual fundraising 24-hour relay event was a bumper year and then some, as not only did they cruise past their initial target of £25k but there were records all over the place for distances covered and attendance.
With well over 1,000 runners from all over the region descending upon host venue Freight Island and the city centre route at various different points during the 24 hours, we can well and truly say us Mancs ran our absolute socks off for a crucial cause.
Starting from 12pm on Wednesday, 13 November and running until noon the next day, those involved completed a total of 40 consecutive laps with some of those taking part barely stopping for even a moment’s rest in between each one, no matter how dark, cold or painful it got.
Translating to the equivalent of 1,666 beds for those in the Greater Manchester homeless community and counting, the team – comprised of 86 volunteers, hugely supportive overnight security staff and countless runners – managed to generate nearly double the amount of donations raked in last year.
If you want more context, prior to the 2024 event, The 24 Hour MCR Run had raised approximately £52,807.99 over the course of its entire first five years, meaning they’ve basically just matched that overall tally in just one day – albeit a very long one.
The frankly ridiculous tally couldn’t have been reached without help from donation-boosting sponsors AutoTrader and Together Co. (as well as help from Accenture and Mistral), but even without those additions, it was still by far and away the most successful year in the event’s history.
Countless runners booked time off or got laps done on their lunch hours, with many even coming after work on the Wednesday to then return and put in even more graft the following morning before their shift. Simply inspirational stuff.
Volunteers and run leaders like Marv Lucas, Shomak Chakrabarti, Jay Orris, Molly Glenister-Doyle and many others each smashed 100km or more; even The Manc managed to rack up 110k between us.
The Manc doing their bitRunners doing their 5k laps of Manchester city centreStill hundreds there come nightfallBurnham gave a rousing and emotional speech(Credit: The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness)
One Chorlton Runner, 55-year-old Ian Sharpe, set the men’s record with a simply staggering 150k, while Natasha Barclay smashed the women’s record with an unbelievable 117k just 10 days after running almost the same distance at The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness‘ debut event in Birmingham.
Joining for the busy 7pm, when hundreds of people from Greater Manchester-based run clubs, local businesses and more lined the steps of Freight Island, Mayor Andy Burnham was in attendance and admitted that the immense turnout brought “a tear to the eye.”
Labelling the ever-growing initiative a prime example of “Greater Manchester in action” and community engagement at its finest, it was visible to see how taken aback he was not only by the sheer number of runners but by how much the event has grown since its inception.
Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity (GMMC) CEO, Dr Fran Darlington-Pollock – who also put in some laps herself along with members of her team – was equally blown away by the 2024 event.
Talking to The Manc, she said: “The 24 Hour Run raises vital funds to support our flagship scheme, ‘A Bed Every Night’ (ABEN), providing far more than just a bed for the night but vital wrap-around support to help get people back on their feet.
“No one should have to spend a night on the streets, particularly as we head into the colder, harsher months. Raising funds for ABEN helps to get us closer to a point when we can say we have truly eradicated the need for rough sleeping.” Safe to say a big dint was put in the problem this month.
Speaking on an overwhelmingly successful 24 hours, co-founder Tom Lewis said: “I’m genuinely overwhelmed with the support we received for this year’s event and the Manchester running community and local companies coming together to help make a real impact in the region.
“As for the future, we plan to come back bigger than ever each year. We’ve set an ambitious precedent by doubling our fundraising total for the last few years, which could mean we’re looking at £100,000 next year. At the moment that seems like a dream, but I said the same about £50,000 and here we are.
It goes without saying that raising this much money for such a vitally important problem in the space of 24 hours is phenomenal and we couldn’t possibly be any prouder of all those who took part.
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The supplementary JustGiving page is actually still active for 2024, so you can still donate if you want to add to that already huge sum but, for now, well done to everyone and we’ll see you next year.
Daisy Jackson -
19th December 2023 
