Manchester United are once again holding their charity sleepout at Old Trafford in an effort to raise money for vulnerable young people and Greater Manchester’s homeless community.
This being just the second year the stadium sleepout has ever been held at the Theatre of Dreams, the aim of the charity sleepout is to raise awareness surrounding rough sleeping in and around Manchester, especially amongst the younger people in or on the verge of homelessness.
The crucial fundraising event will encourage supporters to swap their beds for a sleeping bag for the night and camp out within the club’s home ground, this time sleeping not only under the stars but in the actual stands at Old Trafford.
In a rare opportunity, fans will have the chance to try and get some kip whilst overlooking the iconic pitch in a bid to come together and raise funds for both the Manchester United Foundation and youth homelessness charity, Centrepoint. You can see clips of how last year’s stadium sleepout went below:
Last year’s Old Trafford sleepout evoked some heartwarming scenes.
In 2022, more than 60 Man United fans, along with various other individuals from in and around the club as well as local charities, piled into the Munich Tunnel to be part of the first-ever Old Trafford sleepout in testing temperatures to experience what it’s like to sleep on the streets.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bringing their sleeping bags, blankets, flasks of hot tea and snacks to share with other compassionate Reds taking part, the group managed to raise over £20,000 for the United Foundation and Centrepoint — vital funds needed to help support an estimated 121,000 young people who asked for help in the face of homelessness last year alone.
While the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is doing plenty of crucial work to combat youth homelessness and rough sleeping in general across the 10 boroughs, it goes without saying that money like this could drastically change the circumstances of so many people for the better.
ADVERTISEMENT
If, like it did so many others last year, this deeply moving cause stirs you enough to consider taking part, registration is £30 per person and all participants are being asked to pledge a minimum of £250 to support those in need, but of course it’s the taking part that counts. You can register your interest HERE.
The Foundation‘s long-serving CEO, John Shiels, said of the second event: “This year’s sleep out comes the added incentive of fans being able to bed down under the night sky in the stands at Old Trafford, albeit in freezing conditions as we show solidarity with young people facing hardship in the winter months.
“The Foundation operates in some of the areas of highest social deprivation in Greater Manchester, so sadly we know the extent of the challenges our participants face and how important it is we continue to support them through our work, particularly during winter.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Last year’s sleep out harnessed the togetherness of our communities, and building on that, I am confident that we can raise more vital funds and awareness to help vulnerable young people in Greater Manchester with the support of Manchester United’s incredible fanbase.”
Homelessness always feels more prevalent as we enter the colder months but, of course, it remains a deeply pressing social issue all year round both in our local communities and across the UK. We’re proud to know that people in and around our city are always doing their bit to help make a difference.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
31st October 2023 
