A Manchester United fan group is planning the next large-scale protest outside Old Trafford in response to the latest raft of unpopular decisions by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his executive board.
The ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has been subject to many fan protests in the last few years, the most notable of late being the demonstrations in May 2021, which saw thousands surrounding the premises and many supporters even breaking into the stadium.
Although the previous instances were in response to the Glazer family’s much-maligned stewardship, the upcoming protest is in response to the new co-owners and minority shareholder Ratcliffe along with the INEOS Sports Group who have taken control of footballing operations over the past year or so.
It’s barely been a full 12 months since the partial takeover was completed and despite plenty of early positivity, the mood amongst the Man United fan base looks to slumped significantly already, with results and actions around the club changing the sentiment significantly. Cue groups such as The 1958:
🗣️Shall we begin: Announcing protest Arsenal 9th March
We have been preparing for this for a few weeks in anticipation.
We are angry, the fans are angry and it’s been building for some time.
The long-standing fan group (named so in memory of the ‘Busby Babes’ and the Munich Air Disaster) are now gearing up for their next big protest, which is scheduled to take place ahead of Man United’s game against Arsenal at Old Trafford on 9 March.
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Although the Red Devils have other home matches before this fixture, including Ipswich on Wednesday, 26 February and the next round of the FA Cup against Fulham, it seems poignant that the fans have selected one against a fierce rival and one which gives them plenty of time to prepare.
The announcement begins by stating: “We have been preparing for this for a few weeks in anticipation. We are angry, the fans are angry and it’s been building for some time.
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“We have all been more than patient. We all know the root cause, we have always known the elephant in the room. Yet, this isn’t being addressed. It’s those who can least afford it, have the most emotional connection with our club who are being asked to pay the price in more ways than one.”
The 1958 go on to accuse the new administration – as what they now feel is merely a continuation of the Glazers’ neglect – of “trampling over generational support and memories of friends and family who handed the club over to us like something they have stepped in.”
Citing “the treatment of fans from the club” and “eradication of fan culture”, they point towards recent widespread grievances such as United targeting concessions and upping the prices of tickets for the remainder of the season; excluding a fan with dementia, ‘forwarding membership’ debacle and more.
The most recent and notable is another imminent series of job losses, with upwards of 100 staff set to be made unemployed.
The post which has already been reshared countless times online, which at least hints at the kind of numbers the protest will garner, goes on to argue that while the club “preach fan engagement the reality is they dont practice it”, adding “We know this first hand and have evidence.”
“ACTIONS NOT WORDS, IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH […] We rise again to defend our club and be warned this will not just be on the street campaigns at the ground. Keep treating the fans with contempt at your peril.” An unwaveringly serious tone, to say the least.
In case you need a reminder of the protest scenes we’ve seen from United fans in the past, be it in the name of the ‘Glazers Out’ movement or clubs rallying against Super League talk, look no further…
Let’s just say some much-needed good results in the coming weeks could go a long way towards deciding just how big this next demonstration will be.
Are you a Man United fan who will be heading to the next protest at Old Trafford?
The annual Manchester Remembers Foundation charity football match has shut down
Danny Jones
The annual Manchester Remembers charity football match has been cancelled for 2025, and unfortunately, the wider Foundation has also shut downfor 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.”
— The McrRemembers Foundation™️⚽️🐝 (@McrRemembers) May 3, 2025
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.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Manchester Remembers Foundation
Sport
25,000 free footballs are being given away across the UK
Danny Jones
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.
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:
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.
Danny Jones -
17th February 2025 
