Sport

Manchester United are once again opening up Old Trafford and Red Café for ‘Warm Hub’ evenings

The scheme will run until the end of January.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 4th December 2023

Manchester United are once again opening their doors to people in need this winter as they kick off the 2023 season of ‘Warm Hub’ evenings at Old Trafford.

The community support initiative is returning after the success of last year’s campaign which welcomed locals through the doors to Man United’s iconic home ground and the attached Red Café, helping thousands stay warm, grab a hot drink and a snack, as well as socialise with others.

Focusing on those vulnerable during the colder months, as well as those who might feel worried or lonely during the festive period, United‘s Warm Hubs proved to be a truly impactful resource to many Mancunians in 2022 and will no doubt do the same this year.

Starting from Monday, 4 December and repeating every week right through until January, the area will be available to everyone and completely free, staying open from 5-8pm every session.

Warm Hub sessions return to Old Trafford this Monday.

To sign up for the Warm Hub evenings — part of the wider ‘United By Your Side’ campaign — people can arrive at Old Trafford and register via the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand reception and will then be guided into the Red Café where they can grab a brew and something to eat.

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Completely open to the public, the United Foundation will also be delivering a multi-layered approach to support the local community this time around, hoping to be an even more vital outlet to people around Greater Manchester than ever.

In addition to the obvious physical benefits of the warm space, the club want the ground to be a welcoming place for those looking for social connection over the holidays and beyond to spend time with others in friendly and safe surroundings.

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As a charity supporting children and young people, the Foundation has focused its efforts on supporting families amidst the cost-of-living crisis after participants from its Youth Voice groups expressed concerns over being cold during the winter months.

The club also hosted the second-ever Stadium Sleepout to raise money for Manchester’s homeless community earlier this year.

As a result, the Foundation has now invested more than £100,000 in over 22,000 warm clothing items for every young person across its 77 partner schools in Greater Manchester and beyond, including hats, gloves, scarves, blankets and more.

These items have complemented the winter coats that were distributed earlier this year, following the matchday appeal that was held ahead of the Brentford fixture in October at Old Trafford — a brilliant drive that the club is also hoping to continue.

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Donations from fans, club staff and men’s and women’s team players have also led to more than 2,000 coats being received, all of which have since been redistributed to identified families in need, local poverty charities and a charity in Ukraine. Heartwarming stuff.

Similarly, more than 200 shoeboxes – received thanks to Manchester United and Foundation staff – will be handed out to identified children as gifts ahead of the festive season.

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Speaking on the return of the scheme, United’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Collette Roche, said: “We want people who are struggling to know that they are not alone, particularly in our local community…

“Sadly, we also know many of our young people will be facing challenges during the winter period and we hope by providing them with some warm winter clothing or a Christmas gift through the Foundation’s great work we will bring some joy and support to those in need.”

Children under 16 attending this year’s sessions must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 16. The last warm hub evening of 2023 will be taking place on 18 December and will resume again in the New Year from 8 January until the last Monday of the month (29 January).

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Thankfully, the sporting institution isn’t the only one doing its bit for the most vulnerable over the next few months, with places such as libraries across the region offering free hot drinks, wi-fi and a place to simply get warm this winter.

Five ways you can help homeless people in Greater Manchester this winter
If you’re hoping to help out those most vulnerable over the next few months, here are a few ways you can get involved.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Manchester United Foundation/Valeriy Borzov (via Unsplash)

Sport

Manchester United announce record revenue despite on-pitch struggles

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Manchester United have declared a record revenue figure for the full 2025 fiscal term, even with their poor performances on the pitch over the past 12 months.

They may still be a continually struggling Premier League side who seem to be in a perpetual state of transition, but they remain nothing short of a global giant in terms of sporting brands.

Yes, despite Man United recording two of the worst finishes in domestic history in the previous two campaigns and head coach Ruben Amorim having already overseen the worst start to a top-flight season in the modern era following the defeat on derby day, the football club has reached a monetary milestone.

According to their official reports for the fourth and final quarter of the financial year, they brought in a record-breaking £666.5 million throughout 2024/25 – but, as always, it’s more complicated than that.

Released on Wednesday, 17 September, Manchester United PLC confirmed that they had managed to record the biggest revenue figures on several fronts despite crashing out of the Europa League, finishing 15th in the table overall and failing to secure a place in any European competition this season.

The first half of Amorim‘s tenure at Old Trafford saw the club’s worst competitive placing since 1973/74, a.k.a. the last time the Red Devils were relegated from the first division.

Nevertheless, a fresh shirt sponsorship agreement with Snapdragon, new brand partnerships with the likes of Coca-Cola, an extension of their contract with travel experience company, SportsBreaks, and numerous other deals saw United achieve a record commercial revenue of £333.3m.

Elsewhere, match revenue was also up and reached new heights, tallying approximately £160.3m in the 12 months leading up to 30 June 2025 – the most they have ever registered when it comes to ticket sales, concessions, and other transactions in and around game days.

Controversial increases to some ticket prices and seat changes no doubt helped tip the scales in that respect, but it’s also worth clarifying that they still posted overall losses of £33m.

Although this number is a reduction of more than 70.8% what they lost last year (£113.2m), there is still plenty of concern among supporters over how money is still not only being spent but moved around.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS board did pay sizeable chunks of MUFC’s debt, which has piled up at an alarming rate in the two decades since the Glazer takeover, but there has still been plenty of borrowing.

In addition to a number of shorter-term loans, there has also been an increased level of amortisation and significant transfer spending this summer, despite being admittedly cash-strapped.

As well as actually having less money to play with over the past 12 months, they are also set to receive less in TV rights and broadcasting revenues this season due to not making it into any European competition, hence why they went on a post-season Asian tour to try and make up for funds lost.

It’s estimated that the business earned a further £8 million from these games, but it’s also worth noting that significant sums have been spent not only on new signings but also on severance fees and redundancy packages, so it’s hard to assess how much this extra injection helped with the fine margins.

Divisive CEO and former City Football Group exec, Omar Berrada, wrote in the comments section of the full findings and financial report: “As we settle into the 2025/26 season, we are working hard to improve the club in all areas.

“On the field, we are pleased with the additions we have made to our men’s and women’s first team squads over the summer, as we build for the long term. Off the field, we are emerging from a period of structural and leadership change with a refreshed, streamlined organisation equipped to deliver on our sporting and commercial objectives.”

Yet again, it’s worth noting that the same ‘streamlining’ her refers to includes sacking over 450 staff across two rounds of lay-offs.

He adds: “We are also investing [in upgrading] our infrastructure, including completion of the £50m redevelopment of our men’s first team building at Carrington, on time and on budget, following prior investment in our women’s team facilities, to create a world-class environment for our players and staff.

“Meanwhile, planning continues to meet our ambition of developing a new stadium at Old Trafford as part of a transformational regeneration of the surrounding community.

Manchester United’s Old Trafford regeneration project backed by UK government
Total Manchester United revenue may be up but they’re about to shell out seismic outlay for their new stadium costs.

Berrada signs off by insistig that for the club to have “generated record revenues during such a challenging year for the club demonstrates the resilience which is a hallmark of Manchester United.

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“Our commercial business remains strong as we continue to deliver appealing products and experiences for our fans, and best-in-class value to our partners.”

“As we start to feel the benefits of our cost reduction programme, there is significant potential for improved financial performance, which will, in turn, support our overriding priority: success on the pitch.”

What do you make of Manchester United’s 2024/25 annual report and how it fits into the wider picture/struggles elsewhere around the club?

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

Sport

Shakers survive as Bury FC win a tense knockout replay after ineligible player mix-up

Danny Jones Danny Jones Bury FC survive FA Trophy tie replay after ineligible player mix-up

Bury FC have survived a tense close-run replay after being ordered to replay a match following a mix-up which led to an illegible player being fielded in a knockout tie against another local side.

Safe to say that despite coming through unscathed, their supporters have still been left understandably frustrated, not to mention raising further concerns throughout English football.

The Shakers were victorious in their FA Trophy tie against fellow Greater Manchester club Wythenshawe Town FC earlier this month, winning 3-1 on the night – but they had to play them again on Tuesday evening, scraping through by a single goal.

Victory aside, Bury fans have railed against what they now deem a flawed FA system, a player substituted on in the first match despite being technically ineligible to take part. The club have insisted they were unaware of this.

As detailed on social media, new signing and debutant Gavin Massey was brought off the bench in the second half on 6 September as the home team went on to win the game, but his introduction ultimately voided the result.

This is because Massey was retrospectively sent off during his former club, AFC Fylde’s final fixture of last season against Barnet FC, being given a red card after the full-time whistle.

Not only were Bury not clued into this, but it was somewhat unclear as to who was dismissed at the time, with the referee reportedly flashing the card “in the direction of a group of players and staff of AFC Fylde in the changing room area.”

As Bury continued in the lengthy statement released earlier this week, “the FA Portal only allows clubs to see the player registration detail once a player has made their first appearance for the club”, and since he only arrived at Gigg Lane this summer, the incident was missed.

In fact, as they clarify, the portal’s discipline records only “showed one suspension for the game, that of Aiden Walker’s following his dismissal against Stalybridge Celtic in the FA Cup replay in August.”

Once again, given how the system works, Massey’s suspension record was only made visible to the Bury after coming on for his first club appearance. The unfortunate oversight has caused quite the uproar among the fanbase.

Reacting online, one fan wrote: “How the hell are you meant to work around this? Once you sign a player, you should be able to see his profile. Not after he’s played his first game.” Another simply labelled the dilemma as “bonkers.”

Following a meeting with The FA on Monday evening, Bury were officially ordered to replay the knockout tie at Ericstan Park last night and, thanks to a late header from DJ Pedro, managed to make it out of the other side with the same result, barring one less goal.

It was reiterated prior to the reluctant replay that “Bury Football Club would like to put on record that no issues with player registrations occurred in this instance, and that usual processes were followed by our administration team in preparation for the FA Trophy tie.”

Nevertheless, the whole palava has raised serious questions surrounding the official FA portal, which looks to be causing plenty of problems up and down the pyramid. You can be sure Bury FC won’t be the only ones forced into an avoidable replay this year.

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Featured Images — Bury Football Club (screenshot via YouTube)

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