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.
Our home is your home more than ever this winter.
All are welcome to Old Trafford from 17:00 GMT tonight for the first of our Warm Hub evenings ❤️#MUFChttps://t.co/kpE93rW167
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Featured Images — Manchester United Foundation/Valeriy Borzov (via Unsplash)
Sport
Manchester City issue statement as they reach agreement over ‘APT’ controversy
Danny Jones
Manchester City and the Premier League have agreed a settlement over their long, drawn-out APT rules controversy.
For starters, no: this is not to do with the outstanding 115 charges still alleged against the local side; that’s to do with FFP.
In case you weren’t aware of the latest with this story, after winning a watershed court case against the English top flight last October regarding ‘Associated Party Transactions’ (APT) – an outcome with the Premier League contested – Man City have now put the case behind them.
Updating supporters on social media this week, the club revealed that the situation has now been resolved and is essentially over.
Sharing the update on social media, they gave a brief overview of how the debate related to transparency surrounding sponsorship deals and commercial dealings was finally concluded.
A statement reads as follows: “The Premier League and Manchester City FC have reached a settlement in relation to the arbitration commenced by the club earlier this year concerning the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction, and as a result, the parties have agreed to terminate the proceedings.
“This settlement brings an end to the dispute between the parties regarding the APT Rules. As part of the settlement, Manchester City accepts that the current APT Rules are valid and binding.
“It has been agreed that neither the Premier League nor the club will be making any further comment about the matter.
Although the decision was ultimately reached following extensive investigation by an independent commission, some are already speculating about what this could mean in terms of wider controversies surrounding the club. It’s also opened the door for them to resume partnerships already in the pipeline.
#ManCity have accepted the Premier League’s new ATP rules and have received assurances that they will not be treated differently when securing sponsorship with companies linked to their owners.
Manchester City are now able to complete a hugely lucrative, long-term deal with… pic.twitter.com/oqn9seWSbS
Conversely, the Premier League itself is yet to offer any public response of its own, with the assurance that the City Football Group (CFG) accepts that said APT Rules are “valid and binding” essentially being the final word.
Many fans have been quick to question online whether this has any impact on the aforementioned FFP saga (don’t forget City’s 115 charges were actually increased to 130 back in December), but very little is still publicly known about the latter.
The hearing itself technically began this time last year, but we have yet to actually find out what the result was, despite the 10-week process ending in December.
Meanwhile, that isn’t the only concern for die-hard Blues of late…
André Onana is set to leave Manchester United on loan as early as next week
Danny Jones
Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana is reportedly leaving the club as early as next week as he prepares to make a late move to mainland Europe.
It’s fair to characterise Onana‘s time at Old Trafford as fraught and divisive, to say the least, but now the Cameroonian keeper is set to leave Man United on loan for the rest of the season.
While most dealings had to be completed at the start of the month, Turkey’s own transfer window is still open for another few days, and now, the seemingly exiled shot-stopper is set to spend a potentially future-defining spell in the Süper Lig.
Preparing for his soon-to-be fully completed move to Trabzonspor, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano states that he will complete the deal next week.
As detailed by Romano, the 29-year-old former Ajax number one – who arrived as one of the first key signings under Erik ten Hag – has personally agreed to the terms of the switch.
It is a little surprise too, as the journalist claims that Onana will earn more money overall, with the Turkish team set to fully cover his United salary, plus the signing fee and bonuses, taking the overall package beyond his base wage of £120,000 a week.
Although both clubs have agreed to a season-long loan, with Trabzonspor promising more than his normal pay packet has been at Old Trafford, there is no loan fee or obligation/option to buy included.
Safe to say that not all supporters will be exactly sad to see him go, as despite some good moments in the shirt (including besting both David de Gea and Peter Schmeichel’s penalty save ratio early doors), his tenure in Manchester has been less ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has been far from it.
So much so, in fact, that in response to the news of his imminent departure, a compilation of all his unforced errors thus far was quickly shared online:
Once his medical has been completed and the final Ts have been crossed, Onana will be one of several statement outgoings from Man United this summer, with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Rasmus Højlund all leaving the club in the last couple of months.
While only Garnacho’s was a direct sale, Onana’s is the only other one of these loan deals which doesn’t necessarily imply a permanent move away as yet.
Either way, the ever-controversial keeper willneedto make the next 12 months or so very impressive if he has any hopes of standing between the sticks for United again, especially with Altay Bayindir now quickly returning to the second string with the arrival of Senne Lammens.
What about you, Reds – are you sad to see him go, and do you think this time away could see him revive his Premier League career?
Danny Jones -
4th December 2023 
