England and Manchester footballers Phil Foden and Ella Toone have teamed up with Nike, JD Sports and the Football Beyond Borders charity to launch a brand new all-weather football surface in Moss Side.
The community football pitch dubbed ‘Move to Zero Manchester’ at the Millennium Powerhouse in Moss Side was set up to provide more opportunities for the next generation to play.
The pitch’s name derives from Nike’s ‘Move to Zero’ campaign, which strives to achieve zero carbon and waste level to help protect the future of sport and give back to the local community. Mint.
Credit: Football Beyond Borders (via Twitter)
As for the pitch itself, the surface is made with what the brand calls ‘Nike Grind‘: an initiative which dates back to 1992 and repurposes old boots and trainers that would otherwise end up in landfill by turning them into recycled materials for new products and pitches like this.
A great use for your old and unwanted kicks.
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Unveiling the pitch and a number of activities, Football Beyond Borders (FBB) hosted a festival for the Moss Side community, celebrating the local area’s culture and identity as a hive of “movement and collaboration for creativity and play.”
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE COMMUNITY FOOTBALL PITCH IN MANCHESTER ❤️
Having both @PhilFoden & @ellatoone99 present made it extra special for all the young people who have a new space to do the thing the love 👏🏽
These included a series of workshops, food stalls and dynamic learning opportunities for young people to understand the impact the local community can have. This is at the core of FBB’s youth movement and overarching ethos.
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Of course, no celebration of youth and Mancunian sporting culture would be complete without some local heroes — that’s where surprise appearances from Manchester City winger Phil Foden and Manchester United midfielder Ella Toone come in.
The Nike athletes and England internationals were joined by significant community leaders to officially unveil the space. What better heroes could you ask for than a starring City player and a Euro 2020-winning Lioness?
But the Manc duo weren’t the only notable figures there on the day, as the likes of Commonwealth bronze medalist Naomi Metzger, artist Pete Obsolete; dance troupe Impact Dance, health food collective Melanin Markets and James Gregory of Families Against Violence were all in attendance.
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As for FBB, their work helping redevelop pitches and youth educational services across the country through sport has been benefitting local communities since the charity was founded back in 2014.
Similar campaigns started with regenerating a community pitch at their Brixton HQ in 2015 and in 2020 they started with companies like Nike and JD to see how they could bring similar rejuvenation to local youth communities in Manchester.
Football Beyond Borders CEO and co-founder Jack Reynolds said that the charity is committed to continuing its work in local areas.
He said in a statement: “Community football pitches are hubs for people. They bring locals together, enable relationships to forge, and they provide an outlet for young people to play and be youthful.”
Featured Image — Nike x JD x Football Beyond Borders
Sport
Manchester set to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches – including England’s opening game
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed to be the host of five matches at the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament in 2028.
This also, crucially, would include England‘s opening match, should they qualify directly.
The joint announcement by Manchester City and Manchester City Council today comes as UEFA has now released key details about the UK & Ireland 2028 competition – which, as it stands, is less than 1,000 days away.
It has been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium – which is known as The City of Manchester Stadium when not relating to Manchester City football club – will host four Group Stage matches across four different groups, offering both local and international football fans the chance to see a range of different national teams in action.
On top of this, Manchester will also be the host a Round of 16 knockout match as the tournament progresses.
UEFA EURO 2028 will kick off at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on Friday 9 June 2028, culminating in the Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 9 July 2028.
Across the UK and Ireland, nine stadiums will host matches during the upcoming tournament – with other northern stadiums including Everton Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park over in Newcastle.
More than three million tickets – as sold by UEFA – are set to be available for the tournament, and more information on this will be issued in due course.
Following an independent assessment, UEFA EURO 2028 is expected to generate up to £3.6 billion in socio-economic benefits for the UK and Ireland between 2028 and 2031, with benefits including job creation, regional growth, and direct spending from international visitors.
The countdown has started in Manchester for #EURO2028!
Five matches are scheduled to be played here – including England's opener if they qualify – and more than 300,000 fans will be welcomed to the city in June 2028.
“We’re a city where football runs deep in our DNA, and we’re counting down the days to UEFA Euro 2028.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Sport
Man City to open latest Greater Manchester club shop at Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club are set to open another brand-new store at the Trafford Centre, and just in time for Christmas.
With the festive period approaching, plenty of people will be looking to buy the latest shirts and merch of their beloved team, and with the Blues now a bigger brand than ever, they’ve put plenty of time into levelling up the club shop experience.
Their third in Greater Manchester, all told, it’s also set to be one of their largest to date.
Credit: The Manc Group
Although confirmation of the plans came back in October, City have officially announced themselves in the Trafford Centre this month.
With the hoardings going up over on Peel Avenue – the section of the huge mall arguably most well-known for its multi-storey John Lewis department store – they’ll be opening their doors just next to the branch of Waterstones.
In fact, you definitely can’t miss it because not only is there a giant MCFC badge plastered over the windows, but it also happens to be right next to the big Christmas tree.
This comes after sports and streetwear franchises like Gymshark and Urban Outfitters joined the North West tourist attraction, not to mention the massive Zara and Bershka sites that opened recently, as well as other global names like Pop Mart.
An idea of what the new Man City store in the Trafford Centre could look like, based on the Arndale shop. (Credit: The Manc)
Put simply, there’s been plenty of new arrivals this year, and there are several others to come.
Although we’ve not got an exact opening date just yet, the posters displayed across the window simply read “Coming November”, so Cityzens won’t have to wait long.
Furthermore, job vacancies for retail roles working within the upcoming location are already listed on the official Trafford Centre careers page.
Last but not least, there are scheduled be a number of other new openings in the shopping arcade, leisure and entertainment destination, so keep your eyes peeled on socials for more info soon.
Danny Jones -
18th October 2022 
