One of the hardest parts about getting organised for a major tournament is finding the right place to watch all the games. Planning is one thing but actually getting in somewhere is a battle in of itself.
We’ve been racking our brains over the best places in town to watch England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and after being invited along to ‘Road to Victory’ on Tuesday, we might just have a winning candidate for you.
Road to Victory is the flagship event from fledgling entertainment company AIX Live (Amplified Immersive eXperience), who will be bringing the biggest fan zone anywhere in Europe to Depot Mayfield.
And when we say biggest, it really is massive. Try over 100,000 square feet.
It really is the biggest fan zone in Europe
With a capacity of over 6,000, Road to Victory (RtV) is set to bring the most immersive, multi-sensory football experience we have ever come across besides being in the stadium itself to hordes of England fans living in Manchester.
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Playing England games only (because it’s win or bust as far as they’re concerned), the immense space being used for the fan park will be familiar to those who have been to Warehouse Project before, though it’s never been quite like this.
Even walking in was quite the experience.
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Credit: The Manc
Stretching across three rooms promising crowds of between 1,500 and 2,500 each, the transformed venue promises music, light shows and, most importantly, giant screens on almost every wall to watch the games. You literally can’t miss it.
With everything from burgers and dirty fries to nachos, wings and more – catered by Manchester food brand Oh My Glaze – not to mention all the booze you’ll need to launch into the air when we score, you’ll have everything you could ask for in this unprecedented supporter space.
Credit: The Manc/Supplied
Those paying for seated tickets in the main room or purchasing one of 200 VIP tickets each game via donation can even pre-order food and drink more than an hour and a half before kick-off.
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An interactive audio-visual experience
But it’s just more than tables, chairs and a big telly – you can get that at pretty much any pub. What we were most blown away by were the production levels AIX have delivered for this event.
In addition to the sea of neon lights and huge speakers echoing around the room, our sneak preview included a glimpse at the stunning AV packages promised both before, during and after the game.
As well as visual team sheet presentations which will see the starting 11 read out by an announcer, there will be live match stats throughout the game, running ticker tape around the room and dynamic moments such as a 4D virtual heartbeat should Southgate‘s side win a penalty. Very, very cool.
Credit: The Manc
There’s also plenty of audience participation, not just in terms of cheering on the Three Lions but with quizzes, prize competitions, special guests, DJs and more.
There are even digital activities accessible via a simple QR code such as a virtual game of Pong, where thousands of audience members can play a giant multiplayer game against whoever England’s opponents are that day. They’re really trying to deliver an all-around fan experience.
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It goes beyond just a game
Perhaps the thing we were most impressed with was AIX’s collaboration with the sporting charity Football Beyond Borders (FBB), an organisation dedicated to improving the young people and local communities through the beautiful game.
Credit: The Manc/Football Beyond Borders
But this isn’t just a publicity partnership, RtV and AIX will be donating £500 for every goal England scores in the group games directly to FBB and, better still, a whopping £1,000 for every goal scored in the knockout stages — which will be getting to, thank you very much.
It’s this kind of dedication and confidence in the project and its sheer scale that we admire, as they’re just as convinced it’s coming home as we are. Moreover, they’re making sure that fans and football lovers across the country will benefit regardless of the end result come the final on 18 December.
Tickets for Road to Victory are going to fly
England’s first game against Iran kicks off at 1pm on 21 November but Road to Victory at Depot Mayfield will be open from 10:30am and won’t be kicking people out until the last drink is sunk, “or the license kicks in” — their words, not ours.
Credit: Supplied
In short, the Depot and AIX plan to put on after-parties when England wins each game, not if. This is strictly an over-18s fan zone designed for limbs, limbs and more limbs.
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Standing tickets for Road to Victory start at just £9.50 and seated packages from £15 (plus booking fees), with more information on drink and food pre-order packages set to be released soon.
You’ll be able to buy passes from the likes of Kaboodle, Ticketmaster and See Tickets, so make sure to keep an eye out on their socials for updates and you can find out more info at roadtovictory.co.uk.
But don’t lose all hope if you miss out, there is also Escape to Freight Island’s ‘Festival of Football’ just next door should tickets go wanting and you’re still in search of those fan park vibes.
Tickets go on sale at 10am this Friday, 14 October 14, 2022, so you best be quick if you wanna be there to watch the boys bring it home.
Featured Image — The Manc
Sport
Liam Broady is on the comeback – here’s why you need to watch out for him at Wimbledon
The Manc
Local tennis player Liam Broady is quietly rising back up the ranks on the ITF Tour, and here’s why we think you should watch out for him come Wimbledon 2026 this summer.
He is physical proof that the ATP Tour ranking means so much to a player’s career.
The Stockport-born tennis player has suffered many injury setbacks since turning pro in 2014. With a host of ankle and back injuries plaguing his playing career, he has had to turn to the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Tour to climb the rankings once again.
He is currently placed at 283* on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour after reaching two semi-finals in the space of a month.
With wins on two of Portugal’s hard courts in Faro and Santo António, the 32-year-old has climbed from rank 303 at the start of the year to under the threshold in less than three months.
His hard work on outdoor courts is paying off as his seeding is slowly improving, and his opponents are becoming less of a challenge.
For the unititated, the ATP ranking is decided by a points system that determines your playing level, and therefore who you can possibly draw, with lower seeds getting tougher games as they need more points, and vice versa.
These point tallies factor into every win, loss, serve, and shot as it propels you up or down the table.
With an injury over Christmas, the Stopfordian Team GB player came back stronger for the start of the annual tournament calendar and now looks to be in fighting form on the ITF Tour.
He’s definitely had to tackle some obstacles over the years, both on and off the court…
Competing solely on outdoor hard courts to gain his fitness levels back is necessary, but the grass courts – his speciality – will come around with time and consistent form, with Wimbledon being his home tournament and his highlight of the competitive calendar.
His career best ranking was 93, after becoming the first British wildcard entry to beat an ATP top five player in 2023 when defeating Casper Rudd on Wimbledon’s centre court.
His win against the Norwegian in round two sent him into the top 100 rankings for the first time, and into the shining spotlight alongside British tennis stars.
The adverse effects of time away from the tour are clear to see with Broady’s peaks and dips in the table below; this means taking a hit to player motivation, game-to-game momentum and teamworking within doubles pairs.
Liam Broady’s career rankings progression chart. (Credit: ATP Tour)
It is a likely situation for players to neglect their doubles career without the added stress of injury, so if they are to arise, it does not just impact individual physicality levels but also communication between doubles pairs.
A fellow British player with similar injury problems is Emma Raducanu, who rose to fame with a shocking US Open grand slam win as a qualifier. Since her win, she has had multiple surgeries, which saw her plummet down WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) standings due to time spent off court.
The issues that come with injury upsets can make a career really difficult to reclaim, even at a young age; tour rankings can be brutal on game time and match opponents, such as Broady’s Wimbledon draw against Holland’s Van De Zandschulp and Raducanu’s recent draw against American no.3 Anisimova.
We hope to see Team GB’s athletes fit and ready to fight on tour, and we have a strong feeling we’ll see native talent Broady back in the spotlight where he belongs.
Manchester Basketball set to make history at first-ever Super League Cup finals in the city
Danny Jones
In case you missed the latest landmark for Manchester Basketball, both of our men’s and women’s teams have officially reached the 2026 Super League Cup Finals.
Aside from being a huge achievement for the fresh sporting franchise in itself, things are now all set up for a perfect weekend for local fans, with the conclusion of the Super League Cup taking place in our city for the very first time.
All that being said, it’s quite a watershed moment for this new and improved outfit – and pretty soon, too, so here’s hoping they can follow it up with a dream ending against the kings and queens of the capital.
Secure your Cup Finals tickets now 🏆 You don’t want to miss it 🎟️
— Super League Basketball (@SprLeagueBballM) March 8, 2026
It’s rare you get both the male and female members from the same side making it to the final of a major competition in the same year, not to mention having it hosted on their own turf.
Zak Irvin, Captain of the Men’s side, said in a statement: “Since I arrived here, the goal has been to bring championships home to the city.
“Our team has a great opportunity to do that in front of a Manchester crowd on the 22nd. It’s going to be an electric final, and having the backing of the Manchester crowd can be a real difference maker.”
With multiple Manc natives like Kaiyem Cleary, Demi Babalola and Irene Oboavwoduo in the squad – all of whom have come through the club’s junior pathways – they’ve got hometown pride on the line, too.
And better yet, they’ve already proved that they can make sure the weight of the occasion doesn’t get the better of them, having just won a major European knockout match as part of the MOBOs Fringe Festival earlier this week.
Facing off against KK Dubrava from Zagreb, they managed to pull off a narrow victory, beating the Croatians 94-92 to make it through to the quarter-finals of this year’s European North Basketball League (ENBL) knockout phase.
17-year-old Irene added, “It means a lot to me to play in a Cup final in my home city. Having my family and friends there, as well as all the support for Manchester, will be incredible.
“To play in a domestic final around the corner from where I’ve grown up is really unique. We’re all excited for the game; it will be a great occasion.”
With the stage set for what we have every faith will be an unforgettable conclusion at the AO Arena, it’s on us to make sure they’ve got the stands on their side.
Taking place on Sunday, 22 March, with seat prices starting from just £26 for adults (or £65 if you want to sit courtside), let’s help Manchester Basketball get over the line against London Lions.
Danny Jones -
12th October 2022 
