Newly promoted Stockport County are set to supply free PE kits to thousands of school kids in and around the local region.
Fresh from another successful domestic campaign, climbing back into League One as Champions after 12 years, the Greater Manchester side is making sure to translate the progress seen on the pitch this season into more positivity across the Stockport area too.
The brand-new initiative set up by the club’s Community Trust arm will see more than 3,500 PE kits delivered to school children across the borough in time for the new term this September, with the goal of handing out a further three-and-a-half times that amount by the end of 2025.
Focusing on primary school ages specifically, the hope is to get more and more kids active and participating in football, sports and other forms of physical education from an early age – a deeply important cause when it comes to the next generation.
Stockport County is delighted to announce the launch of its new Kits by County campaign, as the club aims to raise enough funds to provide 12,500 PE kits for Stockport's Primary School kids.
— Stockport (C)ounty (@StockportCounty) May 9, 2024
Stockport County are hoping to give out thousands more free PE kits to Stopfordian kids by September 2025.
Teaming up with school wear manufacturer Trutex, the scheme will ensure that kits adhere to most schools’ standard PE requirements: white polo shirts, a pair of black joggers and a pair of black shorts.
ADVERTISEMENT
Better still, the brand has agreed to provide these kits to County and, in turn, to primary school pupils at a significant discount. The importance of drives like this cannot be overstated given the ongoing cost of living crisis being seen all over the country.
Pressures on the family purse continue to be a contributing factor for primary school children not taking part in PE as many families with disposable income struggle to afford the cost of a new PE kit every term.
ADVERTISEMENT
As per an official release from the club, half of the local primary school children get their main exercise from PE at school and, sadly, 30% of primary school leavers go into secondary education classed as obese.
That’s where initiatives like this can help make all the difference – as does their regular County Camps sessions, not to mention the annual ‘County in the Park’ event, which lets kids play on the actual pitch at Edgeley at absolutely no cost to parents.
⚽️ Our ever-popular County Camps holiday football sessions are returning this half-term
🥅 Plenty of football-based fun and games for children (including a FREE girls-only session)
Even more concerningly, it was found that not only is turning to school without a PE kit an immediate obstacle that sees many kids sit out lessons but research also found that children were reluctant to borrow PE kits from schools out of embarrassment.
ADVERTISEMENT
County Community Trust CEO, Alison Warwood, said: “Not having a PE kit, shouldn’t be what stops children from taking part in physical activity. The school’s ‘lost and found’ bin sadly comes with a playground stigma and if children are to enjoy PE in school, they need their own kit to take pride in.
“As a result, the Club’s owner, Mark Stott has agreed to fund 3,500 PE kits for Stockport primary school kids in September, targeting families most in need, including those who fall outside of traditional indicators such as universal credit and the pupil premium, receiving little-to-no help.”
In the town’s most deprived areas, it’s thought that up to 90% of primary school children could benefit from an initiative such as this. So, the club are also aiming to raise enough money so that it can provide 12,500 PE kits for primary school children in 2025, with £2 from every Stockport County shirt sold next season going towards funding the kits. A great idea for an important cause.
Hatters fans or those simply looking to help do their bit can also make a direct contribution via their dedicated JustGiving page HERE. Let’s make sure the next generation keeps moving.
‘Nothing is eternal’: Is Pep Guardiola hinting at the end of Manchester City’s supremacy?
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola looks to have suggested that more than a decade of Manchester City’s supremacy and Premier League dominance at the very least might be coming to an end.
Speaking in his post-match press interviews after City were knocked out of the Champions League by serial European Cup winners Real Madrid, Guardiola cut a somewhat more deflated figure than usual following the 3-1 defeat.
A Kylian Mbappe hattrick which was closed out within an hour of play was enough to stretch the aggregate score to 6-3 over the two legs and Madrid doubling their lead across the tie proved yet again why, not unlike City domestically over the last decade, they’re the kings of the continental competition.
In contrast, however, Pep seemed to accept the loss much more easily than perhaps we’ve seen in the past and rather than appearing familiarly frustrated or defiant in the press conference; instead, he seemed rather reflective, responding to one reporter: “Nothing is eternal”.
🗣️ "Nothing is eternal" – Pep Guardiola.
🔵 Subscribe to our Manchester City page on BBC Sounds for the latest interviews. #MCFC#bbcfootball
Insisting that they have to decide whether a significant rebuild is needed to keep competing at the very top level consistently as they have done since the 54-year-old arrived back in 2016, he argued that it is only with that they’ll be able to determine what comes next.
As for the result itself, he made no bones about Carlo Ancelotti’s side having “deserved it”, stating simply that “the best team won” and that fans and players alike have to “accept the reality: they were better.”
Having been a familiar foe for Pep long before he arrived in Manchester, both at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – not to mention City having faced Los Blancos a dozen times before Tuesday night since 2012 – there have been less surprising outcomes for supporters to come to terms with.
“With time, the club and everyone is going to accept what it is but for now we have 30/40 games for the Premier League next season to try and be here [in the Champions League] and to improve. Nothing is eternal”, said the Catalan coaching genius.
On the other hand, he also went on to add that it was merely a reflection on the night itself and not what his team have achieved in recent years.
He went on to remark that “when we were playing outstanding it hurt more” to be knocked out of the UCL when he felt they deserved to stay in it, but still insisted: “We have been unbelievable and we have to try step by step to get better from today.” Tonight just wasn’t the night.
Who knows? Perhaps it was just some more melodrama from a manager with an undeniable flare for pageantry and playing into/in the face of narratives when he doesn’t come out on top – which hasn’t happened all that often until their dip in form this season.
Plus, there’s certainly still plenty for him and the fans to be positive about; not only has the arrival of their ‘Egyptian Prince’ and the media’s Mo Salah successor, Omar Marmoush, got plenty of people excited – especially after that first-half hattrick against Newcastle – but so too have the other January signings.
In fact, for all of his downplaying in this particular presser (which you can hear in full HERE), it felt like there were only upsides after their victory over Newcastle, even going so far as to dub new signing Nico Gonzalez a ‘mini-Rodri‘.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Pep is right, nothing is eternal – but sometimes you just come up against talents like Mbappe and there’s very little anyone can do about it.
Sale Sharks sign highly-rated Harlequins hooker, Nathan Jibulu
Danny Jones
Sale Sharks are investing in youth with their latest bit of transfer business after signing one of the Harlequins’ hottest prospects, Nathan Jibulu.
The highly-rated hooker, who has already nine appearances this season, including more than half a dozen in the Gallagher Premiership, has been exciting plenty of scouts throughout rugby union and is already firmly in national team plans.
Having already been part of the England Under-20 and A squads, not to mention impressing at club level in a relatively short space of time, it’s a big coup for Sale.
From the Quins academy to the right side of Shark-infested waters.
Jibulu joined the Twickenham-based outfit back in 2022 just a year after they won their second English championship (a full decade since their first) after previously attending Seaford College and representing nearby Wimbledon Warriors.
However, now the six-foot and seriously strong forward will be swapping the life near the capital for the North and Greater Manchester, specifically.
Set to join Sale Sharks for the 2025/26 season – scheduled to kick off in September – he’s looking like a really strong addition to their front row and a future squads to come.
Speaking to the club in an official statement, he said: “When I was younger, whenever someone asked me, ‘what team would you want to play for?’ I’d always say Sale…
“I’ve scrummed a lot with Asher [Opoku-Fordjour] and I got to know him pretty well. I always tell him how special and different he is, and I can’t wait to play with him.
“The way the club has developed him and nurtured him to become an established Premiership and England player speaks volumes about the coaching and the support that he’s getting at Sale.
“The entire front row is in the England squad, with the Curry boys too, so that tells you that someone at the club is doing something right. I looked at that and I said, ‘why would you not want to be there?’”
Still just 22 years old and having made just as many appearances for his soon-to-be former club, Sale weren’t the only ones chasing his signature.
Jibulu went on to add: “I love those games where you go toe-to-toe physically, so all of that attracted me straight away, and then speaking to people who are there already, they said all the stuff that I really like so it was a no brainer when the opportunity came about.”
As for his impending coach, Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson said: “Nathan is really driven, he understands what he wants from his life and his career, and he knows how he’s going to get it.
“He’s a young lad but he’s incredibly mature and he’s got the game and the physical attributes to match. I’ve got no doubt he’ll play for England in the future and we’re really excited to bring him to the club.”
Currently sat seventh in the table after another at times promising but somewhat frustrating start to the year, the summer can’t come soon enough for Sale.
Danny Jones -
15th May 2024 
