Stockport County have issued a statement addressing inappropriate and divisive political imagery featuring the club crest recently shared online.
The Greater Manchester side was alerted to the situation this week and quickly released a decisive comment condemning the content that appeared on social media.
Updating the fan base on Monday afternoon, 29 July, the League One team shared the important and well-received response across their official channels, reminding their fan base that not only are they a non-political entity but that the beautiful game is for everyone.
It reads as follows: “Stockport County has been made aware of instances where our club crest has been used without permission on political propaganda, including deeply concerning imagery that promotes hate and division, such as the unauthorised display of our crest alongside anti-LGBTQ+ symbols.
“We want to be unequivocally clear: Stockport County Football Club is, and always will be, a politically neutral organisation. We do not endorse, support, or affiliate with any political party, candidate [referring to one specific individual in this instance], or ideology.
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“Our club crest is a registered trademark and a symbol of unity, community, and the collective passion for football at Edgeley Park.
“It represents all our fans, staff, players, and the wider Stockport community, regardless of their individual political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, or any other characteristic.”
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They assure that the club, which is made up of all kinds of ethnicities, genders and sexualities, is “no place for hate, discrimination, or exclusion of any kind at Edgeley Park or within our community“, adding that they are “committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and safe.”
For context, below you’ll find just one example of the unsanctioned and potentially inflammatory iconography exposed via Facebook marketplace, which features the Stockport County badge alongside an image of former UKIP leader and Reform UK MP, Nigel Farage.
The statement goes on to reinforce that “any unauthorised use of our crest, particularly in a political or hateful context, is a misuse of our intellectual property and fundamentally goes against the inclusive values we uphold.”
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“We will take all necessary steps, including legal action where appropriate, to prevent such unauthorised use of our club crest and protect our brand integrity.”
They sign off by stating, simply: “We urge all supporters to respect the Club’s neutrality and help us maintain an environment where everyone feels welcome and united by their love for County.”
On the upside, the defiant Stockport County stance was met with plenty of praise and support, with Hatters and football lovers in general commenting, “My community club”, “Not a fan but well done county”, “Keep politics out of football, especially that lot. Top club statement”, just to quote a few replies.
SCFC seem to be getting lots of things right at the moment.
A local Manchester run club is holding two special running routes to see the total eclipse
Danny Jones
With the highly anticipated total eclipse fast approaching, people not just here in Greater Manchester but all over the UK, Europe and the rest of the world are gearing up to try and watch it – but this native running club are doing it a bit differently.
Eclipses occur once every 12-18 months, but this is set to be the biggest since 1999.
The moon is set to cover approximately 96-98% of the sun this coming Wednesday, 12 August, 2026, and rather than try to watch it from a window at home or drive to somewhere with supposedly ‘the best view’, local sports club Manchester Road Runners are turning it into their latest one-off event.
Sharing details online, the free-to-join local organisation, which boasts thousands of members on Facebook and various other platforms, will be timing things to make sure they catch the phenomenon.
Writing in the accompanying caption, the Road Runners say: “We’ve pulled some strings and have a very special event taking place on August 12th, a solar eclipse! Come run with us under a darkened sun next Wednesday from The Wharf at 18:30, with peak moon coverage expected at around 19:10.”
Better still, they’re also teaming up with their trail running spin-off club for an even more scenic twist on the evening excursion.
“If you prefer to experience your solar phenomena under the wide open skies”, they go on to write, “our friends over at Trail Division will be holding a hike/run off road, meet at Piccadilly Station at 18:00 to get shady in the great outdoors.”
Fortunately, they have issued an important disclaimer, going on to remind runners that “while beautiful and majestic, the sun should NEVER be directly looked at in the face unprotected”, signing off by adding, “Respect the sun, respect your peepers, stay ocularly safe out there.”
If you’ve never come across MRR before, they’re probably the biggest run club in the entire Greater Manchester region and their social-first jogs, intervals, track sessions and more revolve around meeting back up with your mates for a wholesome pint and a chat.
For many, it’s the biggest and the best in the city.
As for the eclipse run, it’s set to be a very magical variation on their usual Wednesday evening meets.
Quite rightly, they also point out in the post that you can actually buy certain glasses to view eclipses on these rare occasions, with search traffic often ramping up in and around these events.
Meanwhile, the Trail Division branch is yet to confirm the route for their run/hike, but it will most likely remain in the nearby North West vicinity; keep your eyes peeled on their social media pages (linked above) for more information and other upcoming trail events.
Speaking of trail runs, there’s a pretty beautiful albeit challenging one coming up next month…
Stunning vistas, walkers welcome, and multiple distances available.🏃♂️🥾
And the best part? It's less than 90 minutes away from Manchester. 🏞️
Rodri makes ‘preference’ clear as Barcelona and Real Madrid push to sign Man City star
Danny Jones
Ballon d’Or winner and Manchester City star Rodri has reportedly made his ‘preference’ clear as both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have ramped up efforts to sign him this summer.
The European and now World Champion is well and truly within ‘completing football’ territory at this point, but now looks set for a return to his home country to conquer La Liga.
Well, sort of, as according to Forbes and other outlets, the world-class central defensive midfielder looks to have ‘chosen’ Barcelona over Madrid, with the deal now progressing beyond just player talks.
However, as the BBC and various other sources have now reported, City have already rejected an initial bid of approximately £38.5 million and will keep holding out for a larger fee for one of, if not their most important player.
Sharing an even more recent update, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has stated that, as well as the decision having now been made over the Spanish giants and “personal terms agreed”, the Rodri move has now entered the “key stages” with direct negotiations between the two clubs.
Initial contract talks are said to have already taken place, and with the Spaniard having come through the Atlético Madrid youth ranks before returning there as a senior player prior to his big-money move to Manchester, a switch to the other side of the city and ‘Los Blancos’ was always going to be a tall task.
As per Romano, Barca are extremely keen on securing Rodri, but as always, price will be the sticking point. Although the Blues have made it very clear that they want more if he is to leave, the Catalan club are confident they’ll be able to close the deal before the end of the transfer window.
It’s rumoured that the asking price is somewhere closer to £60m, although who knows what the final number would be when factoring in add-ons and other bonuses, etc.
Meanwhile, City are obviously hoping to keep hold of their Euro 2024 and 2026 World Cup winner if they can; they’re said to be trying their best to keep him at the table and tie him down to a new and even more lucrative contract.
On the other hand, they have brought in an already extremely highly rated player in Elliot Anderson, who looks set to be their crucial cog in the middle of the park for a long time to come at just 23 years old.
Do you think it’s the right fit, if he has indeed ‘picked’ the Blaugrana?
All that being said, it’s hard for any player to look the other way when an offer comes in from two of the biggest clubs in the world, let alone Spain – especially when the player is from there and has won everything there is to win in their current league.
Rodri only turned 30 back in June, and despite having numerous injury problems over the past couple of seasons, there is still an evident faith that new MCFC boss Enzo Maresca can build a fresh squad around him in the pivot.
What do you think, Cityzens: is now the right time to try and get a good price for him, or should he stick around at the Etihad for the remainder of his already glittering career?
Elsewhere in transfer news, both big Manc clubs and a number of other suitors across Europe are supposedly interested in signing a young striker currently playing in Ireland…
Danny Jones -
29th July 2025 
