Following an initial announcement late last year, local rugby club Swinton Lions’ women’s team has finally and fully rebranded as Manchester Swinton Lionesses.
The Salford-founded rugby league club, whose men’s team competes in the RFL Championship, has a long and rich competitive history, as well as a fervent male and female following in the area.
As one of the most important and well-established outfits in women’s rugby, Swinton Lions have not only officially relaunched as the Lionesses from 2026 onwards, but are looking to re-establish themselves as their own entity and a competitive powerhouse capable of competing at the top level.
In case you hadn’t heard about the rebrand up until now, you can get a closer look at changes not only to the name but the club crest and more.
As you can see, not only is the shift towards Manchester rather than just strictly Swinton a concerted effort to broaden the supporter base across all 10 boroughs, but there are some key tweaks to the new Lionesses badge.
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Changing the design of the lion logo itself – as well as citing 2020 as a key date in this rebirth (i.e. the short-lived push to be renamed the ‘Manchester Lions’), which is more than half a decade in the making – they’re heading into the new year with both a new name and a slightly new look.
Just as reported by the likes of sports journalist Johnny Davidson back in November, however, the title and insignia have been a long time coming.
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As per a press release by the club at the time, besides new kits and some key admin, “This evolution is about more than a new name or logo; it’s about creating a platform for women and girls across Greater Manchester to be inspired, to belong, and to believe they can achieve greatness in our sport.”
They insist that the aim is to be a “progressive club that’s proud of its history but unafraid to innovate”, also looking to attract new investors and commercial partners – such as Superfly Sports Flags, which will now appear on the likes of players’ shorts and boot bags, as well as around Heywood Road.
'The Swinton Lionesses today proudly announced the launch of their new identity – the Manchester Swinton Lionesses – marking an exciting new chapter not only for women’s rugby league but for the evolution and ambition of one of the sport’s most historic clubs.
Women’s captain Sammi Simpson went on to state: “We’re so proud of what this team has achieved in such a short time, and this next step feels like a natural evolution.
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“Wearing ‘Manchester Swinton Lionesses’ on our shirts will remind us of where we’ve come from — and how far we can go together. We want to inspire the next generation of players, supporters, and families to be part of something special.”
Even Mayor Andy Burnham has expressed his excitement, adding: “Manchester is a city built on sport, strength, and community — and the Manchester Swinton Lionesses embody all of that.
“This new identity is a powerful statement about where women’s rugby league is heading and the role Greater Manchester will play in shaping that future.”
As any rugby fan will know, this isn’t the only rebirth of a local sporting institution currently taking place over in Salford.
New Amazon Prime Video docuseries to show Pep Guardiola’s final seasons at Manchester City
Emily Sergeant
A new all-access docuseries featuring Pep Guardiola’s final few seasons at Manchester City is set to air this summer.
Coming exclusively to Prime Video in the UK and Ireland, the four-part documentary is set to take Manchester City fans and neutral viewers alike inside the club as the players and manager – who delivered an era of dominance -make way for a new generation.
Filmed over the past two seasons, this is the ultimate account of an emotional farewell that marks the end of an era in English football, and will offer unfiltered access to Guardiola, his squad, and the City boardroom.
After 10 trophy-filled years – which included six Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, three FA Cups, and five EFL Cups – Pep Guardiola called time on his tenure in Manchester last month, alongside fan favourite players Bernardo Silva and John Stones, as well as Kevin De Bruyne the season prior.
This new docuseries was there to follow them every step of the process.
Fans can follow City from a disappointing 2024/25 campaign right through to a domestic double the following season, charting the raw emotion of a squad in transition.
The series is directed by Academy and BAFTA award-winning filmmaker, Kevin Macdonald, alongside City Studios’ John De Caux, and is produced by Kevin Macdonald for Plan B/KM Films and Gavin Johnson and Ged Doherty for City Studios.
“This is the ultimate account of an emotional farewell that marks the end of an era in English football,” Amazon Prime Video said in a statement.
Joining Prime Video’s wide selection of sports programming, the series will be available to watch at no additional cost to Prime members this summer.
It’ll be ready to stream on 19 August.
Featured Image – Prime Video
Sport
Here’s our petition for ‘Wonderwall’ to become England’s new football anthem
Danny Jones
All things considered, England have made a great start to the 2026 World Cup, pitching themselves as one of the great entertainers this tournament, and the scenes of the supporters and players alike serenading an entire stadium with ‘Wonderwall’ after the full-time whistle gave us chills.
So why not time for a change?
After all, that feels a lot like what this World Cup squad is about: a new manager, new teammates, not clinging to the previous ways of playing – and perhaps it’s time to put ‘Sweet Caroline’ to one side.
Now, we’re by no means saying that we’re ‘done’ with the John Denver anthem that has been reborn as a Three Lions anthem, but look at how good it was watching England belting out Oasis with the fans.
“Today is gonna be the day that England beat Croatia 4-2”, as BBC’s Match of the Day cleverly quipped.
Obviously, we’re biased as Mancs, but we also think there’s something special about having that particular track feel so good to hear again.
As much as we love Oasis, for a long time, it felt like we couldn’t enjoy arguably their biggest-ever single anywhere near as much as we once did.
We assume it’s something akin to hearing ‘Mr Brightside’ non-stop for what felt like millennia, and in truth, hearing those repetitions of “ba, ba, ba… SO GOOD, SO GOOD!” over and over again at sporting fixtures beyond just national team games has taken the magic out of it at times.
Perhaps it’s just a case of saturation in certain settings and songs simply being overplayed – FIFA’s co-hosts over in the US certainly helped see to that when it came to ‘Wonderwall’ for a long time.
On the other hand, it feels like we’ve now come full circle; singing those famous lyrics at the top of our lungs in a sea of Mancs and fans travelling from all over to Heaton Park for Live ’25 last year felt better than ever, and like we’d all remembered how great a tune it’s always been. So did this…
In fact, this felt so emotional that you’ve got people who aren’t even English praising both those on the pitch and up in the stands for the moment online.
Even the admittedly rather American Man vs Food himself, Adam Richman (though he does have British ancestry), felt compelled to write a moving response on social media: “Shut up. You’re the one that’s crying. Bravo, England.”
He’s far from the only one who was left bowled over by the atmosphere – us included.
What do you think? Is it time for a new go-to tournament anthem for the Three Lions moving forward?
Danny Jones -
2nd January 2026 
