Greater Manchester Football Club (GMFC) is a new club in the region who you might not have heard about yet. But they are hoping to become the third most-recognised club in Manchester – and the most inclusive in Britain.
The club’s goals are ambitious at first glance, but Mohammed Harron – CEO and founder of the club – is optimistic they can hit their targets.
Being inclusive, Mohammed says, “isn’t hard; it’s natural.”
“It takes much more effort to create divide and animosity than it does to be inclusive,” he tells us.
GMFC may have only launched in 2018, but the core message of inclusivity is already apparent across their men’s and women’s team – with over 50 players representing 30 different nationalities at the club.
The mission of the club is primarily built on making the game accessible for everyone who wants to play, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation or economic circumstance.
Mohammed is particularly concerned with the way in which football has moved away from it’s working class roots.
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“Its a game you first played on the street or in gardens and parks and that is where your love for the game started,” he explains.
“If you were good there were always clubs that would help and develop young talent and if you were better still you were picked up by bigger clubs.
“In more recent times though, football has become all about the business and the vast finances that go with it.”
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Mohammed believes it’s much harder for children and teenagers to be accepted into special academies because some families may not have the money to afford the fees, travel and equipment that is needed.
Ultimately, he thinks the luck has become more important than ‘raw talent’.
The CEO hopes that by focusing on the ability of players during recruitment, GMFC can be competitive while also “fielding a naturally inclusive team.”
— Pitching In Northwest Football Awards (@NWFAwards) October 15, 2020
The club have recently been nominated for the ‘Kick It Out Promoting Inclusion Award’ at the Pitching In North West Football Awards, sitting alongside the likes of Manchester United and Everton on the shortlist.
While Mohammed is excited to be have been shortlisted, particularly as a Mancunian and a Manchester United fan, he knows that this nomination is only a “small step on a very long journey”.
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On a weekly basis clubs across the world have been supporting the Black Lives Matter movement by taking the knee or displaying anti-racism messaging on their shirts, but Mohammed is concerned that “the initial will and determination to do something to fundamentally change the game is starting to fade” and there is little evidence that anything has really changed.
There might be something in that. A recent report released by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) in July 2020 pointed out that there was a continued lack of diversity in the boards and management structures of football clubs.
The report, ‘Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors’, reads: “The fact that no Premier League club and virtually no English Football League club has a black owner, chair or chief executive, is a fundamental inequality at the heart of the game.”
The Premier League itself admitted, after initially refusing to release their diversity figures, that only 12% of their staff were from BAME backgrounds, which is much lower than the 30% proportion of players who make up the game from BAME backgrounds.
The report also emphasised that more still needs to be done to tackle homophobia in the game, to “understand what barriers stand in the way of gay footballers, and how much of the responsibility lies with clubs and how much with fans”.
Exactly 30 years ago, footballer Justin Fashanu hit the headlines as the first professional player to come out as gay. His story is a reminder of why inclusion in sport is so important & why we are committed to making sport everyone’s game. Rest in power. https://t.co/ieJWUNG86Hpic.twitter.com/n7CfcRuiNk
Further, the committee recommends the government that “men’s elite sports are not further prioritised at the expense of the women’s game”, in regards to the way in which women’s football was “disproportionately affected” in the initial months of the pandemic.
Despite widespread discrimination in the game and unequal representation, Mohammed believes that those who may feel maginalised in the sport must not “fall into the trap of being angry or resentful in return to those that marginalise you.”
“Beat hatred through love and overcome discrimination by being a living, breathing example of someone who treats everyone with love, honour and respect,” he says.
“Greater Manchester FC is a club for everyone and anyone.”
“Thats the way it should be. The way it needs to be.”
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welcomes anyone who wants to play for the club or volunteer their time to get involved.
You can found out more about the club on their website and stay tuned for videos on their Youtube channel for match highlights and interviews from players and staff.
Kyle Walker looks to be leaving Manchester City after the best part of eight years and could be set to join another Premier League clubif reports are to be believed.
The long-serving Man City and England defender has been at the Etihad Stadium throughout the most successful spell, but has gradually fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola of late.
Walker regularly played more than 30 games per campaign under the Catalan coach for seven years, but was ultimately loaned out to AC Milan for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, where he made just over a dozen appearances.
Despite being one of the first names on the team sheet for the longest time, the Sheffield-born full-back has grown to become somewhat of a divisive figure among the fan base. As a result, he is now preparing to find a new club with his contract expiring this summer, and Everton is said to be interested.
🚨🔵 Kyle Walker (35) is seen as a potential signing for Everton this summer, reports @mcgrathmike/@TeleFootball! 🏴
This transfer update comes from Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath, who writes that the Merseyside club have identified Walker as a possibility, with David Moyes looking to recruit additions to his backline.
According to McGrath, “Kyle Walker [is] seen as a potential signing for Everton this summer with David Moyes looking at signing a right-back”, adding that the departure of former Aston Villa and Manchester United player, Ashley Young, as well as Jack O’Brien’s ability to play central makes it a viable option.
Were he to be picked up by the often struggling top-flight team, the 35-year-old would be yet another senior appointment to bolster the defensive ranks, effectively replacing Young (38).
The Toffees have flirted with the relegation zone in recent times, but with previously popular manager Moyes having returned to the club and now set to begin a maiden chapter at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Bramley Moore Dock, the first division veteran and serial winner could be a key signing.
Walker asked to leave the club back in January, securing his loan spell in Serie A shortly after, but as he is soon set to leave permanently as a free agent, he could prove a good bit of business for Everton.
🗞️Kyle Walker would cost a nominal or potentially no fee, while Everton also have interest in soon to be free agents Kenny Tete, Vladimir Coufal and Kyle Walker-Peters
Other suitors are said to include Fenerbahçe SK, with a number of European players entering the latter stages of their career opting for a switch to the Turkish league.
However, with still plenty of strength, pace and experience in a number of defensive positions, Walker will no doubt favour his chances remaining in the ever-competitive and fast-paced Premier League.
What about you, Blues – will you be sad to see him go?
This past Sunday saw not only the closing night of Parklife and Outbreak Festival here in Greater Manchester, but also Soccer Aid 2025, which raised yet another incredible amount for charity.
It was also one of the highest-scoring games Old Trafford has seen in a while.
This year’s edition of the fundraising match for UNICEF, which has now been running for more than two decades, saw a record-breaking 14th win for the World XI, who have also emerged as champions from the last five Soccer Aid games.
Nevertheless, with more than £15 million raised in charitable donations to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which helps protect children’s rights, provide humanitarian and all-around support to kids across the world in developing countries, that was the real victory.
As you can see, the exact amount generated following donations during this year’s Soccer Aid fixture is £15,280,163, essentially matching the record-breaking figure raised in 2024.
Better still, this now takes the total raised for UNICEF thanks to the charity match, which became annual back in 2018, to beyond £115m. Incredible stuff.
Top performers on the night included Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who got the goals underway, ex-Man City Women’s star Toni Duggan and retired England striker Jermain Defo, who managed to score a brace on the night.
However, despite taking a two-goal lead, it was the World XI’s star man who happened to be both a once-friendly face at the Theatre of Dreams and a familiar foe.
Speaking on the staggering 2025 total, pop star Robbie Williams, who founded the event back in 2006, said: “As an original founder of Soccer Aid, I couldn’t be more proud of UNICEF…
“From the volunteers, organisers and talent, to the team on the ground; everyone who buys a ticket or makes a donation. Together, over the years, we’ve raised over £121m. Here’s to many more games and even more fundraising.”
Well done to everyone involved with another fantastic year for Soccer Aid and UNICEF, including local comedian Paddy McGuinness, who celebrated a record ninth appearance playing between the sticks for England. Big likey, big lighty.
You can watch the game back in full HERE or all the big highlights from Soccer Aid 2025 down below.
Cracking scoreline that. Man United vs Lyon, eat your heart out.