A prestigious piece of sporting silverware is paying a visit to Manchester as the official Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy is set to embark on a nationwide tour.
Ahead of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup(WRWC) this summer, the sterling silver, 24-carat gold-plated prize is currently being taken around the UK to help promote what has become a record-breaking competition before the games have even begun.
With more than 300,000 tickets already sold for various fixtures throughout this year’s tournament and still three months to go before opening day, more than double the total attendance for the 2021 edition in New Zealand, it’s on course to be one of if not the biggest event in the history of women’s rugby.
That being said, having the newly updated Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy land in Manchester city centre before the games themselves get underway up and down the country is a big deal, and it’s being displayed in a very special venue.
Arriving this Wednesday, 28 May, the trophy will be on show at the Central Library on St Peter’s Square, where it will also be joined by some female rugby stars.
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In addition to helping hype up the action, they will be sharing their thoughts on how the sport can leave a legacy can sport can leave on communities across Greater Manchester and beyond.
1994 Women’s Rugby World Cup winner, Gill Burns, as well as current England and Sale Sharks forward, Morwenna Talling, are set to be among those in attendance.
The trophy itself is set to stand outside the library, glittering in the (fingers crossed) rare Manc sunshine, as well as travelling to The Lowry over in MediaCityUK that same day, with the Salford Community Stadium serving as one of this year’s venues.
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Not only is this just the second time the tournament has been held in England, but it’s the first time ever that the games have been spread across eight different sporting venues.
You can see the moment the new trophy – which was chosen by nine former world champions, including our very own 2014 winning captain, Katy Daley-Mclean – was revealed for the first time down below.
Speaking to Hits Radio, fellow England star Sarah Bern said of the Women’s Rugby World Cup: “For young girls growing up, they now have access to these amazing rugby players from across the world who they can be inspired by.
“Just showing someone something new, something different, can inspire a new generation of confident young people.”
Welsh winger Jasmine Joyce added: “This is absolutely massive. I want girls to do what they want to do, be themselves, whatever you are, whoever you are – be that!”
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The 2025 WRWC is set to be their most accessible and inclusive yet, with varied and crucially affordable tickets across the board.
Prices start at just £10 for adults and £5 for children, making it easier than ever for everyone to be part of this historic moment for women’s rugby and female sport.
As for the trophy tour itself, the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup arrives in Manchester on Thursday, 29 May and will be viewable outside Central Library from 10-11:30am, before heading to Salford Quays the following day (Friday, 30 May). Make sure you don’t miss it.
Scott Carson reveals important behind-the-scenes role at Manchester City
Danny Jones
Recently retired goalkeeper Scott Carson has revealed the unsung but important role he had behind the scenes during his time at Manchester City.
The 40-year-old ex-pro called time on his playing career after more than two decades and six years in sky blue, having made just two appearances for the club during a period in which they won 11 trophies.
Carson officially hung up his gloves on 23 October 2025, following his contract expiration, and since then has found himself carrying out a number of interviews, including one with Fozcast, hosted by another fellow shotstopper who spent time in Manchester, Ben Foster.
While lots of people have joked that he did very little to earn the flurry of medals so late in his career, or at the very least theorised as to what he actually did behind the scenes, he’s now been more open than ever about the largely sidelined spell.
🗣️ "When people had to be serious, they were serious"
Scott Carson reveals what it was like working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/HZGjVkrso0
Sitting down with Sky Sports, the Cumbrian keeper confirmed that initially it was, indeed, just a case of serving as not even as a rotation option but a back-up third choice.
Nevertheless, he’s an experienced veteran with 11 different teams on his CV, including Leeds United, Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday – though only a handful of games for each – as well as half a century of appearances at Wigan Athletic before his longest stints at the likes of West Brom and Derby County.
While this job usually involves purely training, helping keep other players sharp, he says that after settling into the Etihad Campus a little more, he found himself performing a much more influential, albeit largely unsung, role in the background.
Getting validation from manager Pep Guardiola that the side “needed more of that”, he essentially ended up providing valuable seniority and motivation amongst the group, despite only playing a couple of times.
Bidding farewell to the Whitehaven-born cult hero, the club wrote: “During his time at City, Carson has been praised by goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor and peers Ederson and Stefan Ortega Moreno for his work ethic and the effect of his positive attitude amongst the group.”
Speaking about Guardiola specifically, he hailed the Catalan coach for having overhauled modern football in this country, as well as giving him the secondary task of supporting his teammates, be it via boosting morale and ‘picking up’ those left frustrated by matchday selection.
As well as noting his widely publicised detail-oriented nature, he also made a point of recognising that Pep himself was “evolving each season”, whether or not everyone else saw it.
In short, he said he has helped improve the quality of the Premier League and, more specifically, that he helped redefine what a goalkeeper can be in the division.
You can watch the rest of the interview in full down below.
Manchester set to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches – including England’s opening game
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed to be the host of five matches at the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament in 2028.
This also, crucially, would include England‘s opening match, should they qualify directly.
The joint announcement by Manchester City and Manchester City Council today comes as UEFA has now released key details about the UK & Ireland 2028 competition – which, as it stands, is less than 1,000 days away.
It has been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium – which is known as The City of Manchester Stadium when not relating to Manchester City football club – will host four Group Stage matches across four different groups, offering both local and international football fans the chance to see a range of different national teams in action.
On top of this, Manchester will also be the host a Round of 16 knockout match as the tournament progresses.
UEFA EURO 2028 will kick off at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on Friday 9 June 2028, culminating in the Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 9 July 2028.
Across the UK and Ireland, nine stadiums will host matches during the upcoming tournament – with other northern stadiums including Everton Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park over in Newcastle.
More than three million tickets – as sold by UEFA – are set to be available for the tournament, and more information on this will be issued in due course.
Following an independent assessment, UEFA EURO 2028 is expected to generate up to £3.6 billion in socio-economic benefits for the UK and Ireland between 2028 and 2031, with benefits including job creation, regional growth, and direct spending from international visitors.
The countdown has started in Manchester for #EURO2028!
Five matches are scheduled to be played here – including England's opener if they qualify – and more than 300,000 fans will be welcomed to the city in June 2028.
Danny Jones -
28th May 2025 
