Local non-league side Trafford FC have named revered Manchester author, editor and sports journalist Andy Mitten as their new vice president.
Founder of and chief editor of the long-standing fanzine, United We Stand (UWS), editor-at-large for FourFourTwo and a regular contributor in the likes of The Athletic and The National, he’s one of the foremost football writers in the country.
Best known for his coverage of Manchester United, having followed them all around the world from a young age and written about them in UWS since 1989 – one of if not the biggest fanzine of its kind in the country – he has been a regular face at Trafford FC for several seasons.
As a result of his continued support and advice over the years, club officials have decided to appoint Mitten as the new honorary VP.
I’ve been a regular at non-league matches since watching dad from the age of four. It’s important to support clubs like @FCTrafford who are at the heart of their communities and run by volunteers. Delighted to accept this…and will be pushing to triple ticket prices forthwith. https://t.co/5zSNmBDgQO
Although the position is an honorary one, his decades of experience as a match-goer, knowledge of the football industry at large and media pedigree will no doubt make him a valuable member of the team, providing key insight into how best to run a club from a fan perspective, most crucially.
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Making an official announcement on the club site, a short statement on behalf of the board reads: “Trafford Football Club is delighted to announce that Andy Mitten has accepted an offer to become honorary vice-president of the club.
“Journalist and author Andy is often seen at our Shawe View Stadium whenever he is in Manchester, and in recent seasons has taken in a few away games too.
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“He has been a great source of advice, ideas, and support for the club for several years now, and being from the locality, Andy wants to help Trafford FC grow in its community in the north of the Borough of Trafford. I’m sure everyone will wish Andy all the best as he takes on his latest role!”
As you can see, resharing to the official announcement on social media, the 51-year-old responded in typically dry wit with a quip regarding ticket prices – a subject he’s been decried very vocally following the recent concession saga at Old Trafford.
Safe to say ticket prices are considerably higher at Man United this season…
Based over in Flixton, Trafford FC has only been going since 1990, when they were originally known as North Trafford, being set up by fellow locals David Brown, John Harrison, David Law, and Bill Whitten.
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Cut to 2025 and the Northern Premier League side has seen significant investment and development, with the stands being updated, a new perimeter wall, proper floodlighting and more facilities being installed/improved.
Director Dave Law, who was one of the founding members, is still helping out at the age of 72, selling golden goal tickets on matchdays, writing match reports and plastering posters around the local area, which has seen the club’s following steadily grow over time.
Trafford FC’s next fixtures are in the West Divison against Witton Albion at 3pm on Saturday, 18 January before they take on Avro FC the following Wednesday (22 Jan).
The route for the 2027 Tour de France Femmes revealed ahead of Manchester debut
Danny Jones
The route for next year’s women’s historic Tour de France has been announced, with some of the best riders in the world set to pass through Greater Manchester and more.
Yet another big coup for the region and our sporting scene.
Speaking with the City Council, now that the full route has been revealed, our very own Dame Sarah Storey joined many in celebrating another huge moment for us; the female Tour de France is not just back up and running, but aiming to become bigger than ever.
🚴♀️ The world’s best cyclists are heading to Manchester! 🚴♀️
The routes for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 have now been revealed, with Manchester set to host the Stage One finish on Friday 30 July and the Stage Two start on Saturday 31 July. pic.twitter.com/OMMlhdorqP
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) April 21, 2026
The Stockport-born swimmer turned Team GB cyclist and multi-Olympic gold medallist knows all about what makes this particular sport special, having swapped a previous and highly successful career for an entirely different discipline.
As has now been fully confirmed, the 2027 Grand Départ will be getting underway with our friends in Leeds, before heading through Yorkshire and into Greater Manchester.
Upon entering our neck of the woods, the course will pass through the likes of Rochdale and Oldham into Manchester city centre, before heading into Stockport and neighbouring North West county, Derbyshire, and finally heading back through the Peaks.
Spread across two incredible days, the race itself will finish in Sheffield, with another UK first happening down in London, as the capital will also host the inaugural team time trial held in this country.
You can see the official event’s breakdown of what locations feature in which stages of ‘The Big Loop’ in more detail below.
Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, went on to add: “Being able to watch the world’s best cyclists in action and in such an iconic event, taking place right here on our doorstep in the heart of Manchester next summer, is going to be epic on so many levels.
“Championing women and girls to participate in and enjoy sports – including cycling – at all levels from entry through to elite, is really important to us and next year’s Tour de France Femmes is set to play a huge part in helping inspire the next generation of sporting talent from our city.
“With millions of spectators expected to line the routes, including here in the city centre, we’ll be going all out to help ensure the event’s success with what is set to be a ‘Tour takeover’ of the city to maximise opportunities for local people and businesses to get involved, to grow their own sporting skills, and to take part in the many community activities being planned.”
Having hosted everything from the BRITs and the MOBO Awards to another Super League Grand Finals in both netball and rugby, not to mention numerous other huge events over the past couple of years, it truly is a great time to be living in Greater Manchester.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Manchester City Council)
Sport
adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to reward themselves with free Nell’s pizza this weekend, thanks to a collaboration with adidas and JD.
The sportswear giants will be teaming up with one of the city’s top pizza spots to hand out the ultimate post-race reward at Kampus this Sunday.
It’s all to celebrate the launch of the new adidas EVO SL ATRs, a shoe that’s built with running miles in mind.
And there’ll be a chance to grab an exclusive t-shirt too, and have your official marathon finish time branded on-site.
adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal / Credit: Supplied
As well as a free slice of Nell’s famous New York-style pizza and a drink, Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to enter into a range of giveaways, with prizes including the EVO SL ART, adidas merch, and range of other prizes.
And you’ll be recovering with a slice in hand and a live DJ keeping the post-race energy high
All you need to do is show your Manchester Marathon medal at Nell’s at Kampus, to grab your free slice, and check out adidas and JD’s latest drop.
Friends and family are encouraged to join too – after all, all runners know a marathon isn’t possible without that support crew.
There are also a bunch of giveaways and more to look forward to / Credit: Supplied
Pizza slices will be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis, so make sure your sprint to Nell’s is your fastest yet.
Thankfully, the adidas EVO SL’s are built for speed…
adidas x JD x Nell’s – Manchester Marathon event
Taking place on Sunday 19 April, from 12pm to 8pm
Free pizza slice and a drink when you show your Manchester Marathon medal (while stocks last)
Exclusive merch and great prize giveaways from adidas and JD
Plus photo moments, live DJs, and more
Find it at The Bungalow, Kampus, M1 3GL (next to Nell’s)
Danny Jones -
16th January 2025 
