With two huge sporting events taking place in and around the city centre this weekend, Transport for Greater Manchester has issued a travel warning to those travelling in and out of the area, along with some helpful advice to the thousands of spectators set to arrive from Saturday onwards.
In case you haven’t heard, not only will this weekend see Manchester host the 2024 Betfred Super League Grand Final over at Old Trafford but Sunday will also see 24,000 runners take on the 2024 Manchester Half Marathon, not to mention even more supporters set to line the streets.
With local side Wigan Warriors contesting the final for the 13th time against Hull KR, a crowd of more than 65,000 rugby fans is expected to fill up Old Trafford, with many of those travelling likely to arrive in the city a day prior.
All that being said, it’s going to be a massive sporting weekend in Manchester, so TfGM and the Bee Network are urging both those travelling into the region and locals to plan their journeys accordingly to avoid added congestion and delays.
The Super League Grand Final takes place at Old Trafford this Saturday [12 October] at 6pm.
A six-minute service will operate to the ground on the Altrincham line and a 12-minute service to Wharfside.
As always – not just with big sporting events but the usual weekend bustle – local authorities are urging people to take public transport wherever possible.
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Those travelling to the Grand Final at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ are being encouraged to use the Metrolink network, which will be running trams every six minutes to Old Trafford on the Altrincham line.
There will also be services to the Wharfside stop right near the stadium every 12 minutes on the Trafford Park line and Exchange Quay along the Eccles Line.
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For those who are driving into the city, be aware that there will be one lane out-of-use on the A56 heading northbound near Barton Road, with delays of around 10-15 minutes expected before the game which is set to kick off 6pm.
Less warning, more just good travel advice; you can find more info on the official Manchester Bee Network website HERE as well as an interactive map down below.
Travel advice for the 2024 Manchester Half – Sunday, 14 October
As for the Sunday and the return of the Manchester Half Marathon, with more than double the number of entrants this year, you can almost certainly expect even more people to turn up in support of those taking part, meaning the city and surrounding areas will be taken over by the event.
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The MCR Half 2024 officially gets underway from 8:55am on Sunday but road closures will be in effect from the day prior, with traffic already being impacted by the rugby, so there’s lots to take into account if you’re travelling into any of the affected boroughs (mainly Manchester and Trafford).
For starters, the A56 (North and Southbound) as well as the M60 Junction 7 will be closed until the late afternoon. You can find more travel warning details and timings around Manchester road closures HERE.
As for the trams, runners should aim to use Old Trafford, Trafford Bar and Imperial War Museum as their closest stops when arriving ahead of the starting gun; access to other nearby stops like Pomona, Cornbrook, Exchange Quay and Wharfside will be challenging due to the half marathon course.
If you’re a spectator on the other hand, official cheering zones are located right near the Deansgate-Castelfield Interchange as well as Wharfside near the White City starting line in Trafford. You can find another interactive map to help plan your journey down below.
Director of Customer and Growth at TfGM, Frank Wilkinson, said of the upcoming busy weekend of sport: “It’s shaping up to be a really exciting weekend with two wonderful events that thousands of people will be heading out to enjoy – showcasing what Greater Manchester is all about.
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“We want everyone to have a great time and avoid hold-ups and delays wherever possible, which is why I’d encourage anyone travelling in the half marathon area, in particular, to plan ahead and allow themselves plenty of time for their journey.
“Tram will definitely be the best way to get around and if you’re coming to cheer someone on why not avoid the busy start and finish points and cheer on your runner from one of the lovely places along the route, such as Sale or Chorlton.” She also added that those who do end up driving should make use of the park-and-ride sites – there are 24 of them across Greater Manchester and you can the full list HERE.
We wish all those taking part in the Manchester Half Marathon the best of luck and hope everyone turning up to cheer them gives it their all too; as for the Super League Grand Final, it’s sure to be an amazing game and we’re also buzzing to hear that the future will be remaining here for the foreseeable.
Transfers: Manchester United reportedly secure deal for player they nearly signed YEARS ago
Danny Jones
There appears to be another turn in the tale of Manchester United’s summer transfer window saga, as it’s claimed that the club are soon set to sign a player they’ve long been linked with and that they nearly bought years ago: Youri Tielemans.
Yes, more than seven years after he was first linked with a Man United move, Tielemans now looks like he could finally be making his way to Old Trafford, with several sources stating that the deal is all but done.
The Belgian midfielder, now 29 years old, has only just exited the World Cup following their defeat to semi-finalists and reigning European champions Spain, having scored twice before having to miss their last game after picking up an injury in the warm-up.
But now it seems as though he’ll be linking up with another team of Red Devils when he returns to club football next month.
WHATTTTTTTTT THE FUCKKKK???? WHERE HAS THIS COME FROMMM???
Said to be a hamstring problem, United fans will obviously hope it’s nothing severe, as the versatile box-to-box player isn’t a stranger to the physio bench, leading some supporters to question the still yet to be announced transfer.
The most serious setback of his professional career came this past season, when he was out for a total of 112 days of football – missing a total of 23 games across club and country – but prior to that, he’d never been out for more than a dozen matches.
Nevertheless, plenty of people have labelled the prospective deal ‘a bargain’, with former Leicester City star and current Aston Villa squad member thought to be making his way to the red half of Manchester for around £35 million.
Perhaps the most prevailing reaction seems to be that MUFC should have done this deal “years ago”, with several posts on social media joking that this feels like the 2019 summer window, dubbing it everything from “random” and “out of nowhere”, to “shrewd” and “a steal” at the reported price.
Many others are worrying whether they’re getting a player who’s potentially leaving the peak of his career, but it’s no secret that the club want multiple reinforcements in the middle of the park for 26/27, with Chelsea youngster Andrey Santos having now been teased by the club.
While Santos is now over the line, it’s worth noting that nothing official has been shared by United regarding Tielemans, and that’s a key thing to note given the recent U-turn made regarding recruitment.
INEOS were all but nailed on to sign another Brazilian midfielder in Atalanta’s Ederson, who also received a late call-up to the Brazil squad for this World Cup, but it was revealed earlier this month that the transfer has now been cancelled.
This comes after medical tests revealed new information regarding a knee issue in the previous campaign, which looks to have taken the deal off the table.
All that being said, the board are still expected to bring in another midfielder if possible, with a return to the Champions League and a new term with two cups meaning lots more games to play and more strength in depth required. Fears over perceived panic buying and back-up options still remain, though.
On the other hand, you could very well see another academy graduate brought through should transfer spending be limited; after all, they’ve got that big, shiny new stadium to pay for…
Road to Victory is turning Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl into the latest World Cup fan zone
Danny Jones
Manchester’s smash-hit Road to Victory is bringing its first-ever open-air World Cup fan zone to the city, as the event is set to take over Castlefield Bowl.
With England’s place in the semi-finals secured, it’s now a matter of just how far we can go…
The famous amphitheatre might be fresh from the 2026 edition of the annual Sounds of the City festival, but now they’ve decided to keep the ‘doors’ open for something equally special.
Norway was too soon, but now we’ve made it past the Scandinavian side, Castlefield Bowl will be welcoming roughly 9,000 fans for the semis against Argentina, AND (touch wood) the final.
Announced just before the tense quarter-final victory, the Road to Victory (RtV) team – backed by production company and promoters AIX Live, who specialise in multi-sensory, immersive fan experiences – have now confirmed moving into their latest Manc venue for the upcoming fixture at the very least.
Having started over at Depot Mayfield before moving to the likes of Diecast and most recently AO Arena, they’re planning to make the most of the ongoing heatwave by securing the beloved Bowl.
With the Manchester Storm ice hockey team returning to the Arena, they’ve had to vacate ahead of preparations; on the upside, it now means that we’re looking at one of the biggest outdoor supporter parks in the country, let alone just the North West.
Just imagine the vibes with the sun shining well into the late evening before the dusky sunset skies are filled with limbs and flying pints.
Here’s how it looked the last time we were there to cheer on the boys at the event:
Obviously, how many Road to Victory dates we get here all depends on whether or not Thomas Tuchel’s side make it past the reigning World Champions, Argentina.
Yeah, you know, just the world’s greatest-ever footballer in Lionel Messi and a team who have won back-to-back Copa America trophies. No biggie.
The demand was obviously expected to be huge from the off, with more than 40,000 joining the party for the 2022 World Cup, and the previous Euros final in 2024 sold out the AO Arena, so it’s no surprise that tickets are already selling out fast.
With that in mind, we’d say be quick on the draw; plus, make sure you get down early with doors from 5pm, as the Road to Victory pre-show will kick things off pronto, alongside live DJs, entertainment and bars – all of which promise to deliver an unparalleled festival-like matchday atmosphere.
You can grab yours right HERE and, in the meantime, if you’re still wondering where the best places to watch England vs Argentina in Manchester city centre are, you can find our round-up down below.
Danny Jones -
9th October 2024 
