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.
MCR Basketball to play special knockout game for the 2026 MOBO Awards in Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester Basketball are set to play an exclusive knockout game here as part of the official MOBOs Fringe events for 2026, with this year’s awards coming to Co-op Live.
There’s a place in the last eight if they can seal a victory, too.
After what feels like a tricky couple of years for Greater Manchester’s main basketball franchise, things look to be on the up for the local team.
Rebrands and rebuilds aside, the Super League side is gradually climbing back up the standings, and with their European North Basketball League (ENBL) campaign still going strong, they could book their spot in the quarters with a win ahead of a big partnered evening in just a few weeks.
Set to face off against Croatian outfit, KK Dubrava, from Zagreb on 10 March, just a couple of weeks before the MOBO Awards get underway in Manchester, the match will be one of several events that the organisation are collaborating with.
With this year marking the MOBOs’ 30th anniversary year and, like with the BRITs, our city set to host it for the first time ever, this special game sets the tone for what’s to come in and around event week.
Fans can expect not just the major red carpet moments, but live DJs spinning hip-hop and afrobeats (courtesy of DJ Kay and special guest, DJ G2), plus a live halftime performance from a MOBO artist.
It’s yet to be confirmed who’ll be popping up centre court, but watch this space…
In case you missed the previous announcements, the 2026 MOBO Awards will see global rap icon Eve and acclaimed comedian and broadcaster Eddie Kadi host the landmark night for the North, not mention lots of other exciting stuff throughout the full Fringe schedule.
Performances already confirmed on the night include rising British superstar Olivia Dean, as well as FLO and Tiwa Savage, with more still to come.
Better still, for MCR Basketball, they also have the Super League Cup final coming up over at the AO Arena next month, too.
Tickets for all of these events are live now and available to purchase as we speak.
However, with prices for Manchester Basketball vs Dubrava, specifically, priced at just £5, we don’t expect these ones to last long.
Once again, set to be hosted on Tuesday, 10 March at the National Basketball Performance Centre over in Belle Vue, the tip-off is set for 7pm; you can secure your seats HERE.
And in case you were wondering what other big competitive events are coming to Manchester, Co-op Live is booked for its first-ever big sporting final.
Featured Images — Peter Simmons/Publicity pictures (supplied)
Sport
Kate Scott praised for impassioned speech following more racism in Champions League
Danny Jones
Football pundit and sports presenter Kate Scott has been met with plenty of praise for her ‘expert’ handling of the fallout following more racism in the Champions League this week, delivering an emotional and impassioned speech about discrimination live on TV.
The Manchester-born broadcaster, formerly Kate Abdo, was serving as the host on her usual CBS Sports panel on Tuesday, 17 February, when the story of the playoff game between Benfica and Real Madrid – which included a worldie from Vinicius Jr. – was overshadowed by more allegations of racial abuse.
In case you missed it, Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making racist remarks by both Vini Jr and Kylian Mbappe, but supposedly covered his mouth so as not to be caught on camera; the match was then stopped for more than 11 minutes.
Speaking in the aftermath amid the following European fixtures the next day, the Withington-schooled journalist and University of Salford graduate delivered an eloquent reaction to the controversy with peak professionalism.
Absolutely pitch perfect, and all those involved in preparing the statement should be applauded.
While Scott herself recognised that it’s a shame we even have to keep talking about issues like these rather than the sheer simplistic beauty of, well, ‘the beautiful game’, her response is an example of the job being done at arguably its very best: factual, ethical, moving and inspiring.
As you can see, Scott goes on to say, “This isn’t Real Madrid versus Benfica – it is right versus wrong. Vini Junior and Kylian Mbappe said that there was repeated racial abuse.
“Gianluca Prestiani said they misheard, but he covered his mouth to hide what he said from the cameras, and hopefully, we can all agree that if what you are saying on a football pitch is shameful enough to have to hide it from the public, then you’re wrong.”
The Portuguese club, which ultimately lost 1-0 in their first leg at home on the night, have released a statement reaffirming their commitment to “equality, respect, and inclusion” but reiterates that they believe Prestiani and feel he is now the subject of a “defamation campaign”.
Conversely, in a definitive and emphatic closing message, she signs off by adding the following: “The racial diversity on a football pitch in the Champions League is the representation of the global love for this game and the global belonging in this game. This is the very spirit of football.
“And if you don’t agree, then respectfully, you are the one who doesn’t belong.”
This is what the Athletic is supposed to be. Telling important stories & giving in depth analysis. I hope this signals that it will be its focus moving forward.
From CBS ‘Golazo’ show being applauded for tackling the subject head-on, to Cross herself being labelled as everything from “a role model” and “a benchmark” to “the best on the planet” in the outpouring of reactions on social media, it’s fair to say they absolutely nailed it.
Sadly, this is one of many recent examples of prejudice being shared publicly across various UEFA tournaments and beyond in recent years, but the only way we can truly help anti-hate initiatives is by continuing to call them out.
Danny Jones -
9th October 2024 
