Lewis Macari, the grandson of Manchester United and Scotland legend, Lou Macari, scored his first-ever goal in English football on his EFL debut for Notts County this weekend and it was an absolute screamer.
His grandfather, who played for Man United over 400 times and was part of Celtic’s iconic ‘Quality Street Gang’, still gives his name to one of the busiest matchday chippies outside Old Trafford and continues to work on behalf of the club to this day, but now his grandson is carrying the family on the pitch.
Lewis, still just 21, is on loan at the League Two side from parent club Stoke City, where Macari is also revered for his time as a manager across two spells and where his grandad still lives to this day helping the homeless community as he does here in Manchester.
Rifling home the edge-of-the-box rocket from centre-back no less, the youngster helped secure the three points in a 2-1 win against Gillingham in a moment he’ll never forget.
A goal for Lewis Macari in his first-ever @EFL game, to secure all three points for @Official_NCFC in their 5,000th @EFL game 🤩
As you can see, it was a finish that anyone would make anyone proud, and one more than worthy of his family name, with Macari’s sons Michael and Lewis’ dad Paul both having played professionally at Stoke in the 90s too.
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The match-winner itself helped the Magpies stay within touching distance of Greater Manchester side and league leaders, Stockport County, with their promotion rivals now sat on just a two-point cushion at the top of the table.
While his grandad scored a nearly century of goals from midfield for United and many more during his career, as for Lewis, this was just his second-ever goal in professional football, having previously netted one whilst on loan at Dundalk in Ireland last year.
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Speaking to media after the game, the youngster admitted that it was “all a blur” after he struck the ball, joking that he couldn’t even remember how he celebrated.
As mentioned, Macari Senior’s legacy goes far beyond his sporting career and having his name on the front of a chip shop; Lou and his organisation have been helping care for homeless people in Manchester, Stoke and more for several years now, raising over £750,000 for related charities.
The Macari Foundation set up a homeless shelter, The Macari Centre, in central Stoke back in 2016, helping house countless rough sleepers and now providing a bed, four meals a deal and support to around 50 individuals a day.
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Here in 0161, the ex-Red Devil has also played a key role in helping United establish their ‘Big Sleepout‘ initiative, where members of the club and locals camped out inside the Munich Tunnel to raise money for vulnerable young people and homeless charities in the region for the first time last year.
The next sleepout, which is now set to be held in the stands of Old Trafford, takes place next month on 3 November. You can find out more information and how to get involved HERE.
Featured Image — EFL League Two/Notts County (via Twitter)
Sport
Eurosport is shutting down all of its channels in the UK
Danny Jones
It’s the end of an era for one veteran broadcaster as Eurosport is set to switch off all its current channels after shutting down UK operations.
The veteran sports channel has been available on tellies in Britain for over 35 years but not for much longer as the European broadcaster – headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) – is set for a key restructure.
Known for showing everything from football, tennis, snooker and rugby, to cycling, touring cars; motorcycle racing, MMA and more, it’s provided some of the most well-rounded sports coverage on the planet for a generation and then some.
It’ll feel weird not seeing it on the TV guide anymore but fear not, because their programming isn’t disappearing completely – here’s why…
Sorry to see Eurosport will be no more in our part of the world from next month. Been watching since the early 90s and they did so much so well, including tons of football, athletics, tennis and winter sports that couldn’t be seen anywhere else. It was invaluable. pic.twitter.com/8iBieQ6aJ6
Although Eurosport is set to shut down next month, their existing coverage will be moving over to TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland.
Given that they’re also part of Warner Bros.’ global Discovery arm, TNT’s wide range of sports offerings just keeps getting bigger and better, having landed more and more Premier League fixtures, as well an increased number of European football and rugby fixtures, not to mention some major boxing matches.
While TNT used to have the Formula 1 too back when it was still BT Sport, they’ve also boasted exclusive MotoGP coverage since 2014, having the British Superbikes and World Superbike Championship also follow suit and join one big homogeneous roster does make sense.
However, it’s safe to say the decision hasn’t proved popular with everyone, mainly because of the uplift UK viewers will now have to shell out if they want to access the same content they were paying just £7 a month for.
As many long-standing Eurosport viewers were paying what was generally considered a reasonable fee to enjoy a handful of their sports, if they want to continue accessing those chosen favourites they will now have to pay more than four times the price for the privilege.
For decades, Eurosport has been providing a great service for fans of minority sports. And it was affordable. Now these Americans are closing it and hiding everything behind a much higher paywall. From £3.99/month to £30.99/month, an increase of 777%. Brilliant. pic.twitter.com/YVCVvjR37J
So, while Eurosport as we know it might be bidding farewell to one of its biggest and most loyal audiences, it isn’t gone forever for the brand and, to the truth, it isn’t really a goodbye as such – at least not for everyone.
The big question is, will you be one of those willing to pay for a new subscription in order to carry on watching watch Eurosport delivered for so many years?
Featured Images — Eurosport/TNT Sports
Sport
Sale Sharks help make history at a Cheshire college
Danny Jones
Local rugby club Sale Sharks have helped make history at a nearby college in the North West as they hosted their first-ever girls’ rugby union match last week.
Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College based over in Northwich has a strong sporting curriculum and is continuing to expand its offerings year upon year, with more than 150 students now taking part in various clubs every week.
Established back in 1557, making it one of the oldest in the UK, the school boasts a rich heritage in English education and now, more than half a millennia later, it’s taken another big step for female sport specifically by introducing its brand-new girls’ rugby union side.
Sharing a strong relationship with various clubs around Cheshire as well as Sale Sharks Women and their pathway programme, in particular (on which many members are already enrolled) Sir John Deane’s fielded their first-ever squad in a fixture against Lancaster Royal Grammar School.
As per the Northwich and Winsford Guardian, Deane’s everyged victorious from their inaugural fixture, notching three tries thanks to scorers Eve Spears, Mollie Stamper and Daisy Carroll.
Taking place on the first-team pitch at Winnington Park Rugby Club in the village of Hartford – with whom the school enjoyed an “excellent community partnership” – the game itself was part of a wider ‘festival of rugby’ where student-players learned received first-class coaching and learned crucial skills.
Hoping to become the rising stars among a new generation of women’s rugby, which is seeing a growing interest nationwide, coach Paul Rees explained this important milestone for the college was about more than the result.
“The purpose of this fixture was to provide an opportunity for girls rugby,” Rees told the outlet, “to grow the game at the grassroots level and for Sir John Deane’s to showcase the variety of sports they provide, significantly for girls.”
“I feel privileged to have been a part of this prestigious and historical event which was fully supported by the PE department at college.”
A huge thank you to @SaleSharksWomen who spent the afternoon training with our Women's Rugby Team here at the College yesterday. It was fantastic to see such a big turnout with a mixture of experienced and new players to the game – well done to all involved! 🏉 pic.twitter.com/P5yyl3Ghko
The full-contact clash saw a total of 38 players lace up their boots for the historic school moment after having first got to grips with the task ahead back in October 2024.
Rees went on to credit the Greater Manchester outfit, specifically, for their continued support regarding the new team, who have proven a crucial outlet for those looking to enter girls rugby in the North West.
“Not only do they support the delivery of coaching [Matt Hulme], the coordination [Vicky Irwin] and link to provide the girls to represent regular Sale Sharks College fixtures”, says Rees, “this is invaluable to ensure all players are given the opportunity to represent Sale Sharks and their respected colleges.”
With the national focus as a whole being put on the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup, the importance of initiatives like this cannot be overstated.
Danny Jones -
23rd October 2023 
