Doesn't matter whether it's the footy, cricket, rugby, the NFL or otherwise, us Mancs love going out for a night of sport. Good job we've got plenty of places to do just that.
Game day is fast approaching and with the NFL scene getting bigger and bigger in the UK each year, more and more Mancs are left wondering where to watch the Super Bowl in Manchester.
The excitement’s really starting to build as we’re just days away from the clash between current holders, the Kansas City Chiefs and their familiar foes, the Philadelphia Eagles – but, first things first, you’ve got to pick where you wanna be in time for kick-off.
Luckily, there are a whole host of sports bars in the city centre that will be showing Super Bowl LIX right through till it finishes around 3am BST.
Oh yes, it’s a long old night but that’s why love it and if you’re still undecided as to where to go, here are a dozen places you can hunker down with some good grub and plenty of pints to watch it.
12 of the best places to watch the Super Bowl LIX in Manchester
First up on our list is the place we spend the Super Bowl pretty much every year: Blues Kitchen just off Deansgate, which promises big screens, live music, American BBQ favourites and more from 9pm.
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With food and drinks served until late to keep you going throughout the long night, you’ll have an absolute ball. Book HERE.
Arguably the epitome of the American sports bar vibe here in Manchester, Shooters Sports Bar in Printworks’ Bierkeller is practically an institution at this point. Hosting NFL games for years, their various matchday packages make this one of the best places showing the Super Bowl in the UK full stop.
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They’ve even had the Sky commentary team over there in past seasons, as well as being named official sponsors of the Manchester Titans American football team. If it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for us – you can sort seats for you and your group HERE.
3. BOX – Deansgate
BOX Bar opened on Deansgate back in 2021 and has quickly become one of the most popular places to watch any sport in town and it’s not hard to see why either.
With massive pitchers and steins of booze, a banging food menu built for shuffleboard at the back and screens on almost every wall, including a massive NBA-style jumbotron screen, you won’t miss a second of the action. This one always fills up quickly so book now if you don’t want to miss out.
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4. Calcio! – Northern Quarter
Credit: The Manc Group
It may look like footy and games at first glance, but there is so much more to Calcio! over on Dale Street. From retro PS2 and Nintendo classics, as well as an amazing food and drink selection, this city centre sports bar has quickly become the go-to spot for hordes of sports fans.
Showing every from cricket and F1 to rugby, snooker and more, they’re one of many screening the Super Bowl in Manchester. If you’re interested in watching the Super Bowl at Calcio, you can sort your table/booth HERE.
Given students are typically the ones who don’t tend to worry about sleeping/waking up at any particular time, it’d be rude not to put a regular uni haunt and Manc nightlife favourite The Courtyard on this list.
Not only is this one of the cheapest places for a night in town, possibly the country, but it’s yet another prime location to watch the sport. You are never, we repeat, NEVER too old for Courtyard and it never disappoints when there are sports fans in.
Another all-time classic Manchester sports bar, The Directors’ Box just off St Peter’s Square in the city centre has plenty of pints, an absolutely mint menu full of sharing platters perfect for watching the game with your mates, as well as a pool table to keep you occupied during the breaks.
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They’re even putting on a special menu just for the game. This is another one that packs out fast, so book now while you still can.
The Brotherhood of Pastimes and Pursuits is another tried and tested favourite come any matchday and the team over there does a great job of building a proper atmosphere across their two floors when it comes to the Super Bowl.
It’s great a post-work spot any day of the week, let alone when there are big events on like this. Food, pints, pool, table tennis and more. 10/10, no notes from us. Reserve your table HERE.
8. Tib St Tavern – Northern Quarter
Credit: The Manc Group
No list of Manchester sports bars would be complete without Tib Street Tavern, one of the most popular in NQ or the city centre in general, for that matter.
With booths for you and all your mates to pile into, massive screens filling the walls and solid grub, this place is packed out noon till night, so give ’em a ring on 0161 834 1600 to sort your seat whilst you still can. They’ve also recently had a bit of a refurb as well so you’ll be comfier than ever this year.
Nothing like the Bowl at Bunny’s. If you’ve ever been in this beloved wing-stop and rock-themed watering hole for an NFL game, you know that this place is pretty much the perfect place to be.
Arguably the best dive bar on the planet, (it’s us, we’re arguing it), and not just because the wings are 30p, there’s no bookings — you just rock up and try your luck and hope for laces out. Say no more.
10. GRUB – Green Quarter
In at number 10 is one of our favourite places in Manchester for hosting big events full stop, so it’s no surprise that it’s also going to be packed out for this year’s Super Bowl.
Projecting the big game straight onto their in-house Cultplex cinema screens, not only will tickets set you back just a tenner but they also include a welcome drink and a hot or vegan dog — now that’s what we call gameday vibes. You can sort yours HERE.
If you popped into Brickhouse for the World Cup or even the Six Nations, you’ll know the bar, club, rooftop terrace and pool hall is really killing it when it comes to live sports at the minute.
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Kicking off from 8pm and spreading across two of the three floors, this is one of the best places to grab a slice of pizza and a pint while watching the game. Better yet, their increasingly popular fan zone is absolutely free, you just need to email [email protected] or ring 0161 236 4899.
Last on our list is another cult favourite amongst NQ frequent flyers, as not only do Shack MCR specialise in all the very best kinds of food you want whilst watching live sport — wings, fries, burgers, nachos etc. — but they’re even serving up special Super Bowl platters for the occasion.
They’ll be serving scran until 1:30 in the morning and although all the private booths have already sold out, there are still some tables left for Sunday, 11 February, so book yours now.
Of course, it goes without saying that if we could chuck every one of this city’s wonderful pubs and sports bars on this list then we would, but we’d be here forever.
That being said, a literal dozen places to watch the big game in Manchester city centre should be more than enough to get you started — now it’s down to you to make sure you plan out the perfect Super Bowl Sunday for LIX 2025. Just make sure you’ve got your arse in a seat before that first touchdown.
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So, who’s going all the way this year then? Will the Chiefs retain the title or will ‘The Birds’ make up for their loss to the reigning champions back in 2023? Only time will tell.
Get lots of sleep this week because you’re going to need it!
Paul Scholes shares touching message over response to quitting punditry to look after his son
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes recently announced that he has stepped away from football punditry and other media duties to look after his son, Aiden, and he has clearly been touched by the response to his deeply honest interview.
The former United star and England international has three children with his wife, Claire Frogratt, recently revealing that the two have sadly separated.
While his only daughter, Alicia – a thriving young netball player with London Pulse – and eldest son Arron (who runs the family’s self-titled Scholes Gym in Oldham) are both fully grown and in good health, Paul recently opened up about the challenges of looking after his youngest child, who has autism.
Aiden Scholes was diagnosed as autistic when he was just two and is largely non-verbal, meaning there are added difficulties not just when it comes to communicating but overall welfare. Opening in a fairly rare instance on a recent episode of The Overlap, the ex-midfielder is now putting all his focus on care.
As a dad to a young boy with autism, I can’t help but have more respect for Paul Scholes after seeing him open up about his own experiences. Not only does it hit home, his priorities are in order. ❤️ https://t.co/kCjfQye3ef
Speaking with his old Man United teammates, including host Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as the rest of the panel, the 50-year-old retired pro and one-time manager turned pundit says that he recently made the conscious decision to put virtually everything else aside to put all of his efforts towards Aiden.
Put simply, he said, “I just decided everything I’m going to do is around Aiden.”
Of course, he went on to explain some of the important “routines” and obstacles in more detail during the sit-down, but even from the brief clip that went viral online, he’s been met with an incredible reaction on social media.
Sharing an update on his Instagram story, he went on to add: “Would just like to thank everyone for all your kind messages since The Overlap interview regarding Aiden – there’s been loads and tried to read as many as possible”, he said.
“The response from families (especially Dads) shows how much speaking about it helps so many… There was one quote from a parent in a similar position that’s just got me…”
The anonymous line he shared read: “My job is to stay alive one day longer than my son/daughter”. Truly tearjerking stuff.
Now 20, the Scholes family are a couple of decades into learning how best to meet Aiden’s additional needs, but Paul has admitted in the past that the climate was different back in the day.
Neville himself said that his long-time friend, teammate, and fellow Class of ’92 graduate has always been a private person and didn’t talk to anyone about anything.
He signed off by urging people to enjoy the little things, like the weekend and having a few drinks – as well as wishing the best of luck to his beloved Salford City FC – but it can’t be overestimated how much his candid words have resonated with people all over the country.
You can see Paul Scholes’ most recent appearance on The Overlap in full down below.
Featured Images — The Overlap (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
Salford Red Devils supporters meet winding-up adjournment with a petition of their own
Danny Jones
Large numbers of Salford Red Devils supporters are currently rallying behind the push to remove their current ownership group, meeting yet another delay to the winding-up petition with a petition of their own: one that would see the owners kicked out of the club, full stop.
Shared online yesterday, the ‘Salford Red Devils Fans Against Jacobsen Venture Group’ (JVG) petition has amassed more than 1,000 signatures and is rapidly gaining traction.
But these supposed assurances all sound far too familiar and are clearly no longer enough for most fans. They no longer care about future investment from those currently behind the scenes: they just want them gone for good.
For context, in addition to more than £700,000 in outstanding fees owed to HMRC, the 152-year-old sporting organisation is also estimated to owe in excess of £5m to various other creditors.
As a result, after a third stay of execution earlier this week – but one that has done little more than prolong this long-drawn-out uncertainty – most fans have simply had enough.
Following up with a lengthy open letter on Wednesday evening, 29 October, the increasingly militant fan group known as The 1873 said of the potential new funding, “Let us be absolutely clear, we have heard all of this before.”
Even poking holes in the board’s own statement, noting that it suggests that “funding has been formally secured” before noting that it has not yet officially arrived.
“This kind of vague language”, they say, “is exactly what supporters have been subjected to for months: a cycle of empty promises and missed deadlines.
Helping spearhead the ‘JVG Out’ petition, leading member Nick Holt went on to tell BBC Sport Manchester that the patience and blind faith have simply run out.
🗣️ "We do not want these within our club"
Salford Red Devils' owners announced they have secured new funding to settle outstanding debts and clear a winding-up petition against them.
The 1873 went on to write: “Back in September, the same individuals told the courts that funding would arrive ‘within 10 days’. It never did. In August, at the meeting with The 1873, they claimed money would be in place by the end of that month. It wasn’t.
“Every single time, the same promise and every single time, the same failure to deliver. False hope and no real investment. It is vital [that] supporters understand what is actually being proposed. The owners are not clearing the club’s debts, including the millions they have personally run up.
“Instead, they intend to roll all debts into one high-interest loan, a move that only deepens the long-term financial hole. How do they plan to service such a loan? Next season, the club’s central distribution is set to drop from around £1.3 million to less than £100,000.”
Noting that the recent IMG grading drop and subsequent relegation from the Betfred Super League will mean a significant drop in revenues across the board, they have quite rightly asked where the higher-ups expect to find the funds to make their already heavily overdue repayments.
“Season ticket sales are expected to collapse under the current ownership”, they continue, “and major commercial sponsors will not associate with this regime.
“To claim that this ‘funding’ secures the future of a 152-year-old club is not just misleading, it is an insult to every supporter who has kept this club alive through generations.”
A petition like this and further demonstrations were guaranteed from the moment Salford Red Devils were relegated.
The impassioned response from the group signs off by adding: “The ownership’s reference to a so-called ‘strategic plan’ for a return to Super League in 2027 is beyond belief. Where is this plan? Why has it not been shared with supporters?
“At this moment, there is no head coach for 2026, no contracted players, and no football department infrastructure. To talk about a Super League return within two years is pure fantasy […] The reality is simple: This ownership group has repeatedly failed to deliver on its promises.
“It has mismanaged and misled, time and again. Every new statement only confirms how detached they are from the damage they continue to cause.”
Most drastically, they insist that supporters will no longer “be fooled” nor continue to recognise the current ‘stewards’ failing to live up to that title by giving their own time and money to the regime, urging fellow fans to refrain from renewing season tickets, purchasing any merchandise, or attending games.
It’s a bold stance, to be sure, but it’s clear that those most fiercely loyal of supporters are looking to wrestle back control however they can; if you’re one of them, you can sign the petition HERE.
Danny Jones -
4th February 2025 
