Sport
How you can win a free England shirt by watching the Lionesses at The Deansgate this Women’s World Cup
We don't usually need an excuse to head over to this iconic boozer but we we'll take a bit of footy and a free kit all day long.
You can cop yourself a free England shirt by watching the Lionesses at The Deansgate this month. As if we didn’t already love this place enough.
The Deansgate is one of several Greene King pubs around the country that are giving away a limited number of Lionesses shirts to celebrate the start of the tournament and the England women’s team getting underway.
The popular city-centre pub which has been thriving ever since it reopened in November has held similar promotions in the past, having given away a handful of England shirts during the men’s World Cup, but now they’re turning their attention to the women’s game.
Sarina Wiegman and the girls kick off their first match against Haiti on Saturday, 22 July, but it’s their game against Denmark the following Friday that you need to come along for to stand a chance of copping a free kit.
England play Denmark on Friday, 28 July and if you are among the first people to rock up to The Deansgate in time to order a breakfast, you could be one of the lucky few who receive a free Lionesses shirt. That’s it, you just have to treat yourself to a nice brekkie. Happy days.
There are 300 free shirts to be given away across the 30 different locations (i.e. 10 in each pub), so you stand a fairly decent chance of grabbing one.
In case you were unaware, these things are worth £80, so you’d be getting your hands on quite an expensive bit of kit — quite literally.
The Deansgate aren’t just giving away free England kits for no reason, of course; the promotion is part of a campaign to increase viewership around the women’s game — something Greene King has been championing for years now.
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National research by the pub chain and brewery revealed that while 58% of Brits have started following a women’s sports team since the Lionesses’ incredible Euro 2022 victory last summer, but a third admitted they have never been to the pub to watch a women’s football game.
Moreover, two-thirds of those surveyed believe there is a lack of awareness and support for women’s sports teams compared to male teams but 73% said that watching England’s women’s team last year has helped increase exposure around it. We can’t imagine how massive it would be for women’s football if they won the Women’s World Cup too.
It goes without saying that The Deansgate is a perfect place to catch this summer’s tournament but if the places is packed — as it so often is — and you can’t get a seat, there are still plenty of other places to watch the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Manchester.
The first game between host nation New Zealand and Norway at 8am on Thursday and the Lionesses kick off this weekend. It’s coming home.
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Featured Image — Lionesses (via Twitter)/The Deansgate (via Instagram)
Sport
Everton manager Sean Dyche randomly pops up in the music video for Blossoms’ new single – and he’s great
Danny Jones
Did anyone else think they’d ever see Sean Dyche make his acting debut in the role of a Northern crime boss in a silly little music video for the Blossoms?
No, us neither but that’s the bizarre alternate reality we’re living in, apparently.
Blossoms are currently working on the fifth studio album and have already released their lead single entitled, ‘To Do List (After The Break-Up)’, but now they have a new song out as well, with a rather amusing music video to go along with it and somehow Sean Dyche has found himself the star.
The Stockport band teased the curious collaboration in April, giving us just short glimpses of the Everton manager and former Burnley boss with very little explanation – all we know is that it looked funny and it was.
Dyche is still busy trying to finish the Premier League campaign as strong as possible after successfully navigating the Toffees to safety even in spite of their points deductions this season, but it sounds like keeping them up has given him enough time to moonlight as an actor.
Sending the indie five-piece on a mission to collect something of value (yes, that’s all the info we have at this point as the story is still to be continued), it looks like the Kettering-born coach has a larger role to play in whatever this narrative turns out to be.
Playing what can only be described as some kind of semi-Manc mafia figure on the hunt for a very valuable piece of art, i.e. a big giant gorilla statue – one that many Stopfordians spotted being lugged around various parts of the borough –
They also shared a little bit of BTS footage from the shoot for the music video last week. Some lovely head-bobbing and unassuming surroundings here:
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As for the track itself, it’s a bit of stylistic change for the lads who’ve mastered their 80s-tinged indie formula over the past decade but it’s an absolute pop and is already stuck in our heads.
Revealing that they’ve collaborated with contemporary funk, disco and electronic icons Jungle on the track, it doesn’t take too long to hear the influences. Look forward to hearing it at Wythenshawe Park this summer.
You can watch the music video for ‘What Can I Say?’ and the ginger-goatee’d football manager extraordinaire in full character HERE.
He’s not the only footballing figure who’s made an entertainment crossover recently either.
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Blossoms (via YouTube)/Virgin EMI
Sport
Tributes paid to former Manchester City winger Ian Mellor, dead at 74
Danny Jones
Tributes are pouring following the death of former Manchester City star, Ian Mellor, who has sadly passed away at the age of 74.
Mellor, from Sale in Greater Manchester, played as a left winger for Man City as well as the likes of Norwich City, Brighton, Chester, Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford.
With his family and former club confirming the death on Wednesday, 1 May, social media has been awash with people paying their respects to the seasoned ex-pro who sadly died following a long battle with amyloidosis, a rare and incurable disease which affects organs such as the heart, brains and kidneys.
Replying to his son and ex-Liverpool turned Sky Sports broadcaster, Neil Mellor, the club paid their respects to the former Blue who made 50 appearances for the club.
Mellor began his career just down the road at Wythenshawe Amateurs before going on to represent City from 1970 to 1973.
A boyhood fan of the club, he scored 10 goals whilst wearing Sky Blue and also went on to win the Charity Shield with them back in 1972.
Eventually nicknamed ‘Spider’ for a good chunk of his career due to his long-legged stature, he remained attached to the beautiful game for years after his retirement and went on to become a committee member for the Former Players Association at City.
Joining the likes of all his former clubs, Chester City said: “Everyone at [the club] is saddened to hear of the passing of Ian Mellor. Sending all our love to you and your family, Neil Mellor.
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His son Neil’s goodbye has touched many online too, calling his dad his “hero” and his “everything”.
He also went on to thank locally-based end-of-life care organisation and charity, St Ann’s Hospice, who have facilities all over Greater Manchester and who helped care for Ian in his final days.
Our thoughts are with his friends and family as well as those whose lives he touched through football during this difficult time.
Rest in peace.
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Manchester City/Neil Mellor (via X)
