A year on from making it to their first-ever Netball World Cup final, England’s national team are set to bring the buzz of a home crowd to Manchester’s AO Arenalater this year.
Taking on Jamaica in November, England Netball – a.k.a. The Vitality Roses – will be helping kick off the brand-new Vitality Netball Horizon Series.
Marking the inaugural edition of the competition, the action will kick off with a pair of matches at the AO Arena before England travel to Jamaica for a further two games at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.
Better yet, tickets for the fast-approaching fixtures go on sale this month.
Want to experience the buzz of live netball? ⚡️
🗓️ The Vitality Roses are next in action on home soil this November against @NetballJamaica!
EN members, don’t miss out on your exclusive early access window before general sale begins on 12 August 🎟️ pic.twitter.com/cJgfZFvLWd
As part of the new four-year tournament series between England and their Caribbean counterparts, there will be two games played in each country annually, and Manchester has been chosen as the city to get things started.
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With 0161’s own netball team Manchester Thunder being the second-most decorated club in the division, with four Super League titles to their name and having only narrowly missed out on a fifth to record-breaking Loughborough Lightning, it feels like the perfect fit.
As for the Jamaicans, commonly known as the ‘Sunshine Girls’ and currently ranked fourth in the world with a huge netball culture, they finished as bronze medallists in last year’s World Cup and will be looking to assert some pressure on the Roses over the course of this multi-year series.
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The first of two international meetings between England and Jamaica takes place on Saturday, 16 November, the second game taking place on the following Sunday.
The following double-header in Jamaica is scheduled for between 25-26 November, to reignite a long-standing rivalry in an exciting new format. You can watch what happened the last time the two sides met down below:
Speaking in an official announcement, Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby said: “We’re excited to introduce this new and innovative Vitality Netball Horizon Series against the Sunshine Girls into our international competition calendar.
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“Both nations have enjoyed success at recent major tournaments with Jamaica taking silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 and the Vitality Roses securing silver at the Netball World Cup in South Africa after making our first-ever World Cup final last summer.
The long and competitive history between us both, combined with a shared desire to shake up the world order makes for a tantalising match-up that fans can enjoy every year…
“We have enjoyed series wins at home against Jamaica in recent years which were over ten years in the making and always enjoy playing in these head-to-heads that deliver flamboyant, exciting netball and a showcase of high skill level from both sides. Here’s to more edge-of-your-seat netball as we embark on a new groundbreaking competition programme.”
Pre-sale access for the tournament is already live for England Netball members, who will receive an exclusive 10% discount, but general sale begins on Monday, 12 August from 10am.
You can be ready to buy your tickers for England Netball vs Jamaica at the AO Arena in Manchester HERE.
Featured Images — paddynapper (via Flickr)/AO Arena/England Netball (supplied)
Sport
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
7th August 2024 
