The tournament hasn’t even started yet but you can consider our excitement well and truly through the roof because we can now confirm that Road to Victory, the hugely successful fan zone which debuted at the 2022 World Cup, is coming back to Manchester for Euro 2024.
Presented by entertainment pioneers AIX Live – ‘amplified immersive experience’ – Road to Victory (Rtv) first landed at Depot Mayfield for its maiden tournament but now the huge fan park is making its much-anticipated return at a brand new venue just down the road.
Set to take over popular beer garden and food hall Diecast for the first time, RtV is set to welcome around 3,000 fans for every Euros match and will be screening every England game for as long as we stay in the tournament.
And it all kicks off with the Three Lions‘ opener against Serbia on 16 June, which starts at 8pm but don’t worry, the party will already be in full swing hours before then.
Diecast is set to transform into a massive fan zone for Euro 2024. (Credit: Road to Victory)
With over 30,000 square feet of Euros action, including space for up to 2,500 standing fans in the sprawling Brooklyn Beer Hall, multiple screens and one large festival LED screen, this place is going to be absolutely bouncing.
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They make sure of that too, creating an incredible atmosphere with a fully immersive light show, making the entire venue light up yellow or red as corresponding coloured cards are given out and other big match moments (hopefully lots of goals), as well plenty of music, cheering and chants throughout.
Pre and post-match entertainment is great too, with DJs from start to finish, live on-stage hosts hyping up the crowd, quizzes, special guests, competitions and much, much more.
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The Road to Victory team has fine-tuned the experience since their inaugural event in 2022 and given how electric the crowd was back then, we can only imagine how good this summer is going to be.
The venue will open 2 hours before KO and the events are strictly 18+ because yes, there will be plenty of pints.
With Diecast‘s unreal food menu also on offer, you’ll be just as sorted for scran as you are the sport. They’ll be serving up their famous ‘NeoPan’ (Neapolitan meets NYC) style pizzas in various flavours, as well as other easy picky bits like their tater tots straight from the Ramona and Firehouse kitchen.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for hospitality packages – which include one pizza per person, sharing tots, plus table service with ice cold beers to your table for up to eight people per booking – they’ll set you back just £20, or you can enquire about larger booking by emailing [email protected].
Fans are also being encouraged to keep an eye on Road to Victory and Diecast social media channels for further booking links and updates ahead of each game. Let’s hope to see more scenes like this next month. It’s coming home.
Salford City FC have been bought out by a new consortium
Danny Jones
Another era beckons for Salford City as a buyout of the Greater Manchester football club by a new consortiumhas been announced.
Well, sort of.
Salford City FC were famously the subject of a joint takeover by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim and members of Manchester United’s Class of ’92 over a decade ago, and now 11 years on from that last milestone moment in their history, the local side has a new administration once again.
It is a fresh chapter for the club, but supporters will be glad to hear that there will also be some continuity and key throughline of consistency among some of those at the top.
Salford City announces that the Club has been acquired by a new ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville, and includes US-based businessman Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies who will both serve as new Co-Chairs of the Club’s board.
Led by Man United legends Gary Neville and David Beckham, who have been involved with Salford since 2014, the new nine-member consortium consists of the Dream Sports Group – a leading sports technology company based in India – along with a number of other key figures.
One of those is Lord Mervyn Davies, a former Labour MP and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, who still serves as a trade envoy between the UK and Sri Lanka.
Another is Irish-American entrepreneur Declan Kelly, who is Chairman and CEO of The Consello Group, a global advisory and investing firm.
While the previous co-owners and fellow Class of ’92 United graduates are no longer shareholders at Moor Lane, it is said they will still play important roles at the club.
As the official statement reads, “The acquisition includes a commitment by the new shareholders to invest significantly in the Club, the team and its facilities”, meaning there will funds will likely be sweet aside not only for some healthy transfer business but more updates to the Peninsula Stadium.
Commenting on the announcement, Neville said: “I’m passionate about Salford City. This is a unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.
“Football will come first, however, it’s critical that we drive the Club towards sustainability in the next 4-5 years. I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Meanwhile, Beckham went on to add in the excitable Instagram post seen above: “Salford played such an important role in my life growing up… It’s where I trained with United alongside my best mates every day, it’s where I bought my first house and where me and Victoria lived.
“I’m so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate [Neville] as we begin the next chapter of Salford’s journey. Football is at the heart of this community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Ammies.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run returns this summer with three new routes
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this summer, and this year, there’s three new routes to run.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo saw success with similar sold-out events in 2023 and 2024, and is now looking for 2,500 runners to sign up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences when it returns later this year – with all funds raised from the popular event going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
Participants will this year take on a brand-new route winding through more of the zoo than ever before, and enjoying glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Chester Zoo is inviting runners of all abilities to take part this year, as there’s a new 5km run added to the usual 10km route, and even a one-mile ‘Zoom’ fun run for kids aged four-15.
With only 2,500 places up for grabs, organisers say the event is expected to sell out quickly, just like it has the past two years, as runners race to support a very special cause.
All proceeds from this year’s Run For Nature in September will go directly towards protecting Nubian giraffes in East Africa – a species which has seen drastic population declines in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run is returning this summer with three new routes / Credit: Chester Zoo
Runners will receive a wooden medal at the finish line and free entry to the zoo for the remainder of the day, so they can relax and celebrate their achievement among 30,000 amazing animals.
If that didn’t all sound brilliant enough as it is, top fundraisers from the day will also be in with a chance of winning some exciting prizes too, including annual zoo memberships, animal adoptions, and even special behind-the-scenes zoo experiences.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing back Run For Nature for a third incredible year,” explained Sarah Jones, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo.
“We’ve now doubled the distance runners spend inside the zoo, so they’ll pass by even more iconic animals, [making it] a really special experience you won’t get anywhere else.”
Run For Nature is back at Chester Zoo this Sunday 21 September, and you can find out more and sign up to take part here.
Danny Jones -
23rd May 2024 
