One of the hardest parts about getting organised for a major tournament is finding the right place to watch all the games. Planning is one thing but actually getting in somewhere is a battle in of itself.
We’ve been racking our brains over the best places in town to watch England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and after being invited along to ‘Road to Victory’ on Tuesday, we might just have a winning candidate for you.
Road to Victory is the flagship event from fledgling entertainment company AIX Live (Amplified Immersive eXperience), who will be bringing the biggest fan zone anywhere in Europe to Depot Mayfield.
And when we say biggest, it really is massive. Try over 100,000 square feet.
It really is the biggest fan zone in Europe
With a capacity of over 6,000, Road to Victory (RtV) is set to bring the most immersive, multi-sensory football experience we have ever come across besides being in the stadium itself to hordes of England fans living in Manchester.
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Playing England games only (because it’s win or bust as far as they’re concerned), the immense space being used for the fan park will be familiar to those who have been to Warehouse Project before, though it’s never been quite like this.
Even walking in was quite the experience.
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Credit: The Manc
Stretching across three rooms promising crowds of between 1,500 and 2,500 each, the transformed venue promises music, light shows and, most importantly, giant screens on almost every wall to watch the games. You literally can’t miss it.
With everything from burgers and dirty fries to nachos, wings and more – catered by Manchester food brand Oh My Glaze – not to mention all the booze you’ll need to launch into the air when we score, you’ll have everything you could ask for in this unprecedented supporter space.
Credit: The Manc/Supplied
Those paying for seated tickets in the main room or purchasing one of 200 VIP tickets each game via donation can even pre-order food and drink more than an hour and a half before kick-off.
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An interactive audio-visual experience
But it’s just more than tables, chairs and a big telly – you can get that at pretty much any pub. What we were most blown away by were the production levels AIX have delivered for this event.
In addition to the sea of neon lights and huge speakers echoing around the room, our sneak preview included a glimpse at the stunning AV packages promised both before, during and after the game.
As well as visual team sheet presentations which will see the starting 11 read out by an announcer, there will be live match stats throughout the game, running ticker tape around the room and dynamic moments such as a 4D virtual heartbeat should Southgate‘s side win a penalty. Very, very cool.
Credit: The Manc
There’s also plenty of audience participation, not just in terms of cheering on the Three Lions but with quizzes, prize competitions, special guests, DJs and more.
There are even digital activities accessible via a simple QR code such as a virtual game of Pong, where thousands of audience members can play a giant multiplayer game against whoever England’s opponents are that day. They’re really trying to deliver an all-around fan experience.
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It goes beyond just a game
Perhaps the thing we were most impressed with was AIX’s collaboration with the sporting charity Football Beyond Borders (FBB), an organisation dedicated to improving the young people and local communities through the beautiful game.
Credit: The Manc/Football Beyond Borders
But this isn’t just a publicity partnership, RtV and AIX will be donating £500 for every goal England scores in the group games directly to FBB and, better still, a whopping £1,000 for every goal scored in the knockout stages — which will be getting to, thank you very much.
It’s this kind of dedication and confidence in the project and its sheer scale that we admire, as they’re just as convinced it’s coming home as we are. Moreover, they’re making sure that fans and football lovers across the country will benefit regardless of the end result come the final on 18 December.
Tickets for Road to Victory are going to fly
England’s first game against Iran kicks off at 1pm on 21 November but Road to Victory at Depot Mayfield will be open from 10:30am and won’t be kicking people out until the last drink is sunk, “or the license kicks in” — their words, not ours.
Credit: Supplied
In short, the Depot and AIX plan to put on after-parties when England wins each game, not if. This is strictly an over-18s fan zone designed for limbs, limbs and more limbs.
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Standing tickets for Road to Victory start at just £9.50 and seated packages from £15 (plus booking fees), with more information on drink and food pre-order packages set to be released soon.
You’ll be able to buy passes from the likes of Kaboodle, Ticketmaster and See Tickets, so make sure to keep an eye out on their socials for updates and you can find out more info at roadtovictory.co.uk.
But don’t lose all hope if you miss out, there is also Escape to Freight Island’s ‘Festival of Football’ just next door should tickets go wanting and you’re still in search of those fan park vibes.
Tickets go on sale at 10am this Friday, 14 October 14, 2022, so you best be quick if you wanna be there to watch the boys bring it home.
Featured Image — The Manc
Sport
The 2025/26 Premiership Women’s Rugby season has been delayed
Danny Jones
The next Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) season has been officially delayed by nearly three weeks.
Announced on Tuesday, 21 January, the decision has been taken in an effort to help promote the Women’s Rugby World Cup (WRWC), the proximity of which is rather close to the national union championship competition.
With sporting bodies also trying to nurture a growing interest in female rugby, the start of the next PWR season will be pushed back not only to give players more time to rest but in an effort to drive a larger audience to the WRWC as well, the final of which is being played here in England.
The hope is that it will also better the Red Roses’ chances of winning the international tournament in turn – fingers firmly crossed.
Get excited 🤩
The PWR 2025-26 Season will officially kick off on Saturday 25th October PLUS the PWR Cup will return 🙌
The conclusion of the international tournament is taking place at Twickenham Stadium in London on 27 September, just days before the 2025/26 Premiership season was due to start.
Local side Sale Sharks are sadly at the bottom of the table this current campaign, which kicked off on 5 October 2024 and ends this March, but with eyes already on the WRWC the focus for lots of players in the division will no doubt already be shifting.
Not only is the domestic women’s rugby season being delayed by nearly three whole weeks – meaning the first games won’t happen until 25 October – but this comes after the current schedule of fixtures was also reduced with player recovery in mind ahead of the World Cup.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the PWR’s operations manager, Amy Walmsley, said: “The Rugby World Cup is a generational moment for women’s rugby and will create a huge opportunity for both PWR and our clubs to grow and celebrate with their fans.
“The optimum time between the Rugby World Cup Final and our first league match will ensure we capitalise on what we already know will be the biggest and best World Cup ever, while also ensuring player welfare with adequate rest across the season.”
The stats back it up too as 2024 saw numerous milestones for the women’s game; in addition to record crowds at the Olympics, last year’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations was the most viewed on record with 8.1 million fans tuning in, not to mention an increased interest among 18-24-year-olds.
You can find the run-down of the Sale Sharks Women fixtures below:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗜𝗻
All of our fixtures for the 24/25 season are locked in. Let's bring that Northern roar to every game #SharksFamily 🦈
As for the final of the Premiership Women’s Rugby, the date has been reverted to its usual window in June, which should also fit within what congestion remains.
Nevertheless, with the Women’s Six Nations in late April and England – who have won all but one of their last 51 games – set to begin their World Cup on 22 August, the margins are still going to be somewhat fine if they are to head into the tournament in the best shape possible.
With the tickets selling extremely well, the expectation is that the Rugby World Cup final break is set to break the world record for the best-attended women’s rugby fixture in history.
In the meantime, Greater Manchester is gearing up for the men’s action as the Six Nations gets underway at the end of this month and the city is boasting the perfect place to watch it.
Ian Evatt sacked by Bolton Wanderers after emergency board meeting
Danny Jones
Bolton Wanderers have reportedly sacked manager Ian Evatt following yet another defeat in League One on Tuesday night, losing 2-1 to Charlton Athletic.
Marking their 10th defeat of the campaign so far, having only won just more than that tally and drawn five with a negative goal difference, it’s said an emergency board meeting was called after the result, with Evatt being ultimately let go.
The 43-year-old has been with the Greater Manchester side since 2020 after being snapped up following his impressive performance at Barrow AFC, where he got the non-league outfit promoted into the EFL after nearly half a century.
An official announcement by the club explains the decision was come to by “mutual consent” but regardless, the result is still the same and Evatt’s four-and-a-half-year tenure at Bolton has now come to an end.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club today announces that First Team Manager Ian Evatt has left the Club by mutual consent.
We would like to express our gratitude to Ian for his professionalism, commitment and creating a legacy during his time at the Club.#bwfc
Thanking for his “professionalism, commitment and creating a legacy during his time at the Club”, Bolton Wanderers Chairman, Sharon Brittan, goes on to add in the full statement: “Ian arrived at a challenging time for Bolton Wanderers Football Club and his dedication to rebuilding both on and off the pitch has been commendable.
“He instilled a renewed sense of professionalism and purpose, and we are grateful for his significant contributions during his four and a half years at the helm.
“He has been a pleasure to work with and I personally thank him for his hard work and passion for this Club. He has created a tremendous legacy and will always be remembered for the successes he has brought. We wish him nothing but success in the future.”
The decision for him to be sacked doesn’t exactly come as a surprise as the downturn in results over the last couple of seasons has been notable, and although Evatt made a bright start at Bolton, it’s been rather topsy-turvy for a while.
The former defender famously won them promotion to the third division when they were at risk of dropping into the National League amid their financial struggles and went on to win the EFL Trophy in 2023 – their first piece of silverware for more than 30 years.
It’s achievements like this that have given him a lot of goodwill around the Toughsheet Stadium but, in the end, the results just haven’t quite been enough. Despite many supporters having called for a change in leadership for some time, there was still plenty of gratitude for his efforts overall.
Thank you for everything, Ian Evatt.
Before this season, you built something special. The connection to the club had been the strongest it's been for a long, long time, so a big thank you.
No doubting, he tried. He did everything possible –but it just wasn't enough to take… pic.twitter.com/pb5dc5je9d
Evatt has also had more than his share of controversial moments in the dugout, as well as on the pitch.
It was only back in October 2024 that he was officially charged by the FA for misconduct after he squared up to a Shrewsbury player, leaning his forehead against captain Morgan Feeney in an aggressive manner, receiving a £3,400 fine and a three-game touchline ban.
As for the man himself, Evatt signed off by saying: “I’ve absolutely loved my time here at Bolton Wanderers Football Club. Working with Sharon and Nick [Luckock] has been a pleasure, and I’ve been superbly backed along the way by my team of staff and the players.
“There comes a point in football when a change needs to happen and the last thing I want is to damage what we have all built together. I believe the Club is still well-placed to achieve its goals this season, and I want to give the Board and players the best chance of doing that.
“I’m very grateful for everybody’s support and to be the manager of this wonderful football club has been the greatest honour of my career. To our fans, thank you for the support you have shown me and my staff. Together we have created some very special memories and I will always be a fan of this amazing football club.”
Bolton will be announcing an interim replacement in due course.
Joined us at one of our lowest moments.
A huge part of the journey in making us dream again.
Danny Jones -
12th October 2022 
