Local non-league side Ashton Town FC have announced that they are set to become a male support group for mental health and suicide prevention charity, Andy’s Man Club, in the next few months.
The North West Counties team took to social media on Friday, 14 April, informing fans that they will soon become an Andy’s Man Club base later this year, hoping to provide a vital outlet and support network for men struggling in Ashton and surrounding areas.
Sharing an image of Burnley‘s Josh Brownhill donning the charity’s name on his shirt — the Lancashire club being one of several throughout the English football pyramid that have teamed up with them over recent years — Ashton Town said they hope to be “showing the same message” by next season.
As they note in the initial statement, “this is a process that needs carefully setting up” in order to become a “safe and caring place for all attending”, with the goal of holding their first meeting by this September.
Once everything is set up and ready to go, Ashton‘s hebs Group Stadium and wider facilities will become the 10th base established through the organisation in the Greater Manchester area, with the charity have spread throughout the UK since its inception in 2016.
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For anyone unaware of Andy’s Man Club until now, it essentially started out in Halifax when a group of nine blokes suffering with their mental health decided to meet up and discuss their issues in hopes of looking after each other.
Named after Andrew Roberts, who sadly took his own life aged just 23 in 2016, Andy’s family had no idea he was suffering to such an extent, so they started looking into male mental health and learned that suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and have been working to help break the stigma ever since.
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Fast forward six years and the organisation now has mental health bases at almost 100 locations across three British counties, supporting more than 2000 men over 18 every week thanks to an army of over 500 facilitators and volunteers.
Andy’s Man Club is all about allowing men to speak openly about their mental health in a judgment-free, non-clinical environment from bases within their local community. Better still, the groups are completely volunteer-led, with the vast majority of facilitators having first come through the door as service users.
With a service used on a weekly basis by almost 2000 men, and an army of 500+ facilitators, the movement is always continuing to grow on a week-by-week basis.
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It doesn’t matter if you’re a Manc or not, we all need to look after each other. You can find your nearest Andy’s Man Club mental health base HERE.
Featured Image — Ashton Town FC/Burnley FC/Andy’s Man Club
Sport
Pep Guardiola says he won’t manage another club after Manchester City
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola has claimed he won’t manage another team after his tenure at Manchester City is up, so enjoy the ride whilst you can, Blues.
One of the most successful managers in history, Pep Guardiola is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers to have ever lived but it looks like the 53-year-old is now starting to think about life after football – or at least after Man City.
Guardiola recently extended his stay at the Eithad with a new two-year contract but it did look like he was ramping up to leave until the 11th hour and it now seems as though his time at City will be his last in the world of club football.
Pep Guardiola claims that he won't manage another club after Manchester City…
When asked about his future by his fellow compatriot, Pep said: “I’m going to stop. I am not going to join another team, I’m not going to leave to go to another country. I won’t have the energy. For now, I’m still here but to think about starting again, the whole process of training – no, no.”
Energy has been a defining factor for so many managers of late, with long-time rival Jürgen Klopp having departed Liverpool FC as a result of the fatigue caused by the job.
With countless cups, six Premier League titles and a trio of Champions League trophies to his name, Pep has pretty much won everything there is to win, which will no doubt factor into his eventual decision.
That being said, Pep did go on to suggest that however long he stays in the sport after his time in Manchester is all said and done, his next role would likely be in international football as leading a country to major silverware is the one thing he hasn’t achieved just yet.
City have managed to get points back on the board in their last two games, notching a much-needed 3-0 against Nottingham Forest before only managing to scrape a draw against Crystal Palace this past weekend, but with a derby approaching this Sunday, all eyes are on Manchester.
With the title race already looking like a nigh on an insurmountable task given the points they’ve already drooped (even with Liverpool’s recent slip-up), Pep’s stress and energy are already pushed to their limits as it is.
You might only get a couple more years with the tactical genius, City fans, so make the most of it.
You can watch Pep Guardiola’s full interview with Dani García down below – though it is in Spanish so you will need subtitles on:
Manchester City’s alleged charges have been increased to 130
Danny Jones
Manchester City’s hearing over their 115 alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) has ended and the outcome is that their charges have now been increased to 130.
Not exactly what Blues will want to hear.
The hearing officially concluded last Friday, 6 December after a 12-week process to determine whether they broke Premier League regulations regarding PSR (profit and sustainability), with accusations initially spanning a nine-year period.
However, rather than making any progress when it comes to clearing their record, it looks as though the opposite has happened.
Man City are now alleged to have committed 130 breaches of Premier League rules with both parties still able to enter an official appeal.
The hearing was held at the International Dispute Resolution Centre near St Paul’s in London, kicking off in September before coming to a close on Friday, 6 December.
Fans will no doubt have been hoping for and maybe even expecting a much more positive update, especially after having been successful in their recent case against the division regarding sponsorship deals and Associated Party Transactions (APT).
As well as the number of alleged breaches having risen to 130, the period of offence is also now said to have been extended, jumping from just under a decade to a total of 14 years.
The Times writer Martyn Ziegler says the club could quietly learn of their fate as soon as next month and even though a final decision still isn’t expected until spring 2025, should either side appeal the final outcome, this will likely draw out proceedings for several more months.
Man City’s charges have gone from 115 to 130. (Credit: The Manc Group)
For context, City still deny all of the claims laid against them, which include failing to provide accurate financial information for as many as nine seasons, full details of players’ wages, hiding the true figure former manager Roberto Mancini was paid for her service, as well as failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation and UEFA’s FFP rules.
The club were slapped with a two-year European ban back in 2020 and have been fined by the European footballing body previously, but that ban was ultimately dropped and even their most recent financial punishment was dropped from £30 million to just £10m – chump change given their spending power.
It still remains unclear what exactly will happen to the reigning English champions if they are found guilty but with Pep Guardiola’s also struggling for form of late, having lost five games in a row for the first time in the Catalan’s career, those inside the Etihad could do with some good news.
The blue moon that has loomed over Manchester in recent years is looking a little lost behind the clouds at the minute.
Danny Jones -
14th April 2023 
