Featuring appearances by 49ers alumni and Leeds United personnel, this one-of-a-kind event promises an authentic and exciting NFL game day experience.
If you're an NFL fan then you will definitely want to keep on reading, as Leeds will be hosting the San Francisco 49ers for their first ever team-sponsored fan event in the UK.
On Sunday 11 September 2022, head down to BOX Sports Bar on Infirmary Street for your chance to be transported across the Atlantic for an evening of unforgettable football.
The San Francisco 49ers will be playing the Chicago Bears in the National Football League. Kick off starts at 6pm however doors open at 4:30pm and entry will be operated on a first-come, first-serve basis for approximately 400 fans.
This incredible event is a direct result of the 49ers gaining UK marketing rights via the NFL’s International Home Marketing Area last December and it is fantastic news for all UK fans.
Image: San Francisco 49ers
Those attending will experience an authentic NFL game day atmosphere, expect exciting starting lineup announcements, booming chants, scoring songs and many more surprises along the way.
Guest star appearances will be made by 49ers alumni and mascot Sourdough Sam, who will be drawing raffles after every quarter giving away coveted memorabilia and prizes.
BOX will be providing a new game day menu full of delicious food and drink for you to order throughout the game, which you'll be watching on a myriad of TV screens in the venue providing a fully immersive game day experience.
Image: Box Bar Leeds
Alex Chang, 49ers Chief Marketing Officer, has said "We have been itching to physically connect with the UK Faithful for months so the timing of this event is perfect"
"Our established U.K. fan base is a big reason why we petitioned the NFL for UK marketing rights. With our strong relationship with Leeds United, it made perfect sense to host this first international watch party in Leeds.”
Image: Box Bar Leeds
The event will also feature a live radio pregame show from talkSPORT and Gridiron magazine will be recording a live podcast from the event, fans can expect live discussions and engaging analysis from two of the UK's leading NFL experts.
Does this sound up your street? Then get down to BOX at 4:30pm this Sunday for an evening full of football, food and fun.
Entry is free however all attendees are encouraged to RSVP to the event here.
In honour of National Chocolate Week, two big brands are joining forces.
Fancy a freebie? Silly question, of course you do.
Tony’s Chocolonely and Yorkshire Tea have joined forces for National Chocolate Week to ask Brits to declare themselves a ‘Melt’...yes, really.
It comes after the brands discovering a new Gen Z dunking trend, with research finding that 80% of 18–24-year-olds say chocolate is their preferred tea-dunking treat.
To understand why the perculiar pairing has become so popular, the brands recruited Associate Professor of Psychobiology, Dr Lorenzo Stafford, to investigate what happens when tea and chocolate come together.
Associate Professor, Dr Lorenzo Stafford said: "It's fascinating to see how much thought Brits put into what makes a great dunk. Flavour, texture and temperature all shape how we experience food, and the combination of hot tea with melting chocolate creates a particularly enjoyable sensory experience.
"When it comes to dunking, tea and chocolate have great chemistry so it’s no surprise young people have embraced it."
If you want to try it out for yourself, then you can for free - but there is one catch.
From Monday 19 to Friday 23 October, anyone who walks into one of Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds and says ‘I'm a Melt’ will get a free mug of Yorkshire Tea and bar of Tony's Chocolonely.
Not only that, but the first 100 customers will also get a limited-edition ‘Melt’ cap.
Yorkshire Tea & Tony’s Chocolonely said of the partnership, “Brits love their tea and their chocolate and now the science shows why. This National Chocolate Week, we’re inviting everyone to give it a go, embrace their inner Melt and discover just how well chunky chocolate and a proper brew can work together.”
Leeds Bradford Airport strikes will NOT go ahead following ‘late offer’ over pay
Clementine Hall
This weekend's strikes at Leeds Bradford Airport have been cancelled.
Around 130 workers were set to walk out this weekend, Unite said, but this has been suspended to allow air traffic controllers to consider a new pay offer.
The Unite members planning on to go on strike were a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners.
The workers involved in the dispute had recently come out of a four-year pay deal, with some of the departments having fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles.
Pay talks have been happening since December 2025, with the airport's formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity which led to the decision to strike.
However, as of yesterday 15 October, the workers have been given new pay offers from the airport and the strikes will not take place to allow a ballot on the offers.
Air traffic controllers and hourly paid staff are being balloted separately on their respective offers.
Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said: "After receiving offers from Leeds Bradford Airport, we have suspended this week’s strike action in good faith to allow members to vote on pay deals.”
In a statement, Leeds Bradford Airport said: "While the ballot process continues with certain members of our frontline colleagues, we remain hopeful that a positive outcome can be achieved and that an agreement can be reached which works for everyone involved.
"Regardless of the outcome of this ballot, LBA has a robust contingency plan in place and will be operating as normal this weekend.
"Our focus remains on supporting a smooth and reliable experience for customers while maintaining safe and efficient airport operations."
Clementine Hall -
8th September 2022 
