The government has taken a serious step forward in its vision to bring an Olympic and Paralympic Games bid to the north of England.
A strategic assessment has officially been commissioned to see if the first northern Olympics could be viable in the 2040s.
The assessment will test the impact that hosting could have on the North’s regeneration and growth.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said that our corner of the country produces some of the UK’s finest sporting talent, but that the region itself has been overlooked for hosting a global event of this size.
She said that the government is now ‘starting the firing gun on a long overdue vote of confidence in the North’.
An initial strategic assessment has been commissioned from UK Sport to see whether the UK could host an Olympic and Paralympic Games up north.
Manchester is already home to world-class cycling facility, the National Cycling Centre. Credit: Unsplash, Dylan Nolte
It will assess key factors such as potential cost, socioeconomic benefit and any bid’s chance of success.
Lisa Nandy said: “London 2012 showed what the Olympics can do for our country. It inspired a generation through sport, attracted huge investment and showed the best of Britain to the world.
“But while the North of England has driven so much sporting excellence, no matter the talent we produce, the sporting moments we create, and the world-class events we attract – for too long we have been told the Olympics is simply too big and too important to be hosted in the North.
“Not any more. It’s time the Olympics came North and we showed what we can offer to the world. I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that we’re starting the firing gun on a long overdue vote of confidence in the North.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: “Britain’s sporting prowess is recognised and respected around the world. It’s something we are determined to capitalise on to breathe life into our communities and build a stronger and more secure economy.
“That’s why we’re throwing our full support behind bringing the Games back home which will boost our Northern Growth Corridor. It’s also why we’re backing stadium regeneration plans, like at Elland Road, to deliver new homes, business opportunities and public spaces in Leeds and beyond.”
Chair of The Great North, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “From our great cities and towns to our coastlines and countryside, the North has the venues, the passion and the sporting pride to deliver a world-class Olympic and Paralympic Games that showcases the very best of Great Britain to the world.
“A Great North Olympics would be a global showcase, leaving a legacy of prosperity, unity and renewal. It’s an opportunity not to be missed, delivering transformational investment in transport, regeneration and public spaces across the North of England.
“This could become the most people-powered Games ever hosted: inspiring millions of people into sport, volunteering and community action.”
The news comes ahead of a major sporting summer for the UK, which includes events like the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes Grands Départs.
The Government is already backing bids to host the World Athletics and Para-Athletics Championships in 2029, as well as the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as part of its commitment to driving a decade of change in women’s sport.
In an important milestone for Andy's Man Club (AMC), they have announced one of their biggest and most important partnerships to date, teaming up with Sheffield United FC, who will be renaming their part of Bramall Lane stadium after them.
That's right, for the duration of the 2026/27 campaign, a key Sheffield United stand will be known as the Andy's Man Club Stand - and not just any old stand, either.
As part of their commitment to AMC helping people struggling up and down the country, they've chosen the most vocal section where fans get behind their club week in, week out: The Kop.
Confirming the collaboration on Thursday evening, 13 August, the much-admired mental health organisation shared the news by reacting the same way many Blades supporters and many others outside the club did, simply stating, "THIS IS HUGE."
Continuing in the caption, they said: "The famous Kop Stand at Bramall Lane is being renamed in support of ANDYSMANCLUB for the season. Thousands of football fans, every home game, seeing one simple message….
"Football has an incredible power to reach men, start conversations and bring people together, and this is exactly what partnership should look like. Massive thank you to everyone at Sheffield United and Datagraphic for making this happen.
"From 9 men in a small room in Halifax to our name on the Kop at Bramall Lane…"
Started a whole decade ago, this equally beloved Club was created by locals Luke Ambler and Elaine Roberts in memory and in honour of 23-year-old Andrew Roberts, who sadly took his own life.
We would encourage you to find out more about their full backstory, but since then they've gone on to save countless lives.
The reaction in the comments has been just overwhelmingly positive too, with one person writing, "This is awesome. How do we get Andy’s Man Club on the shirt?", while another went on to add: "Chuffed to see this, to be honest, even as a Wednesdayite. Great stuff."
Now that's the kind of response we love and expect to see from a city that always looks after its own; we couldn't think of a better fit to help promote AMC's important work up and down the country.
As it happens, you can already see their name hanging proudly above the historic Steel City as we speak.
The charity, which offers multiple male support groups each and every week, may have been founded in Yorkshire, but their vital messaging and efforts have gone truly nationwide over the last few years.
Nothing short of a well-known and game-changing UK movement when it comes to mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention - especially when it comes to intersecting with the world of sport (where plenty of stigmas around reaching out for help still sadly remain) - we here at The Sheff couldn't be prouder to see the regional success story deepen its ties here in Sheffield.
Whether you sit in the ground yourself, watch the Blades from home, you're an Owl or even a complete neutral, we're sure you'll join us in looking forward to seeing their name sitting in pride of place above The Kop.
And last but not least, if you need to talk to someone, you can find your nearest Andy's Man Club and become one of the hundreds of new people starting meaningful conversations every week right HERE.
Argentina are facing disciplinary action for controversial banner after beating England
Danny Jones
In the aftermath of England crashing out of the 2026 World Cup following their defeat in the semi-final, their opponents Argentina look set to face disciplinary action for a controversial flag held up in the wake of beating their old enemies.
For anyone who quickly turned off the telly after the Three Lions ‘ 2-1 defeat and might have missed it, the Argentinian national squad waved a makeshift sign which read: “Las Malvinas son Argentinas.”
In English, this translates to “The Falklands are Argentine.”
Referring to the historic conflict between the two countries, which took place more than four decades ago, the statement has been described as inflammatory by some, with No. 10 Downing Street having issued an official response as the team now reportedly risks punishment by FIFA.
Multiple major outlets now believe that a financial penalty at the very least is expected to be passed down for the divisive political message.
As noted by the BBC above, this is by no means the first time this has happened, and perceived ‘tragedy chanting’ among other problematic behaviour from both fan bases has been a recurring issue whenever the two sides have played since.
To put things into context, the Falklands War, which lasted for 74 days, led to the deaths of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen, with three civilians on the islands also losing their lives.
As such, there is still plenty of bad blood between the South American country and Great Britain, with members of the nation’s leading party even weighing in with provocative and rather public posts on social media ahead of the game.
Vice President Victoria Villarruel has been among the most vocal online .
The reaction from the UK government was direct, too, with business secretary Peter Kyle telling Sky News: “I had left and gone to bed before the banner came onto the pitch, but I saw the images this morning, and of course, it’s entirely inappropriate.
“Politics should stay away from football. That is a very clear principle of the World Cup , but any consequences that come from that are now a decision for FIFA.”
Speaking to the BBC, he went on to add: “We expect FIFA to undertake an investigation into this. I think it was certain to happen because it was such an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of football.”
It’s also worth noting that Argentina have prior form for this kind of display.
The predicted outcome looks more than likely, with FIFA having previously fined £20,000 for a similar stunt before a friendly against Slovenia back in 2014.
‘La Albiceleste’ and their fellow compatriots won’t care one bit, of course, as they’re now into another World Cup final and could join Brazil, Italy and France in becoming back-to-back global champions.
Meanwhile, plenty have criticised Thomas Tuchel ‘s change in tactics and substitutions as England went more defensive after going a goal up, and the post-mortem from his first run as manager will no doubt continue in the coming days; whether he makes it consecutive tournaments or not, we’ll wait and see.
Daisy Jackson -
20th May 2026 
