''Manchester Sports'' is a radio programme broadcast on

BBC Radio Manchester BBC Radio Manchester is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving Greater Manchester. It broadcasts on frequency modulation, FM, Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at MediaCityUK in Salford ...

whenever a major sport event involving a local team takes place. They are branded as the largest sports programme in the North West. The most common of these programmes is broadcast on a Saturday afternoon during the football season, usually starting at 2 o'clock and finishing at 6 o'clock with a live commentary game of one of the 3 o'clock games.

Presenters, commentators and summarisers

Jack Dearden

Jack Dearden is the main commentator for the

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

game but if Bolton are not the main commentary game, he will give updates from the game. Jack is also a presenter of ''Manchester Sports'' and usually presents the show when there is a midweek or Sunday game and also covers rugby league. He also previously commentated for

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic ...

Bill Rice

Bill Rice is the sports editor at

, presents Saturday Sport and commentates on

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

. He will also report at other local teams.

Liam Bradford

Liam Bradford is the main reporter for Manchester United. He is also the executive producer of BBC Squad Goals which goes out across

BBC Local Radio BBC Local Radio (also referred to as Local BBC Radio) is the BBC's local and regional radio division for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of forty stations. History The popularity of pirate radio was to challenge a change within ...

BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is a Closed platform, walled garden streaming media and audio download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile pho ...

during EFL match commentaries.

Dom Dietrich

Dom Dietrich is a commentator and reporter for local teams and

Manchester United Women Manchester United Women Football Club is a professional Women's association football, football club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, Leigh, Greater Manchester, England, that competes in the Women's Super League (WSL), the top tier of Women ...

Mark Crossley

Mark Crossley Mark Geoffrey Crossley (born 16 June 1969) is a football coach and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1988 until 2011 and he has previously played for numerous clubs in England's top flight, notably for Notti ...

is a presenter of the programme.

Paul Rowley

Paul Rowley is the main reporter and summariser for

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

and gives regular updates on the game.

Mike Minay

Mike Minay is the main commentator for

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

, he also presents the programme or does updates from other games.

Arthur Albiston

Arthur Albiston Arthur Richard Albiston (born 14 July 1957) is a Scottish former football player. Albiston played for Manchester United for most of his career, making almost 500 appearances for the club. He also made 14 international appearances for Scotland an ...

is an occasional summariser for

, and therefore rarely appears on the show.

Trevor Hunt

Trevor Hunt has been BBC Radio Manchester's Rugby League commentator since 1997 he also does occasional TV commentaries for The Super League Show and does commentaries on Leigh Leopards games for the Leigh club videos/DVDs and worked in BARLA's Press Office and was the Manager for the BARLA Great Britain team.

Stacey Copeland

Stacey Copeland was a former Boxer and Footballer who joined the station in 2019 to take over the presenting role of the Sunday Afternoon programme from Jack Dearden

Notable former presenters

Jimmy Wagg

Jimmy Wagg was the main Saturday presenter for ''Manchester Sports'' and is known for being a

fan. Jimmy began presenting the programme in 1988 and his last programme was on Saturday 1 August 2020. He commonly attends the commentary game but is also regularly in the Radio studio. He also presents the Sunday Morning Show. He has presented the show in its various guises since 1988. In September 2015 he reached a milestone of 1,000 shows as presenter of ''Manchester Sports''. Jimmy presented the programme for over 30 years and never missed a Saturday until he stepped down at the end of the 2019-20 season after 32 years of presenting the Saturday programme.

Ian Cheeseman

Ian Cheeseman was the main commentator for the

as well as other local lower league games.

Local teams covered

Cricket *

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

Football *

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

* Salford City Rugby League *

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League. Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...

Warrington Wolves The Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England, that competes in the Super League. They play rugby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2004. Founded as Warrington Z ...

Salford Red Devils The Salford Red Devils are a professional rugby league club in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, who play in the Super League. Formed in 1873, they have won six Championships and one Challenge Cup. Their home ground since 2012 has been t ...

Leigh Leopards The Leigh Leopards are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England, who compete in the Betfred Super League. The club was founded in 1878, and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Ru ...

Swinton Lions The Swinton Lions are a professional rugby league club based in Swinton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Championship. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. Before 1996, the club was known s ...

Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the Championship, the second tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs ...

Oldham Roughyeds Oldham R.L.F.C., also known as the Roughyeds, is a professional rugby league football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The club currently competes in the RFL League 1, the third tier of British Rugby League. Formed in 1876 as Oldh ...

Rugby Union *

Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...

References

{{reflist Sport in Manchester British sports radio programmes BBC Local Radio programmes BBC Radio Manchester programmes BBC Radio Manchester