The FA says its final bid "shows how our nations are collaborating to stage a historic football festival for all of Europe".
The Football Association (FA) has today submitted its official bid for the UK and Ireland to be joint hosts of UEFA EURO 2028.
Whilst Leeds missed out on a spot, and The Manc reports that there will be only one Manchester stadium chosen as a potential host ground.
With the next edition of European football's flagship competition all set to takeover Germany in 2024, bidding for 2028 is now well underway - and today, The FA has submitted its final bid for the UK and Ireland to jointly host the tournament.
The final bid comes the form of a "detailed plan" that the FA says "shows how our nations are collaborating to stage a historic football festival for all of Europe".
They also claim that the UK and Ireland hosting would "take the tournament to new heights".
The UK and Ireland's plan for the tournament is described by the FA as a "world-class stadia concept" that's been "tailor-made" for EURO 2028, and is enhanced by the "excellent technical facilities" and "operational experience" of the two countries.
The bid has, for the first time, proposed a number of host cities across the two countries, and confirmed the 10 potential host stadiums - with the City of Manchester Stadium being featured on the list, but Old Trafford failing to make the cut.
Wembley Stadium in London, the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff, Hampden Park in Glasgow, Casement Park in Belfast, and Dublin Arena in Ireland are some of the other potential stadiums.
UK & Ireland EURO 2028 Host Stadiums
Wembley Stadium
National Stadium of Wales
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (62,322)
City of Manchester Stadium (61,000)
Everton Stadium (52,679)
St James' Park (52,305)
Villa Park (52,190)
Hampden Park (52,032)
Dublin Arena (51,711)
Casement Park (34,500)
The FA says these 10 high-capacity football grounds that are famous around the world will provide the platform for the "biggest and most commercially-successful UEFA EURO ever", with almost three million tickets to the tournament set to be available.
With matches able to be hosted around all four UK nations and Ireland, as well as within different English regions, the FA says it hopes to "reach as many communities as possible" during the tournament.
The FA has submitted its official bid for the UK and Ireland to be joint hosts of UEFA EURO 2028 / Credit: FA
The bid also places "sustainability" and good governance practice" as "top priorities", according to the FA.
"Our vision 'Football for all, Football for good. Football for the future' is a promise to help our Associations and UEFA grow a more diverse and inclusive game, as well as connect with new audiences and the next generation of fans and volunteers," the FA said in a statement.
With substantial Government funding set to come from each of the host nations if the UK and Ireland's bid is successful, the FA says it "shares and supports" UEFA’s plan that hosting UEFA EURO 2028 is "a significant opportunity to transform football development" and "generate meaningful economic, environmental, and social benefits".
"We look forward to continuing our engagement with UEFA and listening and learning from the European football family to enhance our bid plans," The FA concluded in its statement.
Featured Image - Wikimedia Commons
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Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
The Hoot -
13th April 2023 
