On November 15, a charity football game was hosted at the Sugden Sports Centre as part of the Reclaim the Night campaign. The teams were captained by members of the senior leadership team at the University of Manchester, Duncan Ivison, Vice Chancellor, and Patrick Hackett, Registrar, Secretary, and Chief of Staff.
The game was a five-a-side football match consisting of two teams, one in pink, and the other in black. The teams were made up of the Students’ Union’s seven senior officers.
The game began with both captains of the senior leadership team in goal. The opening minutes of the game were fairly even, with end-to-end play from both teams, but still 0-0.
However, once the scoring opened for the pink team, it did not stop. By half-time it was 10-1 to Patrick Hackett’s pink team.
The second half was no different in terms of the pink team’s domination, as within the first few minutes, the pinks had scored another 5 goals, bringing the score to 15-1. Despite the tired legs, the black team started to make a comeback, putting four goals past the pink team to make it 15-4.
The full-time score ended 17-6 thanks to a masterful performance from the pink team. The game attracted a fair crowd to the Sugden Sports Centre, and they were impressed with the quality of play from both sides.
I spoke to spectators Dan, Zack, Jamie, and Nia about the game and the cause we were all supporting. About the final score, they joked, “The black team were on the comeback; a few more minutes and they would have been up there!”
I asked the group what it meant to them that Duncan Ivison and Patrick Hackett were getting involved: “It is nice to see that the leadership wants to get involved in events like this alongside students.” They continued to praise the idea of a friendly football match to kick off the Reclaim the Night campaign: “This is a good even to raise awareness for the Reclaim the Night cause.”
All of this campaigning is in anticipation of the Reclaim the Night march taking place on November 21. The march is in support of protecting women and other marginalised genders against violence in Manchester. For the first time, the march will be attended by University Senior Leaders, and the campaign has outlined concrete aims for this year’s event. The team are advocating for 24-hour services on student bus routes, safe transportation home after late-night shifts, and trans inclusion in the night-time safety charter.
