Inside Wythenshawe FC's all-star Sunday League project as sprint king Usain Bolt registers to play alongside Premier League icons

Wytheshawe Vets secured back-to-back promotions and won 30 of their 32 games in the 2024-25 campaign, but also suffered successive County Cup final defeats, and there was a collective hunger for more. One of the players, Blake Norton, happened to be close friends with Ireland, and invited him to take part in pre-season last summer.

As a former Republic of Ireland international who also enjoyed spells at Aston Villa, Newcastle and Stoke City, Ireland was then able to put his impressive contacts list to good use. It wasn't a case of calling people out of the blue, either, because Ireland had started an informal Tuesday night nine-a-side game with his footballing friends after the Covid-19 pandemic. Ireland's former Man City team-mate Nedum Onuoha was first to join him, and pretty soon Wythenshawe's training sessions started to look like a Soccer Aid group.

Their attack would become stacked with former Premier League talents, from England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey and Everton star Oumar Niasse, to Newcastle cult hero Papiss Cisse and Burnley frontman George Boyd. Joleon Lescott, a Premier League winner with City known as a tough tackling defender, also came in to play upfront instead of in his usual role at the back.

Wythenshawe had two more title winners to call upon in the form of beloved former Man Utd captain Antonio Valencia and Leicester icon Danny Drinkwater, while Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa and Swansea winger Jefferson Montero added even more experience to their ranks. Ireland has also managed to bring in his compatriots Paul McShane, Darron Gibson and Ciaran Westwood in recent months, with every player required to pay £15 in monthly squad subs.

It's a far cry from being paid millions to play at the highest level, but this isn't about money for anyone involved. "When you still love football and you know you can still do it anywhere you can play football, what are you going to do?" Niasse has said via The Sun. "It’s more like the joy of us having somewhere we can play with organisation."

There was even talk of Man Utd's all-time record goalscorer, Wayne Rooney, coming aboard for a time, with Drinkwater among those to welcome the idea, even if it meant his place came under threat. "Rooney, yeah? Imagine that, that would be unreal. Rooney in the No.10 slot, wouldn’t be bad that. I’d be happy to watch from the sidelines," the ex-Chelsea midfielder told The Sun.

Player-coach Ireland is adamant that the dressing rooms longest servants will not be pushed out to make room for the more famous names, though. He told The Telegraph: "I’m wary of not bringing in too many people because we want it to be a mix of the proper old vets with maybe four or five pros each time. But it’s great fun. We love it."

That was certainly evident last season, as Wythenshawe secured an historic quadruple. Ireland and Co won the Cheshire Premier Division with an insane goal difference of +87, and finally got their hands on the County Cup trophy after thumping East Manchester Vets 9-2. They beat Vickerstown 8-2 to claim the Lancashire FA Veterans Cup, and completed their haul with success in the The League Chairman's Cup.

One-sided scorelines have become common, but Drinkwater does not think their dominance is a bad thing. "We're not here to take advantage of any standard around, this is purely to get some enjoyment and fitness," he has said to Sky Sports. "Hopefully the opposition see the positives in it as well."

Drinkwater's career sadly petered out after a frustrating spell at Chelsea, and he retired at the age of 33 after a year without a club. Playing for Wythenshawe has brought back his passion for the game, as he continued: "I don't think you can get much more enjoyment out of football than stuff like this. You can't compare it [to life in the Premier League] - you get a bacon sarnie and a beer afterwards, it's great."

Wythenshawe Vets found themselves plastered across newspaper headlines after a merciless 13-0 thrashing of South Liverpool, with Cisse grabbing seven of the goals in front of a delighted home crowd. However, the former Senegal No.9 also went viral for an embarrassing, and extraordinary, 30-second sequence.

Cisse stepped up to take a penalty in the first half, but saw his tame effort palmed away by the South Liverpool goalkeeper, and then proceeded to knock the rebound against the post. There was a slight deflection on the shot that gave Wythenshawe a corner, which Cisse jogged over to take sporting a wry smile on his face.

It turned into a look of horror for Cisse, though, as he somehow managed to kick the ball straight out for a goal kick, with one X user describing it as "the worst corner I've ever seen". Still, he had the last laugh come the final whistle.

Six of his goals came in the second 45 minutes, including a sublime lobbed finish that left the crowd laughing in disbelief. The Telegraph reported that around 800 people turned up to watch the game, which is practically unheard of in Sunday League veterans football, and many of them gathered behind the goal stationed near the club house to get a good look at the stars at the end of the game.

Cisse got the biggest cheer as he left the pitch, and he spoke to a few fans before signing autographs for a group of kids in a classy gesture. Wythenshawe have blown up on social media and gained international recognition, leaving cub chairman Carl Barrett delighted.

"It literally started from a conversation about how we can win these County Cups and suddenly we’ve got all these star players," he told The Guardian last year. "Positive press is always good but we’ve not had anything like this before. I’ve even had one of my family members in Australia send me a message – that’s how far we’ve reached.

"Wythenshawe is not the most affluent area but hopefully this can contribute to us getting more players, generating more money and the feelgood factor around the place … you can just sense it."

It hasn't all been plain sailing though. Ireland was the victim of a late, studs-up challenge during a game in May that left him requiring on-field medical treatment from paramedics. He was taken to hospital and later underwent surgery for bad breaks in both the tibia and fibula bones in his leg.

Ireland is still working his way back to fitness now, and the injury forced him to sit out Wythenshawe's first appearance at the annual TST seven-a-side cup in the United States. He was there to cheer them on in North Carolina, though, and the Manchester outfit progressed from their group with six points out of a possible nine to set up a round of 32 tie against Soccer Central FC.

Wythenshawe ultimately lost 3-2 and missed out on the chance to go on and compete for the tournament's $1m prize money, but it was an experience that gave them more valuable exposure. Ireland has since been able to add even more quality to his ranks, with Bolt's arrival just the tip of the iceberg.

Drinkwater's former Leicester colleague Marc Albrighton is the headline signing, with the energetic former wide man boasting 310 Premier League appearances across 14 years, having initially began his career at Aston Villa. Wythenshawe have also welcomed Erik Pieters, the rough-and-ready full-back who was a key man for both Stoke in their Tony Pulis era, and Burnley under Sean Dyche.

The pick of the other new arrivals include Arsenal academy graduate Kyle Bartley, who played in the Premier League for both Swansea and West Brom, Watford legend Adrian Mariappa and former Rangers and Derby forward Martyn Waghorn. Suffice it to say, Wythenshawe are set up for another very strong year.

In another shrewd move, Wythenshawe have announced that they will be letting Winton Yanited, managed by streamer and I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here winner Angry Ginge, use their ground to play their Saturday matches throughout the 2026-27 season. Winton will turn out at Hollyhedge when the Wythenshawe first team are playing away.

Barratt has told the club website of the arrangement: "It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring a new audience to the ground, raise the profile of Wythenshawe FC and showcase the club and our facilities to people who may not have visited us before." A charity match also took place between the Wythenshawe Vets and Winton for Manchester Minds and Come Together CIC on Sunday, which Ireland's team won 5-2.

A sell-out crowd of over 1,000 people watched the contest as the club raised money for a great cause, and stoked up more excitement for the big season kick-off. Adding Bolt into the mix will take Wythenshawe's box office appeal up another level.

"The legs it’s carrying and how much traction it’s got… it’s just exploded," Ireland said to The Sun in March. "There are massive crowds coming now. It’s brilliant. There's so many things lined up. Guys are getting jobs off the back of it, some players are getting sponsorship and doors are opening."

More importantly, though, it's helped fill a void. Coping with retirement can be difficult for professional players whose lives revolved around the game, and the Wythenshawe environment provides the perfect mix of camaraderie and competitiveness to make the process easier.

Ireland added: "It’s been a great incentive for fitness and socialising and everyone getting together. And also the mental health side of things. You come away from football and don’t know what to do with yourself or feel like you have a purpose. Even though you try to prepare for that, it’s impossible because one day it’s taken away from you and your routines have been taken away. it’s giving people a real purpose again."

'Come for the football, stay for the good vibes' seems to be Wythenshawe's core philosophy. That's the beautiful game in its purest form.

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