Wayne Rooney to co-host new Manchester United show with Mark Goldbridge

Wayne Rooney will co-host a new manchester United‑centred weekly show with YouTube creator Mark Goldbridge after Gary Neville’s media network, The Overlap, signed a sponsorship and distribution agreement with Disney+ for the upcoming season.

What has been announced

The Overlap will produce a new programme titled Stick to United with Wayne Rooney. Multiple outlets report Disney+ will stream and sponsor the series alongside The Overlap and The United Stand YouTube channels. Sources state 50 episodes of Stick to United have been commissioned for the 2026/27 season.

Who is involved

The Overlap, founded by former Manchester United full‑back Gary Neville, bought the YouTube channels The United Stand and That’s Football — operated by Brent di Cesare, better known as Mark Goldbridge — earlier in 2026. Neville is co‑founder and co‑chair of The Overlap and his network already produces Stick to Football, a separate general football discussion show featuring Neville alongside pundits such as Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Jill Scott and Ian Wright.

Rooney, Manchester United’s record goalscorer and a regular Overlap guest, will co‑present the United‑specific show with Goldbridge. Reporting indicates Disney+ will also make Stick to Football available to subscribers and has commissioned additional episodes of both programmes.

Why it matters

• Platform shift: The deal places fan‑led and former‑player‑led football content on a major global streamer, following similar moves such as Goalhanger’s deal with Netflix for The Rest Is Football. Industry reporting frames this as an expansion of The Overlap’s distribution without changing its core channels.
• Blurred lines between fan media and mainstream punditry: Pairing a former United captain with a prominent fan‑creator formalises a relationship that has grown between professional broadcasters and independent creators, and it signals investment in fan‑driven formats.
• Audience reach: Sources cite large audiences for The Overlap’s shows during the 2026 World Cup period; Disney+ distribution could broaden exposure beyond YouTube and The Overlap’s existing viewers.

Confirmed details and areas of variation in reporting

Reporting agrees on the core facts: The Overlap has a deal with Disney+; Wayne Rooney and Mark Goldbridge will co‑host Stick to United; and 50 episodes have been commissioned. Some sources add specifics that differ slightly:

• The New York Times states six of the 50 episodes will be exclusive to Disney+; other reports mention varying numbers of episodes that will be temporarily exclusive to the streaming service for Stick to Football but do not uniformly specify exclusivity details for Stick to United.
• Goal gives a start date for the first Stick to United episode as 18 August; that date appears only in some reports and is not consistently confirmed across all sources in the evidence packet.
• Reports say Disney+ will be a headline sponsor and distribution partner; the exact commercial terms, including any fees paid, have not been disclosed in the available material.

Context — The Overlap and the wider market

The Overlap launched in 2021 and has expanded into multiple sports. Earlier in 2026, The Overlap acquired The United Stand and That’s Football channels from Goldbridge. Industry coverage positions the Disney+ agreement as part of a wider trend of streamers investing in football discussion and podcast formats, pointing to comparable deals such as Goalhanger’s arrangement with Netflix.

What this means for Manchester United coverage and fans

Stick to United is billed as a show dedicated to Manchester United’s matches and major talking points. The format pairs Rooney’s professional playing and punditry background with Goldbridge’s large fan audience and reaction‑style content. According to reporting, the programme will appear on both subscription and free platforms, with Disney+ providing additional reach and some exclusive episodes across The Overlap’s slate.

What comes next

1. Broadcast rollout: Disney+ and The Overlap will publish the commissioned episodes during the 2026/27 season; reporting suggests weekly episodes for both Stick to United and Stick to Football, with some editions exclusive to Disney+ for a limited time.
2. Editorial output: Expect regular match reaction, interviews and debate related to Manchester United from Rooney and Goldbridge; exact episode formats and guest lists have not been released in the sources provided.
3. Further announcements: The Overlap and Disney+ may disclose more specifics—such as confirmed release dates, the schedule of exclusives and distribution windows—before or at launch.

Timeline of the development (from evidence)

• 2021 — The Overlap is founded by Gary Neville.
• April 2026 — The Overlap acquires The United Stand and That’s Football from Mark Goldbridge (Brent di Cesare).
• August 2026 — The Overlap signs a distribution and sponsorship deal with Disney+, which commissions Stick to United with Wayne Rooney (50 episodes) and additional episodes of Stick to Football.

Key takeaway

Multiple established outlets report that Wayne Rooney will co‑present a new Manchester United show with Mark Goldbridge after The Overlap reached a distribution and sponsorship agreement with Disney+. The project will produce 50 episodes during the 2026/27 season and will be available on Disney+ as well as The Overlap’s and The United Stand’s YouTube channels; some episode exclusives for Disney+ are reported but exact exclusivity windows and commercial terms have not been publicly detailed in the supplied material.

Attribution note: This article summarises reporting from BBC Sport, The New York Times (The Athletic), The Independent, Goal and regional press that covered the Disney+/The Overlap agreement and the launch of Stick to United with Wayne Rooney and Mark Goldbridge.