Women’s sport participation numbers surge, Royal London state October 2, 2025 Participation numbers in women’s sport are soaring as global success inspires the next generation of athletes. More women are playing football, rugby, netball, hockey and cricket than in 2023 with big moments in women’s sport cited as key factors in getting people active. The findings, from Royal London, come a week after England’s Red Roses [...]
Private equity stakes in NFL teams could increase above 10 per cent October 2, 2025 NFL commissioner Roger Goodell failed to rule out allowing private equity giants to buy more than the current 10 per cent limit in franchises ahead of a trio of games in London. In January the Buffalo Bills (Arctos Partners) and Miami Dolphins (Ares Management) became the first NFL franchises to sell stakes to private equity [...]
Premier League spending not suffocating Europe, insists chief October 2, 2025 Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has denied English clubs’ unprecedented spending in the summer transfer window is “suffocating” rival football leagues. The 20 Premier League clubs spent £3bn over the summer, smashing all records for a transfer window. Their net spend was £1.2bn. This splurge was led by Liverpool, who spent over £400m, while [...]
Exclusive: Arsenal close in on Visit Rwanda partnership extension October 2, 2025 Arsenal are in advanced talks to extend their controversial £10m-a-year commercial partnership with Visit Rwanda, the tourism arm of the East African country. The current agreement, which sees Visit Rwanda appear on the shirt sleeves of the men’s and women’s teams, was due to expire at the end of the season. It has also been [...]
Capitulation clearing Russia and Putin’s path to LA 2028 Olympics October 2, 2025 Vladimir Putin’s path to Los Angeles 2028 is being cleared, his war on Ukraine becoming normalised in the minds of the world’s sports administrators. Last week’s votes by the International Paralympic Committee to readmit Russia and Belarus are, to my mind, a shameful capitulation and represent a triumph for the warmonger. All eyes now on [...]
Birmingham owner Wagner breaks ranks over Premier League redistributions October 1, 2025 Birmingham City owner Tom Wagner has broken ranks with his EFL rivals over their attempts to extract more money from the Premier League. The thorny issue is among the top priorities for the incoming Independent Football Regulator after years of talks between the Premier League and the EFL ended in deadlock. Top flight teams currently [...]
Revolut chair Gilbert backs R360 rebel rugby league October 1, 2025 City grandee and Revolut chairman Martin Gilbert has emerged as an investor in the rebel R360 rugby union league. Gilbert, formerly of Aberdeen Asset Management, is named on Companies House as a director of AOTG Sport Ltd alongside former Bath Rugby captain Stuart Hooper and former agent Mark Spoors, who are founders of the R360 [...]
Gallagher sponsor Super Bowl clash between Ireland and All Blacks October 1, 2025 Insurance giant Gallagher will sponsor the Chicago rematch between the All Blacks and Ireland next month, described by many as rugby’s 2025 Super Bowl. The two rugby powerhouses famously clashed at Soldier Field in 2016, where Ireland beat New Zealand for the first time in over a century of trying, and will face off there [...]
Fifa consider expanding Club World Cup despite player welfare fears October 1, 2025 Fifa’s Club World Cup could expand from 32 teams for future editions despite concerns about the toll on player welfare. Global player union Fifpro this week sounded the alarm over the impact of the revamped competition on its members, some of whom were left with less than a fortnight to prepare for the new season. [...]
Surrey close £60m Oval Invincibles deal with Reliance after eight months October 1, 2025 Surrey have finally exchanged contracts with Reliance Industries over the shareholders’ agreement governing their new partnership in the Oval-based Hundred team after almost eight months of negotiations. The Mumbai Indians owners agreed to pay £60m for 49 per cent of the franchise in February, but talks over the finer details of the deal have been [...]