Inside Tier 2 Champ Rugby: What clubs think of radical changes May 16, 2025 For the first time in a long time the various tiers of English rugby union seem to be on the same page with the launch of Champ Rugby. On Thursday evening plans were unveiled for the second tier, which will be called Champ Rugby. It is arguably the biggest shake-up to the English rugby pyramid [...]
Champ Rugby: English second tier gets rebrand and new format May 15, 2025 English rugby’s second tier will be rebranded Champ Rugby from next season and feature a six-team play-off system to determine a candidate for promotion. The rebrand sees the name of the competition change from the Championship and the introduction of a bold black, white and green visual identity. The division’s 14 sides will play each [...]
Fifa cheered by ECJ backing in agent fees row – but ‘far from unilateral win’ May 15, 2025 Fifa has welcomed the qualified backing of its plan to cap football agents’ fees from a top judge at the European Court of Justice following legal challenges. The opinion issued by AG Nicholas Emiliou is not binding but offers an indication of the verdict that the ECJ may ultimately reach in a case with profound [...]
Salford Red Devils in fresh blow after council torpedo stadium talks May 15, 2025 Troubled Super League club Salford Red Devils have received another setback after local authorities ended talks with some of their owners over selling them their home stadium. The club play at the council-owned Salford Community Stadium, which they have shared with Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks for more than a decade. But Salford City Mayor [...]
World Test Championship: Prize money doubled for Lord’s final May 15, 2025 Australia or South Africa stand to win a record £2.7m in next month’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s after the International Cricket Council more than doubled prize money. The runners-up in the one-off match in north London on 11-15 June will bank £1.6m, which is more than the £1.2m the winners of the first [...]
Reddit founder Ohanian ‘honoured’ to invest £20m in WSL side Chelsea May 15, 2025 Reddit founder and husband of Sarina Williams Alexis Ohanian says he’s honoured to become an investor in Chelsea Women. The American has invested £20m in the Women’s Super League champions in return for a 10 per cent stake in the London club, valuing them at £200m. Ohanian, estimated to be worth $150m, will be at [...]
Naples, Italy to host 2027 America’s Cup with PM Meloni backing May 15, 2025 Naples in Italy will host the 38th America’s Cup after holders New Zealand were unable to stage the sailing regatta in their own country. The Aotearoa government rejected attempts by Emirates Team New Zealand after the Kiwis won the last event in Barcelona, beating Sir Ben Ainslie and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s challenger Britannia. “While the [...]
India-Pakistan, England cricket chiefs and sport’s moral compass May 15, 2025 The ECB will be grateful that it has not yet had cause to reach for its moral compass in the India-Pakistan conflict, writes Ed Warner. I was in Paris at the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby Euros when Russia invaded Ukraine. The very next day’s results show Russia beating Poland 1-0. This in a sport in which [...]
Sir Keith Mills backs rival British basketball league GBBL May 14, 2025 The proposed operator of a controversial new British basketball league, GBBL, has announced heavyweight backing from Sir Keith Mills and hopes to establish teams in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Edinburgh. Mills, a key figure in securing and running the London 2012 Olympics, and US fund WestRiver Group have been named partners of GBBL, which was [...]
Salford Red Devils hit with winding-up by tax authorities May 14, 2025 Rugby league team Salford City Reds was hit with formal legal action by HMRC over unpaid bills