Stormzy ‘hooked’ on padel and opening new club at O2 December 16, 2024 Stormzy has become the latest celebrity to back the world’s fastest growing sport after agreeing a deal to be an ambassador for and investor in Padel Social Club. The award-winning music artist’s involvement comes as the London-based chain opens a third site, at the O2 in Greenwich, with a fourth club in the pipeline. Stormzy’s [...]
Supersub: Women’s League Cup nets new title sponsor December 16, 2024 Subway has been named the new title sponsor of the Women’s League Cup after agreeing a deal to succeed long-term partner Continental Tyres. The multi-year deal comes as the competition enters the quarter-final stage, having remained unbranded so far this season. Previous sponsor Continental backed the competition for 13 years, from its first edition in [...]
Tory peer’s plan for English football ‘opens door to Kim Jong Un and Assad’ December 15, 2024 Dictators such as Kim Jong Un or Bashar al-Assad could be encouraged to buy English football clubs if “preposterous” proposals from Tory peers are passed, campaigners have warned. Lord Moynihan, a former sports minister under Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, has argued that anyone with diplomatic immunity should be exempt from the owners’ and directors’ test that [...]
‘Incredibly sad’: Dame Sarah Storey opens up on Team GB star’s bankruptcy December 15, 2024 Sir Bradley Wiggins’ fall from trailblazing cycling hero to bankruptcy is a sad reminder of the financial struggles that many athletes face, says Dame Sarah Storey. Wiggins was declared bankrupt this year, little more than a decade after he became a household name by winning the Tour de France and a gold medal at the [...]
Papua New Guinea to join NRL in £301m ‘diplomacy deal’ against China funded by taxpayer December 12, 2024 A team from Papua New Guinea will join Australian rugby league competition the NRL in a “diplomacy deal” that will cost the taxpayer £301m. It is understood the deal is part of an Australian push to counteract increasing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific and follows Australian support for Pacific island rugby union teams participating in [...]
More tickets sold for women’s football than rugby league in 2024 December 12, 2024 Booming interest in women’s football has seen it overtake rugby league for tickets sold in the UK this year, according to new data from agency Two Circles. More than 2.1m fans attended women’s football matches, a 38 per cent increase year-on-year, the 2024 Attendance Review from the sports and entertainment marketing business reveals. That number [...]
Ed Warner: Sport owners mustn’t forget the loyal and local in rush to go global December 12, 2024 In the frenzied rush to create global franchises and events, the sport business risks forgetting local and loyal fans at their peril, says Ed Warner. Storm Darragh dashed many sporting dreams last weekend, including those of the Australian 15-year-old who spent all his savings on a solo trip from Down Under only for the last [...]
Super League Hull FC get new owners worth reported £500m December 11, 2024 Super League club Hull FC was taken over on Wednesday by two businessmen who are reportedly worth a combined £500m. The club, which lost its IMG Grade A status after the conclusion of the 2024 season, has been taken over by former Leeds Rhinos president Andrew Thirkill and businessman David Hood. The pair entered into [...]
Fresh legal twist in Wimbledon expansion saga December 11, 2024 Wimbledon chiefs have begun a legal process in a bid to see off any lingering threat of a challenge to their £200m expansion plans for the world famous tennis club. Opponents of the scheme want to use an obscure law to quash the planning permission finally granted last month, three years after the plans were [...]
Premier Sports hit Champions Cup targets, says broadcaster chief December 11, 2024 Investec Champions Cup broadcaster Premier Sports insisted they hit viewership targets across the opening weekend of action. The Irish broadcaster has taken over the broadcast rights from TNT Sports for Great Britain as part of a three-year deal with the competition’s governing body EPCR. Despite concerns over the coverage, which featured some technical glitches and [...]