I’m a Manchester United fan and marketing expert but Arsenal are cool May 25, 2026 Arsenal’s long-awaited success on and off the field has been earned with smart, patient planning, says Pitch founder (and Man Utd supporter) Henry Chappell. As a Manchester United fan since before the Fergie years, Arsenal’s march to Premier League glory and a Champions League final is a tough watch. And it’s just as hard to [...]
The season finale economy: Why we undervalue the Premier League May 24, 2026 With one round of Premier League fixtures remaining, the season finale is not approaching, it is here. Title races (usually) tighten, relegation battles become existential, and the casual viewer becomes a committed one. For fans, it is the most emotionally charged period of the year. For brands, it should be one of the most valuable [...]
Starmer urges TNT Sports to air Champions League final for free May 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has urged the broadcaster of the Champions League final to air the game for free next Saturday. The Prime Minister is attempting to prevent this year becoming the first in the Champion’s Leagues 34-year history in which the final is not free to watch for British fans. The match will be streamed [...]
Enhanced Games sells drugs and true cost won’t be known for many years May 23, 2026 The first Enhanced Games takes place in Las Vegas on Sunday. For the unfamiliar, the Enhanced Games, as its website proclaims, “celebrates human potential through safe, transparent enhancement, offering fair play, record pay and unmatched athlete care”. Or, as CNN called it, “a doping free-for-all”. It’s actually somewhere in the middle, as Enhanced athletes are [...]
Pep Guardiola to stay on CFG payroll after quitting Manchester City May 22, 2026 Pep Guardiola is to continue working for City Football Group despite confirming his departure as manager of its flagship club, Manchester City. Guardiola will take charge of his final match on Sunday, having become the most successful manager in City history during a 10-year spell that gleaned six Premier League titles. The former Barcelona and [...]
Southampton ‘Spygate’ expulsion ‘severe’, admits commission member May 22, 2026 One of the members of the independent panel that kicked Southampton out of the Championship play-off final for spying says the punishment was “severe” but “necessary”. The unprecedented decision was upheld by the panel on Wednesday following a fast-tracked disciplinary process triggered when Middlesbrough spotted a Southampton staff member filming their training session ahead of [...]
Cowes Week announces Horner-linked North Sails as title sponsor May 22, 2026 The Cowes Week sailing regatta has this morning announced the Christian Horner-linked North Sails as title partner. The Isle of Wight racing week, taking place in August, will now be sponsored by the sailmaker backed by Oakley Capital, which this week appointed former Red Bull Racing team principal as an advisor. Cowes Week is the [...]
Enhanced Games on metaphorical trial: is the risk worth it for partners? May 22, 2026 The Enhanced Games wants to sell itself as the future: faster, louder, richer and finally honest about the drugs elite sport has spent decades pretending do not exist. This weekend it lands in Las Vegas with a simple proposition. Let athletes use performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision, put big prize money on the table, stream [...]
Bilbao, Amsterdam, Milan: Where should Champions Cup rugby go next? May 22, 2026 The best thing about the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup finals weekend is its location: Bilbao. It is not the first time the two premier continental fixtures have ventured to El Botxo – the San Mames Stadium hosted Leinster’s victory over Racing 92 in 2018 and Cardiff’s Challenge Cup win over Gloucester a [...]
Championship play-off final: Hull or Middlesbrough stand to gain £200m May 21, 2026 Hull City and Middlesbrough will be fighting for a £200m revenue windfall this weekend in the Championship play-off final, according to Deloitte. The Tigers and Boro head to Wembley Stadium on Saturday after a week marred by Southampton’s “Skygate” looking for a spot in next season’s Premier League. And Big Four firm Deloitte’s Sports Business [...]