England Rugby chief to hold crunch talks with Stourbridge over Worcester merger February 23, 2023 England Rugby chief Bill Sweeney will tomorrow travel to Stourbridge RFC to hold crunch talks about the club’s potential merger with Worcester Warriors. The chief executive is set to hear the views of a number of clubs in the area before the Rugby Football Union chooses to back or block any plans the Warriors’ new [...]
Former BBC sports commentator John Motson dies, aged 77 February 23, 2023 John Motson, the former BBC commentator who became one of the most recognisable voices in sports broadcasting, has died aged 77. Known affectionately as “Motty”, he combined an encyclopaedic knowledge of football with a palpable love for the sport that was reflected in his work. Motson, who also became synonymous with his trademark sheepskin coat, [...]
LIV Golf 2023: Year zero for LIV’s league format promises new dimension to circuit February 23, 2023 It is easy to forget amid the razzmatazz and rancour that characterised the first season of LIV Golf that its central tenet and primary point of difference to the game’s legacy tours was always that it was to be a US sport-style league featuring permanent franchises battling out over the course of a season for [...]
Isa explainer: should you go for cash or stocks & shares? February 23, 2023 Savers have just over four weeks to make the most of this year’s tax-free savings allowance. We look at the different types of ISA available and how to find the one that’s right for you. Individual Savings Accounts, or Isas, were introduced by the government to encourage more people to save and allow savers to [...]
Drive to Survive review: Is it time Formula 1 docu-series sees red flag? February 23, 2023 In years gone by, Drive to Survive, Formula 1’s fly-on-the-wall series, was added to Netflix viewers’ watchlists weeks if not months before hitting the streaming platform. But a preview of this series, which is released worldwide on Friday, raises the question as to whether it is worth bothering tuning in this year at all. It [...]
The gap between the football brand behemoths and the rest is likely to grow February 23, 2023 The bidders for football club Manchester United are now in a virtual data room, filling their spreadsheets and compiling their questions. The job of the Glazer family’s investment banking advisors, Raine Group, is now to find ways to squeeze every possible dollar out of this football asset. One trick of the bankers’ trade is to [...]
Government publish white paper on plans for football regulator February 22, 2023 The UK government will today publish a long-awaited white paper on its plans for an independent regulator for English football. The policy document will propose the introduction of a regulator tasked with stopping financial failings from occurring lower down in the pyramid, as well as a stronger owners’ and directors’ test. Fans will be given [...]
Premier League: ‘Regulator can’t damage success of competition’ February 22, 2023 Premier League chiefs have warned that the proposed independent regulator for English football must not damage its success. The UK government will today publish its white paper on plans to install a regulator to ensure clubs are financially sound and implement more stringent owners’ and directors’ tests to deter what the government describe as “unscrupulous” [...]
My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) review: A joyous outsider tale is a must-see February 22, 2023 My Son’s A Queer review and star rating: ★★★★★ There wasn’t a dry eye in the room: Rob Madge’s autobiographical show about his life growing up as a queer outsider is intensely joyous, and required viewing for queers and their allies. (And most importantly, required viewing for the people who wouldn’t think to book a [...]
Worcester and Wasps’ future in doubt as councillors plot to seize Sixways from owners February 22, 2023 The Mayor of Worcester wants the Atlas consortium to be stripped of the Sixways stadium site, plunging the futures of Worcester Warriors and Wasps into fresh uncertainty. Worcester Warriors are set to return to Sixways next year in a controversial deal with Stourbridge RFC, while the club’s new owners say Wasps have agreed to play [...]