Why the winelands of Wales are set to be a UK holiday hotspot June 4, 2021 Holidaying abroad this year is tricky and a staycation may be on the cards, but before you book a long trek to Cornwall or the Highlands, why not consider the wine-country of Wales? No, this is not a joke. Despite being relatively small on a global scale, Welsh wines won six awards at the recent [...]
Nico Rosberg on running his own motor racing team in Extreme E, striking deals with sponsors and recruiting drivers on Instagram June 4, 2021 It is five years since Nico Rosberg performed the ultimate mic drop, walking away from Formula 1 just days after being crowned world champion. Rosberg hasn’t completely abandoned the spotlight since. He has enjoyed a high-profile second career as an investor, particularly in tech companies and those with a green agenda, while staying involved in [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Mexican stand-off over Club Necaxa NFT; press conferences overshadow French Open; English football in distress June 3, 2021 From NBA Top Shot to Christian Fuchs, the march of the NFT in sport has looked unstoppable. Until now, that is. Mexican football chiefs this week put the brakes on the plans of Club Necaxa to become the world’s first sports team to sell an ownership stake using blockchain technology. Club Necaxa, whose shareholders include [...]
Matchroom leaves Sky Sports for DAZN in five-year, £100m deal – but Anthony Joshua fights aren’t included June 3, 2021 Boxing promoter Matchroom has signed a deal with DAZN to show its fights exclusively on the sports streaming platform in the UK and Ireland. The five-year agreement, reported to be worth more than £100m, begins in July when Matchroom’s contract with Sky Sports ends. The deal also cements the relationship between Matchroom and DAZN, which [...]
After Love film review: A captivating story of grief June 3, 2021 Many independent dramas deal with the subject of grieving, a topic too sombre for commercial films but one that remains pertinent to everyone. However, Aleem Khan’s debut feature takes an unusual route to tell its story even for a film outside of the mainstream. Joanna Scanlan stars as Mary, a British woman converted to Islam [...]
Exclusive: Vegan footballer Chris Smalling invests six-figure sum in plant-based meat company Heura June 3, 2021 Former Manchester United footballer Chris Smalling has become an investor in plant-based meat company Heura. Smalling, who switched to a vegan diet five years ago, is understood to have invested a six-figure sum in the Spanish brand. “Backing from a top athlete like Chris further bolsters Heura’s nutritional credentials, which are second to none,” said [...]
Sponsors and sports must do more to protect the mental health of athletes like Naomi Osaka June 2, 2021 Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open on mental health grounds should come as a surprise to no one, given the conversation around the wellbeing of elite athletes. The four-times grand slam winner may be one of the more reserved tennis players on the women’s circuit, so to speak openly about her depression and anxiety [...]
Dream Horse review: A sentimental underdog story about a horse June 2, 2021 For nearly thirty years, British film has specialised in a certain type of underdog comedy. Stories about people from small, usually downtrodden towns reaching for their dreams and achieving the impossible (it also helps if it’s vaguely inspired by a true story). In the 90s films including The Full Monty and Brassed Off set a [...]
Ladies European Tour CEO Alexandra Armas on new $4m Aramco Team Series, raising the profile of women’s golf and working with Saudi Arabia June 2, 2021 The Ladies European Tour (LET) has announced a stellar line-up for the London leg of the inaugural, big-money Aramco Team Series. Major winners Georgia Hall, Lexi Thompson, Anna Nordqvist and order of merit champion Emily Kristine Pedersen have all signed up to play at Centurion Club in St Albans from 8 July. Each of the [...]
Trevor Steven: Gareth Southgate may regret naming four right-backs in England squad for Euro 2020 instead of Jesse Lingard or Danny Ings June 2, 2021 On the face of it, it’s difficult to work out why Gareth Southgate has named four right-backs in his England squad for Euro 2020. While Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all talented players, each is also taking up a space that could have gone to someone else. If only two [...]