Snoop Dogg, Reynolds and Modric: What’s luring stars to Welsh football? August 3, 2025 From Wrexham to Swansea and, perhaps soon, Cardiff: is the need for narratives leading the rich and famous to Welsh football? Two years ago, an American couple at Crewe train station asked me if they were on the right platform. They’d travelled from the other side of the world to go on a football pilgrimage. [...]
Exclusive: Premier League data partner Genius expands portfolio August 1, 2025 The Premier League’s data and technology partner, Genius Sports, has secured a deal to provide the official betting data rights for 18 other top football leagues across Europe. As part of a long-term agreement with the European Leagues Association, Genius Sports will use AI technology to capture and distribute official betting data for a wide [...]
Lucas Paqueta’s lawyer: No decision yet on whether to sue FA August 1, 2025 Lucas Paqueta’s lawyer says they have made no decision yet on whether to seek damages from the FA after the West Ham star was cleared of spot-fixing following a two-year investigation. Paqueta was found not guilty by an independent disciplinary commission of deliberately getting yellow cards in order to manipulate betting markets, in a decision [...]
‘The correct decision’: Reaction as West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta cleared July 31, 2025 West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta has been cleared of spot-fixing after an independent panel found charges of deliberately incurring yellow cards to be not proven, the Football Association has confirmed. It comes two years after the FA announced an investigation into the Brazil international midfielder, a development blamed for derailing Paqueta’s likely £85m transfer [...]
Chloe Kelly and the Lionesses are marketing gold. Brands take note July 31, 2025 In a world gripped by political instability and economic uncertainty, the Lionesses offer something powerful: focus, momentum, and cultural relevance. Sunday’s nail-biting Euro 2025 win wasn’t just a sporting triumph. It was a commercial line in the sand. The Lionesses aren’t a moment – they’re a movement. And for brands, the message is clear: the [...]
Is director training the answer to football’s governance woes? July 31, 2025 A new study suggests reforming football governance by testing and training directors. But is the regulator capable, asks Ed Warner? Countless millions follow professional football in England, claiming allegiance to a favourite club whose fortunes are entwined daily with each individual’s emotions, their highs and lows in seemingly unavoidable synchronicity. Turns out these essential forces [...]
Will Lionesses increase interest in women’s football? I asked fans at parade July 30, 2025 I joined more than 65,000 people lining The Mall yesterday as the Lionesses celebrated their Women’s Euro 2025 triumph with an open-top bus parade. The excitement was palpable from exiting St James’s Park tube station, with fans walking steadfastly towards the Queen Victoria Memorial, where the procession culminated in a ceremony in front of Buckingham [...]
Exclusive: Arsenal star joins athlete investors in UK fitness brand Hytro July 30, 2025 Arsenal star Jurrien Timber has joined a growing group of athletes investing in Hytro, the UK-based blood flow restriction brand used by leading sports teams and space missions. Timber, his twin brother Quinten, who is also a Netherlands international, and NFL player Benjamin St-Juste, a cornerback for the LA Chargers have all made investments via [...]
London Spirit: Tech titans strike Nike kit deal in Hundred first July 30, 2025 London Spirit’s new part-owners, Silicon Valley-based consortium Cricket Investor Holdings, have agreed a kit deal with Nike for the Hundred franchise which will begin next year. The Nike deal is the first bespoke commercial contract secured by one of the Hundred teams, as sponsorship deals have previously been sold centrally by the England and Wales [...]
Rare Lionesses ‘Champions’ shirt almost gone as sales rocket 250 per cent July 29, 2025 Special Lionesses replica shirts commemorating their Women’s Euro 2025 victory have almost sold out as fans revel in Sunday’s historic win. The Nike kit, which costs £125 and is emblazoned with “Champions” and the number 25 on the back, only launched after England’s triumph over Spain. It is part of a range of new merchandise [...]