Record £3.2bn in private equity deals for sports teams as funds target football, rugby and F1 November 22, 2021 The last twelve months saw a record £3.2bn of sports team acquisitions by private equity funds, almost treble last year’s total, as they targeted football, rugby and Formula 1 teams, according to new data shared with City A.M. this afternoon. Last year saw an all-time high of 11 PE purchases of stakes in sports teams [...]
Rugby League World Cup chiefs confirm new dates for tournament pushed back to 2022 August 26, 2021 Rugby League World Cup organisers have confirmed new dates for the postponed tournament, which is to be staged in England next year. It will now start in Newcastle on 15 October 2022 and conclude with a men’s and women’s final double-header in Manchester on 19 November. The men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cups had been [...]
Rugby League World Cup postponed until 2022 after New Zealand and Australia pull out August 5, 2021 The Rugby League World Cup, which was due to be held in England later this year, has been postponed until 2022 due to New Zealand and Australia withdrawing. After weeks of speculation the decision was made by the RLWC2021 board in conjuncture with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the International Rugby [...]
Rugby League World Cup in doubt after Australia and New Zealand pull out and brand England ‘simply too unsafe’ due to Covid-19 July 22, 2021 The Rugby League World Cup, due to take place in England later this year, has been plunged into serious doubt after Australia and New Zealand pulled out. The two southern hemisphere giants said they would not send their men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams due to the Covid-19 situation in the UK. World Cup organisers noted [...]
Sport sees steep fall in gambling sponsorship as government considers ban and demand grows for social responsibility, says new study July 3, 2021 Gambling sponsorship in sport has fallen sharply ahead of a possible ban, a new report has found. The number of betting companies sponsoring sports teams in England has almost halved since 2019, according to the study by consultancy Caytoo. Gambling’s share of the market has dropped from 15.3 per cent to 8.1 per cent and [...]
Cricket, horse racing, tennis and women’s football set to benefit from £300m summer sport aid package March 3, 2021 Sport is to receive a £300m recovery package as part of the Budget announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak today. Cricket, horse racing, tennis, women’s football and rugby league are expected to be among the sports to benefit from the financial support. It follows similar aid granted to winter sports in November to mitigate the cost [...]
Doing good is now part of doing business: Why every sports brand and athlete needs to help society in order to find commercial success March 2, 2021 The influence and social media reach of sports women and men is incredible – and growing. But who is using it to greatest effect, both for their own benefit and that of society? Cristiano Ronaldo has 263m followers on Instagram and Lionel Messi has over 100m on Facebook. Manchester United, widely regarded as the biggest [...]
What to expect from sports technology in 2021 January 1, 2021 After the sporting chasm that was 2020, things are definitely looking up in 2021. In prospect are Olympics and Paralympic Games, football’s European Championship and the return of a plethora of iconic annual fixtures, such as Wimbledon, Royal Ascot and The Open. But as we embrace the new normal of live sport next year, what [...]
The Big Sport Quiz of 2020: How well were you following the action this year? December 22, 2020 Roll up, roll up: it’s City A.M.’s Big Sport Quiz of 2020! Yes, a lot of it was severely disrupted and most of it happened without fans present, but there was still plenty of vintage sport and some intriguing storylines to follow. So test your knowledge on our selection of questions covering all major sports [...]
Jamie Peacock: Rugby league great on the importance of mindset, ultramarathons, Rob Burrow, and accepting the risk of dementia December 18, 2020 “I was never the most physically talented player,” says Jamie Peacock. It is a remarkable statement from someone who stands 6ft 5in, became a titan of rugby league and won the game’s Man of Steel award. But it reflects Peacock’s conviction that mentality and character are everything. “My ability to get the best out of [...]