I thought chairing Sussex Cricket would mean a quiet off-season. I was wrong Sport Business Ed Warner on the deluge of work that is triggered by the end of cricket’s County Championship, from recruitment and sponsorship to strategic planning for a possible fall in media rights revenue. The sun never sets on modern day cricket. Just ask the Australian squad, five matches into a 21-Test stretch across 12 months and [...]
Sorry padel bores, the sport doesn’t deserve an Olympics spot yet Sport Business Padel may be increasingly ubiquitous but Olympics organisers are wise not to embrace every fashionable sport, says Ed Warner. Thwock! I’m just back from a week’s holiday in Cyprus. Apologies – had I predicted the extent of the power cuts caused by Storms Austen and Boelo (thought ex-Chelsea FC’s Todd when I first heard a [...]
IOC’s abdication over Russia is causing much angst as clock ticks down to LA28 Olympics Sport Business It’s baffling that sport’s global leaders are still prevaricating over Russia as the LA28 Olympics and Paralympics draw ever nearer, says Ed Warner. To Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium last week for the second outing of The NEDwork, a gathering of chairs and non-executive directors from across Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic governing bodies. Russia’s [...]
Football regulator’s reputation rests on its handling of Manchester City October 15, 2026 The Independent Football Regulator has improving English clubs’ failing finances in its sights but its treatment of Manchester City is what will likely define it, writes Ed Warner. What word or phrase to you best describes the state of English football? Would broken, bust or (morally and/or financially) bankrupt fit your bill? A tad sensational, [...]
BBC should be aggregator of best free sports content – or risk sinking for good October 8, 2026 YouTube serves up live sport galore so why can’t the BBC do the same, with a more selective approach that fulfils its public service remit, asks Ed Warner. I’ve no problem with paying £180 for my annual TV licence. Gets me Celebrity Traitors and Blue Lights, after all. Plus the Shipping Forecast to wake up [...]
Might Manchester City punishment push them into forming a global super league? October 1, 2026 What if heavily punishing Manchester City causes their ownership to stick two fingers up at the Premier League and walk away, wonders Ed Warner. Let’s play fantasy football. But first the disclaimer: yes, Manchester City have their backs to a precipitous sporting and financial cliff. Yes, they are surrounded by the massed armies of Premier [...]
Top marks to Athlos for reimagining athletics and creating that elusive vibe September 24, 2026 Generating atmosphere at live sport is no easy feat – and it might not be the one that everyone wants – but Athlos succeeded, writes Ed Warner. Perri Shakes-Drayton was there for it. Luke Littler might stay away because of it. Millwall and West Ham fans create it organically. The average county cricket fan at [...]
Ultimate Championships delivered but can China at the 2027 Worlds? September 17, 2026 China didn’t feature much at the Ultimate Championships and Ed Warner questions whether they can at a home World Championships in 2027. “I might get told off. I just did a race, so I’m allowed to drink what I would like. Thank you so much,” said Lando Norris as he reached for a Coke after [...]
Here’s to the quiet heroism of county cricket: Pride, jeopardy and extraordinary matches September 10, 2026 While the world’s white-ball franchise leagues flash past in a blur of sixes, jazzy uniforms and fireworks, England’s red-ball heartbeat, the County Championship, keeps thumping, writes Ed Warner. We painted the County Ground in Hove yellow on Tuesday to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of John Wisden just under a mile away in Crown [...]
Greater fool theory helps to explain Premier League’s record £3.5bn transfer window September 3, 2026 The transfer window has left Ed Warner’s head in a spin and even the most devoted football nut must have struggled to keep up, he writes. The football transfer window closed on Tuesday night, with over £3bn splashed out by Premier League clubs for the second summer running. In the end, Everton didn’t sell their [...]
