DAZN in talks to buy BT Sport September 22, 2021 Sports streaming service DAZN is in late stage conversations to buy BT’s sports business, according to the Financial Times which first reported the news. The chairman of DAZN, Kevin Mayer, reportedly told an industry conference that he would “love to have EPL [English Premier League] ultimately,” and was “possibly” interested in BT Sport. The TV [...]
Football NFT platform Sorare raises $680m in Series B funding round September 21, 2021 Sorare, an NFT-based fantasy football game, has raised $680m (£497m) in Europe’s biggest ever Series B funding round. On the Sorare platform users buy, sell and exchange digital football cards, representing players, to build a fantasy team. Each card is an NFT meaning that it is unique and ownership is verifiable on a blockchain. “Sorare’s [...]
Premier League NFTs: Sorare aiming to launch digital fantasy football trading cards collection following similar deal with Spain’s LaLiga September 21, 2021 French technology start-up Sorare is hoping to launch a range of NFTs comprising digital fantasy football trading cards with the Premier League. The company, which has raised £500m from investors including SoftBank, has emerged as a major player in sport’s growing blockchain economy and recently struck a deal with Spain’s LaLiga. “We have had conversations, [...]
Opinion: Why Derby County’s financial woes show that football is broken and needs fundamental change September 20, 2021 The unfolding disaster at Derby County should never have been allowed to happen, but sadly this is just the latest example of a game that has increasingly allowed itself to lose touch with reality. We have seen the collapse of FA Cup winners Bury and the demise of Macclesfield, while others, such as Wigan and [...]
Tottenham Hotspur 0, Chelsea 3: Blues cruise in London derby underlines their Premier League title credentials September 19, 2021 Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have produced some memorable ding-dong battles in recent history. This wasn’t one of them, however, such was Chelsea’s overwhelming superiority. The visitors won 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but it would not have flattered them unduly had they triumphed by a greater margin. With four wins from five Premier League [...]
London Irish target millennial rugby fans with Netflix-style monthly ticket subscription for home games September 14, 2021 Premiership Rugby club London Irish have launched a monthly ticket subscription service in an attempt to woo millennials ahead of the new season. Prices start from £30 per month for adults and £9 for children and include entry to all league and cup games at the Exiles’ new stadium, as well as all perks afforded [...]
Exclusive: Coutinho, Ronaldo, Bale, Grealish and other mega transfers to push Premier League spending to £55bn by 2050 September 9, 2021 Premier League clubs’ spending sprees will amount somewhere close to £300m annually in the next 30 years, according to new research that was shared with City A.M. this afternoon. The average outlay per club is set to be £286,996,502 in 2050, an increase of 135.99 per cent, while the average fee paid by top-flight clubs [...]
World 12s: Plans unveiled for rugby union’s £250m answer to the Indian Premier League, featuring eight franchises playing 12-a-side, 30-minute matches September 7, 2021 Some of rugby union’s biggest names have announced plans to launch a new 12-a-side tournament, World 12s, in England next year. The competition would feature eight franchise teams playing in 30-minute matches over three consecutive weekends in August and September. World 12s chairman Ian Ritchie, the former head of the Rugby Football Union and Premiership [...]
World 12s: Ex-RFU chief Ritchie reveals plans for ‘IPL of rugby’ : CityAM September 7, 2021 Some of rugby union’s biggest names have announced plans to launch a new 12-a-side tournament, World 12s, in England next year. The competition would feature eight franchise teams playing in 30-minute matches over three consecutive weekends in August and September. World 12s chairman Ian Ritchie, the former head of the Rugby Football Union and Premiership [...]
Squeezed out by club and country, sparkling cameos may not be enough to win Jesse Lingard a place in England World Cup squad September 6, 2021 Bukayo Saka may have made the most heartwarming contribution to England’s 4-0 win over Andorra on Sunday but Jesse Lingard’s was the most potent. The Manchester United attacking midfielder scored twice yesterday, breaking the visitors’ resistance early on and adding England’s third with a characteristically confident finish from 18 yards. Lingard might have had a [...]