Fifa consider expanding Club World Cup despite player welfare fears October 1, 2025 Fifa’s Club World Cup could expand from 32 teams for future editions despite concerns about the toll on player welfare. Global player union Fifpro this week sounded the alarm over the impact of the revamped competition on its members, some of whom were left with less than a fortnight to prepare for the new season. [...]
Surrey close £60m Oval Invincibles deal with Reliance after eight months October 1, 2025 Surrey have finally exchanged contracts with Reliance Industries over the shareholders’ agreement governing their new partnership in the Oval-based Hundred team after almost eight months of negotiations. The Mumbai Indians owners agreed to pay £60m for 49 per cent of the franchise in February, but talks over the finer details of the deal have been [...]
Exclusive: Channel 4 poach Boat Race rights from BBC October 1, 2025 The iconic Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities will leave BBC television after signing a deal with Channel 4, City AM can reveal. The rival public service broadcaster will show the men’s and women’s races on the Thames for the next five years, marking a shift away from BBC TV – which showed an [...]
Athletics rocked as Laura Muir’s former coach banned for serious misconduct September 30, 2025 UK Athletics has pledged further “significant culture change” after Laura Muir’s former coach Andrew Young was banned for three years for serious misconduct. Young was found guilty of nine counts of misconduct, seven of them serious, at both a disciplinary hearing last year and then an appeal earlier this summer. He was criticised for putting [...]
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Thomas the Tank Engine director launch snooker TV channel September 30, 2025 Ronnie O’Sullivan has teamed up with a former director of Thomas the Tank Engine to launch the world’s first dedicated snooker TV channel. Pluto Snooker 900, which launches next week, promises to show a combination of live action, classic matches and O’Sullivan’s coaching series, The Rocket Method. It is the brainchild of Jason Francis, a [...]
Saracens: Love to hate, rugby values and mulled name change September 30, 2025 Saracens considered changing their name as part of a recent brand overhaul that they hope will pin them as the “Original Club of North London”. The three-time European champions have given themselves a glow-up, aiming to attract younger audiences to their 10,500-capacity StoneX Stadium in north London and increase the number of sold out matches [...]
Europe’s Ryder Cup drama draws 5m UK viewers on Sky Sports September 29, 2025 Europe’s nail-biting Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black pulled in 5m UK viewers across three days of coverage on Sky Sports, the broadcaster said. Average viewing was up 45 per cent on the last Ryder Cup in Rome two years ago, while the audience for Sunday’s final session peaked at 24 per cent higher than [...]
Club World Cup left Chelsea with less than two weeks’ pre-season September 29, 2025 Winners Chelsea were among the teams hardest hit by participating in the Club World Cup, exposing their players to greater risk of injury, according to a report by footballers’ union Fifpro. Reaching the final of the revamped competition in the US this summer left Chelsea with just 13 days of pre-season preparations before beginning the [...]
Mitsubishi, Emirates and Mastercard enjoy Women’s Rugby World Cup lift September 29, 2025 England’s Red Roses weren’t the only winners at the Women’s Rugby World Cup; sponsors Mitsubishi Electric, Emirates and Mastercard all enjoyed major boosts from the tournament. Mitsubishi saw a 60 per cent increase in online engagement as a result of its partnership with the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which hosts England won on Saturday in [...]
Cold Palmer: What footballer’s wine row tells us about trade mark protection September 28, 2025 The recent “Cold Palmer” trade mark case, which saw Chelsea and England footballer Cole Palmer’s application challenged by a vineyard, is a reminder that, whatever walk of business you are in, trade mark registrations are an essential part of business planning. Being a sports personality does not grant you extra rights in your name, likeness [...]