Olivia Smith: First £1m transfer shows good and bad of women’s football July 13, 2025 As a snapshot of the state of women’s club football, Arsenal’s world record £1m signing of Canadian forward Olivia Smith from Liverpool works pretty well. The first ever million-pound transfer in the women’s game underlines the rapid financial evolution it has undergone since the turn of the decade, as investment has poured in from clubs, [...]
Why the Football Governance Bill is good news for investors and fans alike July 12, 2025 Two big forces have been reshaping football and the sporting landscape in England: the surge in regulation, and the tidal wave of investment. With the Football Governance Bill soon to enter law, the question remains if, and how well, these two forces can coexist. The stated intentions of the bill are clear enough. Make sure [...]
Wimbledon, Euros and Test cricket set to boost pubs and supermarkets July 12, 2025 Pubs and supermarkets are bracing for a bumper weekend thanks to the heatwave and a deluge of live sport on TV including Wimbledon finals, Test cricket and the Lionesses. A British and Irish Lions tour match, England and Wales rugby internationals, other Women’s Euros fixtures, Tour de France cycling and a trilogy fight between Katie [...]
Crystal Palace face CAS appeal after being kicked out of Europa League July 11, 2025 Crystal Palace must take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if they want to play in the Europa League after being kicked out by Uefa over multi-club conflicts. European football’s governing body decreed on Friday that Palace and Lyon breached rules on multi-club ownership because of their common links to US investor [...]
Lando Norris sells side hustle to Adrian Newey-backed group July 11, 2025 McLaren F1 star Lando Norris has sold a majority stake in Quadrant, the entertainment and gaming brand he founded, to a company backed by Adrian Newey. London-based Veloce Media Group has agreed a deal which will see Norris remain the second-largest shareholder in Quadrant with a stake of more than 20 per cent. Quadrant was [...]
Lack of Welsh Lions shows stark reality of systemic failures July 11, 2025 Ahead of Wednesday’s British and Irish Lions midweek game against the Brumbies in the Australian capital of Canberra I came across a shocking statistic. The match was the first since 1899 not to include a Welshman from the matchday 23. I am not surprised that it has happened on this tour given only two Welshmen [...]
Fiba ‘monitoring’ dispute tearing British basketball apart July 11, 2025 World governing body Fiba says it is “monitoring developments” in British basketball amid the civil war threatening the future of both the BBF and SLB. Super League Basketball has begun legal action against the British Basketball Federation over the removal of SLB’s licence to run the domestic top flight and what it sees as anti-competitive [...]
UK Athletics boosted by new five-year contract with BBC July 11, 2025 UK Athletics has achieved a significant boost by agreeing a new five-year deal for the BBC to show its flagship events on free-to-air TV. The agreement between the BBC and Athletic Ventures covers the annual London Athletics Meet, which takes place next weekend and features the likes of Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, and the national [...]
Flutter market cap hits $51bn after latest FanDuel acquisition July 11, 2025 Sportsbook operator FanDuel is set for a $31bn valuation after Flutter Entertainment struck an agreement to take complete control. The Irish-American gambling firm reached terms with Boyd Gaming to acquire the five per cent of FanDuel it does not already own. The deal will see the final five per cent be transferred to Flutter Entertainment [...]
LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed loses appeal in $750m defamation suit July 11, 2025 LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed has lost an appeal in a $750m defamation suit relating to comments made about his move to the Saudi Arabia-backed league. The 34-year-old former Masters champion had initially said that comments – made by the Golf Channel, commentator Brandel Chamblee and others – after Reed chose to ditch the PGA Tour [...]