Badging isn’t dead: In defence of a sports marketing fundamental November 30, 2025 Sports marketing may have come a long way but let’s stop pretending that brand badging doesn’t matter, says Matt Riches. In modern sports marketing “badging” has become a dirty word, seen as outdated, inefficient, maybe even lazy. “This isn’t a badging exercise,” has become the opening gambit to many a sales pitch. But in the [...]
LIV Golf is the clear winner of tussle with PGA Tour – it forced change November 29, 2025 Those who see the convergence between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour as a victory for the old order fundamentally misunderstand how disruption works, writes Matt Readman. “What are we even doing here anymore?” That was the reaction of golf journalist and vlogger Dan Rapaport to the news that LIV Golf was shifting from its [...]
Ashes: England cricket fans spend big to get over first Test defeat November 28, 2025 England’s travelling cricket fans splashed the cash in the aftermath of defeat in the first Ashes Test but locals tightened their belts despite Australia’s win, data shows. The Barmy Army spent 59 per cent more in the days immediately after the match, which ended inside two days in Perth, figures shared by Revolut with City [...]
Selhurst Park among 22 stadiums for 2035 Women’s World Cup November 28, 2025 Selhurst Park, the home of Crystal Palace, Birmingham City’s planned new stadium and Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground are set to host games at the Women’s World Cup in 2035. They are among 22 venues – along with the more established likes of Wembley, the Principality Stadium, Hampden Park and Windsor Park – proposed by the football [...]
R360 launch delayed until 2028 after unions threaten players with bans November 28, 2025 R360 chiefs insist they remain “absolutely determined to bring it to life at full scale and with maximum global impact” after delaying the launch of the rugby franchise league until 2028. Organisers and investors including City grandee Martin Gilbert and former England international Mike Tindall had intended to start the globetrotting competition in 2026 but [...]
Prem Rugby should consider radical shake-up of player transfer market November 28, 2025 The best thing about the football off-season is the transfer speculation, deal agreements and player announcements. Watching teams bid £100m for a player is somewhat grotesque but it is also addictive, and transfer deadline day is some of the best live sports news around. Rugby has none of this. That’s mostly because players tend to [...]
Budget crackdown on football image rights ‘incredible’, say tax experts November 27, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been accused of disproportionately targeting football for tax rises after the Budget laid out plans for a raid on image rights earnings. Top footballers benefit from setting up image rights companies which are taxed at a lower rate than their salaries, but the government says it will legislate “to ensure that [...]
MMA in the Olympics? New global body targets Games inclusion November 27, 2025 Mixed-martial arts could be added to the Olympic Games under plans announced today by Asian MMA chiefs. The Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (AMMA) says it wants to unify the sport under a new world governing body called FIMMA, which will meet for the first time next week. They believe that will boost their chances [...]
Stokes, McCullum, ECB: Who’s to blame for England’s latest Ashes failings? November 27, 2025 Assessing true accountability for England’s Ashes collapse requires tracing failure back through the chain, argues Ed Warner. “Still seething!” The WhatsApp from a prominent cricket podcaster arrived a full 48 hours after England’s capitulation in the opening Ashes Test. Did I want to provide him with a sound-bite on what appeared more than just a [...]
Turf good, grassroots bad: Budget spares horse racing but divides sport November 26, 2025 Horse racing chiefs have welcomed the Chancellor’s decision to afford it an exemption from major increases in gambling taxes announced in today’s Budget. While tax on remote gaming will jump to 40 per cent from April and remote sports betting from 15 to 25 per cent in 2027, duty on horse racing wagers has been [...]