Ed Warner: Reform the FA to avoid the burdens of a sport regulator weekly column Can you name the new Minister for Sport? Turns out it’s Stuart Andrew, MP for Pudsey. Let’s hope he’s a sports fan as there’s nothing publicly available to say that he is (or indeed isn’t). And so the door to this most junior of ministries revolves again. And at a time when a number of [...]
Record crowds show women’s football is ready for bigger stadia, says WSL chair Seeking profitability Women’s football is ready to move to bigger stadia as it redoubles efforts to become profitable, says Women’s Super League chair Dawn Airey, after the sport saw a series of record-breaking crowds. Last week’s new WSL high of 47,000 spectators for Arsenal’s north London derby with Tottenham Hotspur followed the Women’s Euro 2021 final attracting [...]
Club Wembley chief on why fans still want personalised experiences Hospitality traits After a sensational tribute to Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins on Saturday night, sold out Coldplay and Ed Sheeran concerts throughout July and August, not to mention the iconic Lionesses win, all at Wembley Stadium, demand for hospitality shows no signs of slowing down. We know this generation prioritises experiences over luxury goods, and that is [...]
Tap in: Lioness Chloe Kelly honoured with special bus ride September 5, 2022 TfL has honoured Lioness Chloe Kelly for her role in winning the Euro 2022 final with a bus ride displaying her name. The 24-year-old on Monday took the 92 bus to Wembley stadium where she was greeted by several posters depicting her connection to the route. “I used to take the 92 bus as a [...]
Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to buy Manchester United stake August 17, 2022 Billionaire boss of Ineos Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to buy a stake in football club Manchester United with a view to holding a controlling stake in the Premier League outfit in the future. A spokesperson for the billionaire told The Times: “If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer.” “If something [...]
Lessons from Lionesses: What English rugby can learn from Euros for 2025 World Cup August 9, 2022 The iconic Chloe Kelly goal celebration, the record attendance for a final, success on home soil; England Women’s Euro 2022 victory felt like a watershed moment for women’s sport. But in a few years’ time England will be doing it all over again. This time, however, it will be with the oval ball. It was [...]
Premier League clubs bounce back from pandemic but Championship crisis deepens August 9, 2022 Premier League football clubs have recovered from the financial effects of Covid-19 just a year after stadiums were reopened, according to a new survey compiled by accountants BDO. But that is in stark contrast to the fortunes of teams in the Championship, whose money worries have deepened since the pandemic, the business advisory firm found. [...]
Advantage or hindrance? Why home comforts can be a burden August 4, 2022 England’s Lionesses surfed a tidal wave of expectation to win the Women’s Euros – a wave that would have engulfed athletes with lesser mental resilience, however great their physical and technical qualities. Who knows whether they would have triumphed had the tournament been overseas? And who cares? It was on English soil with all the [...]
The Women’s Euros smashed records. Now we need more women on football club boards August 2, 2022 Women’s Euro 2022 broke new records for football and it’s clear that brands are now recognising the commercial value of the women’s game. Spurred on by rising professionalism, for the first time ever, every one of the top-20 revenue generating clubs in world football now has a women’s team. Off the pitch though, it’s a [...]
Eni Aluko exclusive: England Women can win World Cup now they’ve got monkey off their back August 1, 2022 Women’s Euro 2022 champions England should head to next year’s World Cup with confidence that they can win back-to-back major tournaments, says former Lioness Eni Aluko. England shed the baggage of successive semi-final defeats with victory in the final against Germany in front of a record crowd of 87, 912 at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. [...]