Saudi Arabia set to strengthen Fifa ties with deal to sponsor Women’s World Cup Sport business Saudi Arabia is set to make further inroads into sport by becoming a sponsor of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Visit Saudi, the country’s state-owned tourism arm, is expected to become one of the main commercial partners of the tournament, which takes place in Australian and New Zealand in July and August. Saudi Arabia [...]
‘We don’t live in Barbados’: Chelsea boss Emma Hayes fumes at FA chiefs after game is abandoned after NINE minutes WSL farce Chelsea manager Emma Hayes blasted the Football Association after the Women’s Super League (WSL) champions’ match with Liverpool was abandoned after less than 10 minutes because of a frozen pitch. The game at Kingsmeadow was given the go-ahead after grounds staff used hot air blowers on the worst-affected areas but referee Neil Hair called it [...]
Beth England: Lioness’s transfer sets new Women’s Super League record On the move Beth England has become the most expensive signing between two Women’s Super League clubs after completing a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur from Chelsea. The striker, part of the Lionesses squad who won the European Championship last year, has moved across London for a fee of £250,000. That eclipses the previous record £200,000 that England’s former [...]
Best of 2022: Claressa Shields v Savannah Marshall and the rise of women’s boxing December 30, 2022 Women’s boxing enjoyed unprecedented prominence in 2022, not least when Britain’s Savannah Marshall and American Claressa Shields met in a blockbuster fight at the O2. This preview, originally published in October, set the scene for the biggest night of women’s boxing ever seen in the UK. The last time Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields met [...]
Sport business predictions for 2023 with Deloitte’s Tim Bridge December 28, 2022 Deloitte’s Tim Bridge looks back on the last 12 months and makes his sport business predictions for 2023. The final whistle of the men’s football World Cup concluded an epic year for sport which included the Winter Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the Women’s Euros, the Rugby League World Cup, as well as women’s World Cups [...]
Compelling Rugby World Cup shows the women’s game is entering golden era November 7, 2022 This Rugby World Cup has set new standards for women’s rugby. Two exceptional and competitive semi-finals, which set up this weekend’s final between England and New Zealand, reflected a tournament that has proven the women’s game is a tremendous spectacle of fantastic players. Matches are compelling and fluid. Scrums and lineouts are completed quickly, there [...]
Record crowds show women’s football is ready for bigger stadia, says WSL chair September 28, 2022 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 [...]
Sports streaming platform DAZN acquires ELEVEN Group September 27, 2022 Global sports streaming service Dazn has acquired Eleven Sports, making it the biggest football rights holder in Europe. Dazn Chairman Kevin Mayer described the deal as a “major moment” for the company because it will allow them to progress with their ambition to become a “daily destination for sports fans” globally. “It’s a win, win, [...]
England’s outgoing Commonwealth chief still sees future for Games August 24, 2022 Team England’s outgoing chief executive insists there is a future for the Commonwealth Games despite debate surrounding where a multi-sport tournament rooted in Britain’s former Empire sits in the 21st century. Paul Blanchard is preparing to leave his position at the head of the team who hosted this year’s competition in Birmingham games after seven [...]
A green and gold decade: Australia prepares for spell as host of sport’s biggest events August 15, 2022 The sun-kissed nation of Australia is about to embark on a decade-long installation as the centre for world sport. Although it was beaten by Qatar to the rights to stage the men’s football World Cup later this year, the country is set to co-host the women’s equivalent as well as Rugby World Cups, a second [...]