Why Squad Cost Ratio rules can’t afford to ruin joy of Premier League Sport Business Trevor Watkins, global head of sport at Pinsent Masons and Former director and chairman of AFC Bournemouth, discusses why changes in Premier League football’s financing rules cannot afford to ruin the sport With the Christmas period behind us, the traditional festive season of football fixtures – once a full list on Boxing Day but now [...]
Reading owner Rob Couhig considers selling training ground to raise funds Sport Business Reading owner Rob Couhig is considering radical measures including downgrading the club’s Academy or selling the training ground to increase the funding he can make available to the first team. The American, who paid around £25m to buy the League One club from Dai Yongge at the end of last season, has been an outspoken critic of [...]
Premier League clubs count £1bn cost of injuries Sport Business Premier League clubs have forked out more than £1bn in wages to injured players across the last five years, a new study has found. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, 5,367 injuries in the English top flight have cost its clubs £1.2bn in salary payments – equivalent to a quarter of their matchday revenue [...]
Fans support Independent Football Regulator but unsure on remit November 19, 2025 The majority of fans back the new Independent Football Regulator but are divided on its remit, a new study has shown. Sport’s latest quango, the Independent Football Regulator, is up and running with a remit to make the English game more sustainable. Early plans suggest the regulator could have the power to force the sale [...]
Exclusive: Middlesex to play just two T20 Blast games at Lord’s in 2026 November 12, 2025 Middlesex will play just two Twenty20 Blast matches at Lord’s next year in a further indication of their declining foothold at the Home of Cricket. The 13-time county champions have been tenants at Lord’s since 1864 and have a 12-month rental agreement with the Marylebone Cricket Club that is renewed on an annual basis, but [...]
Where do Premier League clubs go after betting sponsor ban? November 11, 2025 Adam Raincock analyses where Premier League clubs turn when their voluntary ban on gambling front-of-shirt sponsorship comes into force. The 1984 film The Terminator ends with Sarah Connor being told ‘There’s a Storm Coming’. Fast-forward to 2025, and you could replace Connor with any Premier League commercial director. The same warning applies – there’s a [...]
Exclusive: Premier League data partner Genius expands portfolio August 1, 2025 The Premier League’s data and technology partner, Genius Sports, has secured a deal to provide the official betting data rights for 18 other top football leagues across Europe. As part of a long-term agreement with the European Leagues Association, Genius Sports will use AI technology to capture and distribute official betting data for a wide [...]
More sprinting, extra games? Why more footballers are getting ACL injuries February 23, 2025 The rise in ACL injuries in football is down to the increasing intensity of the game and not just the number of matches played, says one of the world’s leading knee surgeons. Player workload has become a thorny topic in the sport, with the expansion of major competitions adding extra games to the calendars of [...]
Could Ademola Lookman take legal action over Atalanta coach’s criticism? February 22, 2025 Footballer Ademola Lookman found himself at the centre of a storm this week when his Atalanta coach publicly derided his penalty taking skills. But did Gian Piero Gasperini go too far? Lawyer Chris Deeley explores the case. We all make mistakes at work occasionally. Sometimes, we are also unlucky enough to have our bosses call [...]
Will England get a fifth Champions League place? February 22, 2025 As European football’s club competitions head into their knockout phases, the Premier League’s prospects of getting a fifth place in the Champions League are becoming clearer. Since 2019, Uefa has awarded an extra spot in the Champions League to the two nations whose clubs performed the best in its three competitions during the previous season. [...]