Ed Warner: English football of all levels penetrating hyper-commercial US sport November 3, 2022 Does anyone in England call the Premier League the EPL? I ask because I had a random encounter at Heathrow last week with one of a group of five Crystal Palace fans headed to Selhurst Park for their “first EPL game”. The Ted Lasso effect maybe? I only hope they made it to the Clifton [...]
Rugby league aim high with men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cups October 12, 2022 This weekend sees the start of a trio of Rugby League World Cups that could propel the sport through a glass ceiling of publicity and awareness, as England becomes the first host nation of simultaneous men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments. Delayed a year from 2021 for pandemic-related reasons, the three World Cups will take place [...]
Rugby League World Cup offers London chance to shine September 28, 2022 England legend Martin Offiah has championed the decision to take the Rugby League World Cup to the South for this year’s trio of tournaments. The men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions are due to take place concurrently in the same country for the first time when they get under way next month, a year later than [...]
Gambling sponsors back on the up in sport despite continued threat of a ban, study finds August 4, 2022 Gambling sponsorship in English sport is back on the rise despite the threat of a potential ban, according to a new study. The number of betting companies with front-of-shirt sponsorship deals at leading clubs appeared to be in terminal decline just a year ago, having plummeted 48 per cent from 2019 to 2021. Premier League [...]
England captain Tomkins backs former club Wigan to win Challenge Cup May 25, 2022 The rugby league Challenge Cup has a new showpiece location for its final. Come Saturday, thousands will pack into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the competition crowns either Wigan Warriors or Huddersfield Giants as its 121st winner. The winner will a trophy which has always left an extraordinary memory for players lucky enough to lift [...]
Rugby league great Jamie Peacock completes 21-hour, 100-mile London run for charity April 21, 2022 Rugby league legend Jamie Peacock has helped to raise thousands of pounds for charity by running a gruelling 100-mile double loop of London. Peacock, 44, ran for 21 hours – including through the night – to complete the challenge for mentoring charity Greenhouse Sports over Easter weekend. The former England and Great Britain captain took [...]
Why sport is taking over terrestrial TV airwaves again February 21, 2022 If you’ve turned on your subscription-free, Nadine Dorries-unfriendly, terrestrial TV recently you may have been transported back to a time when moustachioed behemoths like Dickie Davies and Des Lynam ruled the afternoon airwaves – for we again live in an era of live, free-to-air sport. Of course, you may not have noticed. Sky and BT [...]
Jamie Peacock: ‘Catalans and Leeds ones to watch in Super League’ February 9, 2022 In a repeat of last year’s Grand Final, St Helens play Catalan Dragons tomorrow in the opening match of the 27th Super League season. Change is the buzz word for rugby league. Coaches have moved, players of the highest quality have arrived in the division, there’s a second French side in Toulouse, and a terrestrial [...]
Big Sport Quiz of 2021: How much do you remember? December 20, 2021 From teenagers sweeping to Grand Slam tennis titles to England reaching a major football final, an Olympic Games like no other and the introduction of a brand new cricket competition, it has been a hugely eventful year in sport. Off the field it has been just as transformative, with private equity and, increasingly, cryptocurrency and [...]
Retired professional rugby players more likely to be depressed, anxious and irritable November 24, 2021 A new study has found that retired professional rugby players were more likely to be depressed, anxious and irritable compared to amateur players or non-contact athletes. The former top players who took part in the study had suffered more concussions on the pitch than those in the other groups, and the researchers believe this could [...]