The Grand Finals for the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, which will determine the champions of the world’s first global city-based esports league, will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, over July 27–28, 2018.

Following the end of the Overwatch League regular season on Sunday, June 17, the postseason will begin with a field of six teams on Wednesday, July 11, at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles in Burbank, California. After the playoffs conclude, two finalists will take center stage in the Big Apple—at the home arena of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets—to battle for a share of the $1.4 million USD prize pool, the Overwatch League trophy, and a place in the history books.

The Grand Finals will feature an immersive on-site fan experience at Barclays Center, and will culminate in the ultimate showdown for the Overwatch League championship: the first team to win two best-of-five matches will take home the trophy. Play begins Saturday, July 28, at 02:00 CEST with the first best-of-five match, and continues the same day at 22:00 CEST with the second and potential third series.

“The Overwatch League Grand Finals will be an epic experience for fans and viewers,” said Overwatch League commissioner Nate Nanzer. “We want this to be the pinnacle of esports, and holding it at a world-class venue like Barclays Center, in a global capital like New York, will help us celebrate not only the league’s two best teams, but the fans, partners, and players who have joined us on this incredible journey.”

“We are thrilled to host the inaugural Overwatch League Grand Finals, as we are quickly becoming a marquee destination for global esports leagues,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “This past year, the Overwatch League became the breakout league in the sports industry, and we anticipate drawing a dynamic international audience to experience the event live in July.”

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has opened sign-ups for its hugely successful Tennis for Kids programme. The grass roots initiative, now in its third year, is back offering children aged four-11 all over the country a value for money and fun introduction to tennis – which includes six sessions, their own kit including a racket, balls and personalised t-shirt all delivered directly to them for £25.

To mark the launch, Tennis for Kids representatives Alfie Hewett, British Wheelchair Tennis legend, 2016 Wimbledon Champion and World No.1, along with doubles ace, Joss Rae and former British No.1, Annabel Croft, with the help of Britain’s biggest tennis balls, are out in Manchester and London in a bid to encourage children to pick up a racket.

Tennis for Kids has already inspired over 35,000 children to try tennis for the first time, with over 50% continuing to play on a follow-on course. This year, the LTA plans to further grow the number of young players across the nation and meet rising demand for the programme, with some key changes including; being an ‘always on’ programme, widening the age range to four – 11 year olds and broadening the locations with even more accredited coaches taking part than ever before.

The courses are aimed at children who have never played before, so focuses on fun and getting kids active, combining basic hand eye co-ordination with rudimentary tennis skills. Beyond the practical side of the sport, the sessions will be teaching children how to work with a partner, become a valuable member of a team -  all in a fun and relaxed environment. Parents are also encouraged to join in for the final session which has a ‘Family Time’ theme.

Alfie Hewett, World No. 1 Wheelchair Tennis Player said: “It’s brilliant to have the chance to inspire more children to pick up a racket and try tennis for the first time with Tennis for Kids. I fell in love with the sport at a young age and I’m fortunate that it’s led to my career and the friendships I’ve made along the way. Tennis has given me so much both on and off the court, and I would encourage any child to give Tennis for Kids a go – it’s the perfect place to start.”

Joss Rae, former British Tennis star said: “My parents introduced me to tennis when I was young, and I soon became hooked. I always looked forward to my coaching sessions and seeing my friends on court. Now as a coach myself, I’m passionate about getting more children excited for tennis and initiatives like Tennis for Kids mean more opportunities for children across the country to try it and hopefully continue playing for the rest of their lives.”

After Great Britain’s historic Davis Cup by BNP Paribas win in 2015, Tennis for Kids was launched in April 2016, to establish a genuine tennis participation legacy and develop a new generation of tennis loving children across the country.

Leon Smith, Davis Cup Captain and LTA Head Coach of Men’s Tennis said: “It’s incredible to see how many children have benefitted from Tennis for Kids since its inception in 2016. We wanted to make tennis more accessible to all and I am excited to see how the new changes this year will continue to inspire generations of tennis-loving kids. By training up coaches to deliver more courses than ever before, we’re hoping even more children who haven’t tried tennis will pick up a racket, give it a go and continue to play this great sport throughout their lives

The six session course is £25, averaging just over £4 per lesson and is available for children aged four – 11. Those who sign up will also receive a tennis racket, ball set and a Tennis for Kids personalised t-shirt to ensure they’re equipped for the on-court fun. Places are available all year round with dates pending on local coach course timings.

University of Wolverhampton (UWR) Race Team engineering students have unveiled their 2018 MSVR Formula 3 Cup racing car at the £10 million Telford Innovation Campus.

The launch event saw team sponsors, students and staff gather together to see the new livery for the very first time ahead of the first race of the 2018 season.

For the past two years, UWR has taken second place in the national F3 Cup Driver’s Championship.

As the only University competing in the MSVR F3 Cup, UWR is taking part in all 17 rounds of the competition at world famous tracks including Brands Hatch, home of the British Grand Prix, Silverstone, and Donington Park.

An investment of £10 million in the University’s engineering facilities at its Telford Innovation Campus in Priorslee has created world class education facilities for engineering students including industry standard design, development and testing facilities. Students from across the School of Engineering and the wider University test, prepare and race the cars, learning all the skills required to be part of the highly competitive world of motorsport.

UWR takes part in the F3 Cup, the IMechE Formula Student competition, the British Hillclimb Championship (driven by University of Wolverhampton Honorary Graduate, Graham Wynn OBE) and also two Morgan development cars new for the 2018 season, the Plus 4 Club Sport, which the team are racing in this year’s AR Morgan Challenge on behalf of the Morgan Motor Company.

‌Professor Ian Oakes, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton and Chairman of the UWR race team said: “The significant investment we have made in engineering on the campus has provided us with facilities which are amongst the best in the country combined with a really attractive course offering for students who want to study engineering.

“With a competitive motor racing team and committed sponsors, our students have a real hands-on engineering experience which meets the needs of future employers.

“On behalf of UWR, we thank our sponsors for their contributions which make our success possible.”

Patrick Clarke, 21 from Stourbridge, a third year Engineering student, said:  “We’ve launched the new livery which reflects the University’s new brand.  We’re coming up to the start of the new F3 season and we’ve got big hopes for the competition this year.  We’ve come so close for the past two years and this year we’ll be pushing for first place.”

The first race event of the F3 Cup season takes place on 21^st and 22nd April at Donington Park National.

UWR Team sponsors include FBC Manby Bowdler, Santander, the Engineering Integrity Society, EOS/Additive Minds, Wynn Developments, Pro-Fix Access, Midland Scaffolding Services, Tungaloy UK, Sercal NDT, Quickgrind, Beta Tools, Morris Lubricants, Graphite Additive Manufacturing, MTD CNC, Bri-Stor/Hex Vinyl, Crosslink Solutions, Lenovo, Zuken and Airweld.

A scheme which encourages parents who have received help from children's services to "champion" the support available to other mums and dads has received another national award from the Family and Childcare Trust.

The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Parent Champion coordinator Reeta Shemar was named Coordinator of the Year by the Trust last year – and now the scheme itself has been named Parent Champion Scheme of the Year 2018.

The scheme recruits local men and women to talk to other parents about their experiences of children's social care services.

The volunteers work to build trust among families, and inform parents about the various opportunities available to them – such as the free childcare offer to three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds.

Parent Champions also offer one-to-one advice to encourage new and prospective mums and dads to get help and support from their local Strengthening Families Hub and elsewhere, and enable parents to have their say on the development of services.

The Parent Champions have been instrumental in shaping how the scheme moves forward, for example working from Job Centre Plus offices or setting up self-help groups for parents struggling with mental health problems.

And as well as helping others, Parent Champions reap benefits of their own. Becoming a Parent Champion strengthens participants’ employability by developing their skills and confidence, and a number have gone on to secure paid employment or join training programmes thanks to the support they receive in their voluntary role.

Emma Bennett, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Director of Children’s Services, said: “The Parent Champions scheme is a fantastic initiative which enables mums and dads who have had first-hand experience of children's services in Wolverhampton to share their knowledge with others.

"They give a few hours a week to talk to other local parents about the services which are available to them, and because they are parents themselves, they are able to share their own experiences in a relatable, trusted and informal way.

“I am delighted that the efforts of our Parent Champions, and the support of the City of Wolverhampton Council, has been recognised on a national stage by the Family and Childcare Trust.”

Reeta said: "We have trained 36 volunteers over the last two years or so, and are preparing to induct a new cohort who will soon be out and about sharing their knowledge with local families.

“The scheme is a fantastic example of the benefits that volunteering as a Parent Champion can bring, and I would encourage anyone who is interested in taking on this important role to contact me to find out more.”

An 81-year-old man from Harborne in Birmingham, who has taken part in every London Marathon since it began in 1981, has announced that he will run again on Sunday, but this time using crutches.

Dale Lyons, who is running for the third year in a row for the disability charity Sense, has had ankle and knee replacements, but is adamant that this won’t stop him from losing his London Marathon ‘Ever Present’ title.

Dale said: “This year will be my third year supporting Sense. It was supposed to be my last race in 2017, but as an ‘Ever Present’ it’s hard to let go when you’ve got the running bug. My training has taken a hit due to sciatica, knee and ankle problems. I am not sure if I will be able to finish the marathon this year, but I will certainly not give up.”

Dale attributes his success to ‘clean living’ and is hoping to add to the sum of £50,000 he has raised for charity.

Sport is set to play a starring role in Australia from next week, with a major Commonwealth ministerial conference taking place the day before the 21st Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.

The Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, will chair the ministerial meeting before attending the opening of the Games.  She will also participate in Gold Coast’s Trade 2018 initiative and the Women of the World festival in Brisbane.

The 9th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting will be held in Gold Coast on 3 April.  Governments will focus on collective action to measure the contribution of sport to development objectives in areas such as health, education, economic improvement and community.

In addition, ministers are expected to discuss how to improve links between government and sporting organisations. They will also consider ways to embed a rights-based approach in government sport policy, for example ensuring sport is free from abuse and discrimination, and tackle sport integrity threats such as doping and match-fixing.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said, “The Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting further demonstrates our work in harnessing the role of sport as a development tool, supported by strengthened governance, sport integrity and the protection of human rights in sport, towards more inclusive and sustainable development.

“Sport is a valuable asset, making an important contribution to strengthening the economic, social and cultural bonds of our growing Commonwealth family. The reach and impact of the Commonwealth Games exemplifies this.”

The launch of the Commonwealth Games will see athletes from 71 countries take part in 275 events during the course of the competition, which runs from 4 – 15 April.   For the first time, there will be an equal number of events for women as men.

In addition to the ministerial meeting and Games, the Commonwealth is also supporting a ‘pop up Commonwealth House’ initiative led by the governments of Queensland and Gold Coast. Commonwealth House will host business events to promote investment opportunities and establish international partnerships with the aim of developing new supply chains across the 53 member countries.

The venue will also play host to the third annual Commonwealth Debate on Sport and Sustainable Development on 6 April 2018. The debate will feature panellists including St Lucia’s Minister of Culture and Local Government Fortuna Belrose and two-time ju-jitsu world champion Shantelle Thompson.

The Commonwealth’s Head of Sport for Development and Peace, Oliver Dudfield, said, “The Commonwealth debate has become a leading global policy discussion on the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

“This year, the debate topic is ‘Sport pays for itself in the Commonwealth” and will consider how the return from investing in sport can be enjoyed by more people and more communities across the Commonwealth.”

While in Gold Coast, Secretary-General Patricia Scotland will also deliver the concluding speech at gold coast’s ‘Trade 2018’ initiative, which will include a preview of the trade research that will be presented at next month’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London. The ‘2018 Commonwealth Trade Review’ magazine will also be launched at the event.

Following her visit to the Games, the Secretary-General will attend the ‘Women of the World’ (WOW) festival in Brisbane. The festival, which runs from 6 – 8 April, will focus on the achievements and challenges of women and girls in the Commonwealth.