Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion Greg Rutherford will take to the long jump runway for the final time in Birmingham at next month’s Müller Grand Prix Birmingham on Saturday 18 August.

Competing at the Alexander Stadium for the last ever time following countless outings in the city for both the British Championships and IAAF Diamond League meetings over the years, Rutherford’s outing next month will be his final competition in the second city and his last British Athletics meet.

The 31-year-old British record holder has struggled with injury since taking Olympic bronze in 2016 but has committed to one more Stadium competition in Birmingham in order to bid farewell to many of his fans, though the competition in Birmingham will be nothing short of stiff.

Among those in the field are the two best long jumpers in the world at current: world champion Luvo Manyonga of South Africa and current world leader Juan Miguel Echevarria of Cuba.

Echevarría, 19, is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in global athletics having recorded the longest jump in 23 years last month with 8.83m,

The Cuban missed the recent Müller Anniversary Games in London due to injury but will return to Birmingham and compete in the UK for the first time since he won gold at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in March earlier this year.

Looking ahead to an emotional farewell in Birmingham, Greg Rutherford said: “I am really excited. As the crowd sees you appear, there is a sort of rippling effect of cheers and every year that I have competed there has been relatively emotional for me. Ever since London 2012, the crowd have been amazing towards me. So, to do it, for what will be the last time in such a great Stadium with so many memories for me, is going to be very emotional and I am probably going to cry.

“We are very lucky in Great Britain that the crowd who come along generally are very knowledgeable and in Birmingham it’s generally the big athletics fans that are there, so they really do get behind you and know what is good and what’s bad. They know the athletes and will know that I am not at my full strength but they will get massively behind me with every jump so it will be really special.”

On his excitement of competing against Echevarría, Rutherford added: “I am really excited to have him there in Birmingham too, and that I will have the chance to compete against him before I retire. He, in my opinion, will go on to become the world record holder and will become the greatest ever so it will be wonderful to compete against him in Birmingham.

“It’s a bit of a change of the guard, and that’s how I am looking at it. I have had my time in the sun and been the best in the world for all of those years, but now it’s like I am passing the torch on. Hopefully he will run with it and elevate the event to where it should be.”

Rutherford also hopes that having world class names in the event will help to grow the sport, concluding: “The long jump is such an incredible event and I hope that from Echevarría’s successes, we see a whole new flood of new young athletes getting involved with long jumping.

“And once we keep pushing these kinds of athletes out and letting people see how incredibly talented they are, what we find is that those events will come to the top and people will really enjoy it.”

Give Greg a memorable send-off as he jumps in Birmingham for the last time on 18 August at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham.

Regional schools from across the country have congregated at King’s House Ground, Chiswick,  to compete in the Summer Bowl, the season finale of the NFL Flag football tournament for UK schools in partnership with Subway. In a tense and thrilling competition Chorley Seahawks were crowned national NFL Flag champions.

The Summer Bowl attendees earned their place at the season finale by winning their respective regional tournaments throughout the year and included pupils from Thorpe Primary (Leeds), Primrose Hill (Manchester), George Betts Primary (Birmingham) and Gretton School (Tewkesbury).

On the day around 1,000 children aged 8-11, were coached and encouraged by six NFL stars, including current Super Bowl champion and Philadelphia Eagle, Mack Hollins, Oakland Raider Jared Cook, Seattle Seahawk Neiko Thorpe and Tennessee Titan Jurrell Casey, who acted as honorary coaches. All six NFL players in attendance will be playing in the NFL London Games in October.

NFL Flag Presented by Subway is currently operating in eight cities including London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Gloucester, Peterborough and Cardiff.

More than 10,000 school children across the UK have been involved in the programme since its launch in 2014, with the NFL and Subway sponsorship aiming to help primary school children develop their characters by focusing on the NFL core values of respect, integrity, responsibility, resilience plus the importance of a healthy lifestyle and getting active through NFL Flag.

Ian Oxborrow, Head Coach for Chorley Seahawks, said, “The kids are delighted to be crowned the national NFL Flag champions. NFL Flag has been a great programme to be a part of and we’ve first hand experienced the benefits it has to offer. We hope to be going head-to-head with more schools and reclaim our title next year!”

Sacha Clark, Marketing Director for Subway UK & Ireland, said: “Our partnership with the NFL is all about bringing the NFL closer to everyone. One of the ways we’re helping to do this is by enabling the NFL to grow its Flag programme, taking the sport into an increasing number of schools, to encourage everyone in the family to get active.”

Jason Brisbane, Head of Community for NFL UK, said: “Summer Bowl has been a huge success and continues the positive growth of NFL Flag in the UK. This event is testament to the positive impact American Football can have on children in the UK and a great celebration of this year’s national NFL Flag tournament.  Congratulations to Chorley Seahawks  for being crowned national champions!”

Scores of families and young people have already signed up to a free Summer of Sport being offered by WV Active over the next six weeks.

The City of Wolverhampton Council’s three leisure centres, WV Active Aldersley, WV Active Central and WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams, will be providing a wide range of free activities for adults and children of all ages between Monday 23 July and Friday 31 August – from badminton, tennis, squash and table tennis to family swimming lessons and fitness classes.

Those who want to take advantage of the offer must be residents of Wolverhampton and will need to register for free Summer of Sport membership via the WV Active website.

Councillor Steve Evans, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for City Environment, said: “We are delighted to be offering a wide range of free activities for local residents of all ages during the school holidays, and I’d encourage people to sign up for their Summer of Sport today.”

The Summer of Sport programme is being supported with funding from the council’s Public Health service.

Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Hazel Malcolm, said: “It is important that as many people as possible have the opportunity to enjoy sport and exercise, and by offering a wide range of free sessions at our leisure centres from 23 July to 31 August we hope that even more residents will be able to enjoy a fit and active summer.

“This ties in well with our Vision for Public Health, whereby we create the right sort of environment in which people are better able to look after their own health and wellbeing.”

The World Cup led to record sales and footfall in Lidl UK stores over the past month, as people opted for garden parties and BBQs to cheer on the England team.

During the tournament, the discounter, which is the Official Supermarket of the England Football Team, experienced the highest ever number of customers shopping in stores, outside of Christmas. Footfall peaked on 30^th June, as customers prepared for the World Cup ‘Last 16’ stage, with fans visiting their local Lidl to stock up on supplies to support their team from the comfort of their own home.

Sales during the period indicate that the hot weather inspired football fanatics across the country to host BBQs and garden parties for friends and family.  Since 14^th June, when Russia beat Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the World Cup, to France’s victory in the Final on 15^th July, the following products delivered a record-breaking sales performance compared to the same five-week period in 2017:

• Total BBQ meat and poultry sales were up 25%.
• Burger sales were up 45%, with more than 100 burgers sold every minute.
• The beer, wine and spirits category grew 16% overall, with beer experiencing a 18% sales uplift.

As England’s chances of reaching the Final heated up, Lidl saw a particularly strong sales uplift across certain food items. In the week of England’s Quarter and Semi Final matches, burger sales increased by 50%, compared to the same period last year.

England’s successful run in the World Cup led to unprecedented support for the team from home fans, with Lidl seeing a surge in England football kit sales. Lidl sold 120,000 England branded tops, 34,000 children's England strips and 35,000 footballs in its 710 stores across the country.

Christian Härtnagel, CEO of Lidl UK said: "England's remarkable run in the World Cup, along with a never-ending heatwave, has led to more customers coming through our doors than ever before. As the Official Supermarket of the England Football Team, we’ve been really proud of their performance, and it’s been great to get behind the squad. We’re also incredibly proud of our colleagues, who have worked extremely hard throughout the tournament, to ensure that Lidl stores across the country were stocked up with supplies, as the nation showed their support.”

Your country needs you! At the Gymnastics World Cup on 23 March 2019! Be prepared to play your part in this major global event, as countries from around the world, with some of their best gymnasts, take up the ultimate gymnastics challenge. Fly your flag proudly as the mighty powerhouses of each country battle it out on this global stage. Which nations will emerge victorious?

Watch the battle as our male gymnasts go for glory. Who will show flair and stamina on the pommel horse and floor, demonstrate extreme strength on the rings, and pull off strong routines on the vault, parallel bars and high bar? Our female gymnasts will wow the crowds as they show grace and composure on the beam, let their personality and flair shine through on the floor, as well as unleashing power yet control on the vault and uneven bars.

Amanda Reddin, Women’s Head National Coach commented:

“This is a great opportunity for our gymnasts. The competition structure of the event allows gymnasts to thrive under pressure, their routines showcasing all the effort they’ve put in during hours and hours of training to peak at the right time. Competitions of this nature are invaluable to support our gymnasts on their road to Tokyo. There’s no better platform for them to perform on – these conditions make the Olympic pressure real.”

Great Britain’s very own James Hall and Alice Kinsella proved successful in 2018, both picking up medals in front of the all-important home crowd. Who will represent their country this year? Make sure you’re in the crowd cheering the gymnasts, flying the flag and lending your support.

The atmosphere will be electric. The competition will be tough. Make sure you’re part of it.

WV Active will be offering six weeks of free sporting activities for Wolverhampton residents to enjoy this summer.

The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Summer of Sport starts on Monday 23 July and continues until Friday 31 August across all three leisure centres, WV Active Aldersley, WV Active Central and WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams.

Free activities on offer include badminton, tennis, squash, table tennis, family swimming lessons and fitness classes, and can be enjoyed by adults and children of all ages.

Those who want to take advantage of the offer must be residents of Wolverhampton and will need to register for temporary Summer of Sport membership for free via the WV Active website.

Councillor Steve Evans, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for City Environment, said: “We are delighted to be offering a wide range of free activities for local residents of all ages during the school holidays, and I’d encourage people to sign up for their Summer of Sport today.”

The Summer of Sport programme is being supported with funding from the council’s Public Health service.

Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Hazel Malcolm, said: “It is important that as many people as possible have the opportunity to enjoy sport and exercise, and by offering a wide range of free sessions at our leisure centres from 23 July to 31 August we hope that even more residents will be able to enjoy a fit and active summer.

“This ties in well with our Vision for Public Health, whereby we create the right sort of environment in which people are better able to look after their own health and wellbeing.”