• Phoenix Women announces new Hundred captain

    Birmingham Phoenix Women have name Eve Jones as their new captain. The opener replaces Ellyse Perry as skipper, following her withdrawal from the competition with a knee injury.

    Perry, named captain earlier this summer, has also been replaced by Australian all-rounder Tess Flintoff. Flintoff, 20, holds the record for the fastest fifty in the Women's Big Bash League and has already arrived at Edgbaston.

  • Physical activity providers asked to complete ‘health check’

    Sport and physical activity providers are being invited to complete a short 'health check' survey to show what impact, if any, Covid-19 has had on them.

    As part of its ongoing work to support the local sport and physical activity sector, the City of Wolverhampton Council wants to take stock of where local providers are as a consequence of the pandemic.

  • Pioneering Black player Walter Tull inducted into National Football Museum Hall of Fame

    One of English football's first Black players, Walter Tull, has been posthumously inducted into the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame.

    Originally signed for Tottenham Hotspurs in 1909, he moving to Northampton Town two years later, where he played more than 100 games between 1911 and 1914 before he was killed in action during World War One, aged 29.

  • Pioneering football manager Tony Collins dies

    It was announced that the English Football League's first Black manager, Tony Collins, has died.

    He spent seven years in charge of Rochdale A.F.C. and led them to a League Cup final in 1962, before later worked as chief scout at both Manchester United and Leeds United.

    After a playing career with Sheffield Wednesday, York City, Watford, Norwich City, Torquay United, Crystal Palace and Rochdale, he went into management at Rochdale, who were, at the time, in what was the old Division Four - now League Two - during his time there.

    He managed Rochdale, initially while playing, until 1967 but worked again as a manager only as caretaker in 1980 at Bristol City, where he had been chief scout and assistant.

    He then scouted for Don Revie at Leeds and for Ron Atkinson and Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, where the players he brought in included former England international Lee Sharpe. When Revie became England manager he employed Collins to provide dossiers on the opposition.

    The highlight of his tenure there was when he took Dale to the League Cup final, which was then a two-leg affair before it was switched to its present Wembley venue in 1967. Dale lost 4-0 on aggregate to Norwich City.

    Former Manchester United boss Ferguson sent his "deepest condolences", adding: "His family should be very proud of all he achieved."

    Nottingham Forest boss Chris Hughton, who is also a League Managers Association (LMA) board member, added: "Tony has always been an inspiration to me as I continue alongside my colleagues to campaign to see more diversity in management and coaching across the game. He will be very sorely missed."

    LMA chair Howard Wilkinson said: "Tony was a true pioneer of the sport.

    "He was known throughout the game for his ability to recognise and nurture talent, a skill which enabled him to have a huge impact on the lives of others."

    He was 94.

  • Pioneering new quality golf course set for Africa

    The ambitious plan for a pioneer top quality golf course built near the world-renowned Africa’s premier national park of Serengeti was unveiled, with an 18-hole golf course being constructed within 400 acres at Fort Ikoma, an area that serves as a buffer zone for Serengeti District and the Serengeti National Park. It will be among the world’s few golf courses within or near a national park.

  • Pioneering Premier League referee Uriah Rennie dies

    It was just announced that, Uriah Rennie, the Premier League's first Black referee, has died.

  • Places up for grabs as British athletes battle for places at Worlds trials

    Britain's top athletes will compete in Birmingham this weekend for a place at the World Championships.

  • Planning application submitted for Alexander Stadium redevelopment

    Proposals for the redevelopment of Alexander Stadium have been submitted to Birmingham City Council’s planning department for consideration.

    At the heart of the wider effort to regenerate Perry Barr, the £70million plan would see the venue become a high-quality venue for diverse sporting, leisure, community and cultural events in the decades to come.

    The stadium, in Perry Barr, is set to be the focal point of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as the athletics events.

    The redeveloped stadium would increase its permanent seating capacity from 12,700 to 18,000 allowing more than 30,000 during the Games through additional temporary seating.

    Post-Games it will be at the centre of a regenerated Perry Barr, which is receiving more than £500million of investment in the coming years, which also includes new housing, improved transport and related upgrades to infrastructure and public space.

    The revamped stadium is set to host a range of tenants including the world-famous Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club and Birmingham City University.

    The stadium will provide a new home for the university’s sports and exercise students, bringing an exciting new partnership and purpose to the stadium beyond athletics – as well as becoming a focal point for a range of leisure, health, wellbeing and community activities for local residents and the wider general public.

    During the summer’s pre-consultation engagement activity more than 120 interested and/or impacted stakeholders and around 2,000 neighbouring residents and businesses were consulted on the proposals.

    Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation and provided valuable feedback which has helped shape the final design.

    “The application will now be considered by the planning department over the next few months and we welcome further feedback and comments from anyone with an interest in the stadium and its future. This is about creating a destination venue, shaping a legacy beyond the Commonwealth Games.”

    To view the stadium plans and offer comments (deadline 7 November 2019), you can visit the Birmingham City Council Planning Portal and search for application number: 2019/07968/PA

    It is anticipated a final decision will be taken on the proposals by the city council’s Planning Committee in early 2020.

    Subject to planning approval, construction of the new stand will commence in spring 2020, with completion in late 2021 ahead of test events for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

    The design now being consulted upon will also facilitate the temporary ‘Games overlay’ elements and additional infrastructure needed to deliver the 2022 Games. Further detail regarding the Games overlay will be consulted on at a later date.

  • Plaque unveiled for first Black professional footballer

    A blue plaque has been unveiled in Greater Manchester in honour of Arthur Wharton - the first Black professional footballer.

  • Players face '25% increased injury risk' due to intense schedule

    Premier League players could be 25% more susceptible to injury when football resumes because of the intense schedule, research shows.

    Premier League chief executive Richard Masters is "as confident as we can be" of restarting in June.

    Time will need to be found for the FA Cup before the 2020-21 season starts in "late August, early September".

    Based on Project Restart's provisional return date of 20 June, Manchester City players could face 13 games in 49 days.

    City have played one fewer match than the majority of Premier League clubs but these figures do not take into account the completion of the Champions League, which has the potential of adding another four games should they reach the final - if the tournament can be concluded.

    Research conducted by artificial intelligence platform Zone7, which specialises in injury risk forecasting and works with 35 professional football teams worldwide, shows that playing eight matches in a 30-day period increases the incidence of injury by 25% when compared with playing four to five matches in the same timeframe.

    Eight matches in 30 days may seem a regular occurrence but only 4% of players across a season are subjected to such a run of games.

    It is not just the congestion of the fixture list that poses a concern, but the time provided for teams to transition from individual, socially distanced training to higher-intensity group training, something Watford manager Nigel Pearson and Newcastle boss Steve Bruce are concerned about.

    The Bundesliga was only officially given the go-ahead to recommence on 7 May, just nine days before the first fixture kicked off. Eight players picked up injuries in the six games on 16 May - a rate well above normal.

    A standard pre-season schedule runs for a period of 30 days, or even longer.

    But when examining data from 11 top-division professional teams from the past two seasons, Zone7 found that when the preparation period shortens, due to an international tournament or entry into European competition, 75% of teams had higher prevalence of injury in the first half of the season when compared to those that had more planning time.
    Flaminia Ronca, an exercise physiologist at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, part of University College London, is working with Premier League players to assess what health risks they may face when returning after the suspension.

    She said: "It's possible that the players may have lost up to 15% of their fitness, which they now need to regain in a very short time.

    "And I think this is really where the science of training becomes so crucial. Coaches will have to be very creative and combine the most effective methods of training with the safest injury prevention methods, all condensed into this very tight timeframe."

    Over five million hours of performance from various sports, including those 35 professional football teams, has been gathered by Zone7 and this data is used to assess the probability of a player sustaining an injury in the following seven days.

    Millions of data points are taken from wearable technology that tracks workloads from training and matches, player injury history, fitness tests, and even sleep patterns to generate daily risk forecasts.

    Historical data is used to detect data patterns that precede injuries and alert when those data patterns emerge and help prevent the injury before it occurs.

    From here, teams are given risk forecasts and not only can they identify the type of injury a particular player could sustain if they are deemed "high risk", modifications can be made to that player's bespoke training schedule to avoid the injury occurring. Zone7 states it can provide accurate and timely alerts for 75% of injuries.

  • Players leave IPL amid Covid concerns

    Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson have joined fellow Australian Andrew Tye in ending their Indian Premier League (IPL) season early to return home.

    India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, 34, also said he is taking a break from the IPL to support his family. The news comes as India struggles with a surge in coronavirus cases.

    Tye, who was with Rajasthan Royals, flew to Sydney on Sunday, citing the "stress of bubble life" and concerns about borders closing in Australia.

    "I just thought I should try and get on the front foot and get home before I got locked out of the country," the seamer said. 34-year-old Tye, who flew home via Mumbai and Doha, added: "There's definitely concerns. A lot of guys have been in touch once they've realised I was leaving. Some of the guys are very interested in what route I took home and how I approached it."

    The England and Wales Cricket Board is not currently aware of any England players planning to leave the IPL, with individuals set to make their own decisions, rather than the governing body. England limited overs captain Eoin Morgan, who is skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders, says the tournament should continue as long as it does not hamper the efforts to combat Covid-19.

    "Certainly when we came out of our first lockdown period, I remember the first sport being on TV was probably in New Zealand and Australia. It was rugby union and rugby league. Then slowly, the Bundesliga started, then the Premier League started," he said.

    "That displayed that you can play sport while the country is almost in full lockdown. If there's a template to make that happen, it has happened, but also as long as it doesn't disturb what's happening in the public eye." Morgan added that the players are aware of the rising cases in India.

    "We're constantly talking about the situation that is unfolding outside of our bubble," he added. "It's not nice watching from afar, considering how lucky we are to be in a bubble and not be affected by it very much."

    India has been reporting more than 300,000 daily cases for several days, setting new daily global records. On Monday, it had the highest number of daily coronavirus cases for a fifth straight day, reporting 352,991 new infections and another 2,812 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

    Royal Challengers Bangalore said on Monday that leg-spinner Zampa, 29, and fast bowler Richardson, 30, will be unavailable for the rest of the IPL season and were returning to Australia for "personal reasons". A statement added: "Royal Challengers Bangalore management respects their decision and offers them complete support."

    Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders paceman Pat Cummins has asked his fellow players to join him in contributing to help India's hospitals deal with the pandemic. Cummins, 27, who is among a number of Australia's top players to remain in India, has pledged 50,000 Australian dollars (£28,006) to the PM Cares Fund, specifically to purchase oxygen supplies.

    "India is a country I've come to love dearly over the years and the people here are some of the warmest and kindest I've ever met," the Australia vice-captain wrote on Twitter. "To know so many are suffering so much at this time saddens me greatly.

    "There has been quite a bit of discussion over here as to whether it is appropriate for the IPL to continue with Covid-19 infection rates remain high. I'm advised that the Indian Government is of the view that playing the IPL while the population is in lockdown provides a few hours of joy and respite each day at an otherwise difficult time for the country."

    Cummins added: "At times like this it is easy to feel helpless. I've certainly felt that of late.   

    “But I hope by making this public appeal we can all channel our emotions into action that will bring light into people's lives. I know my donation isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but I hope it will make a difference to someone."

    Australia has avoided the worst of Covid-19 by closing its borders and installing snap lockdowns - such as a three-day lockdown in Perth, announced before the weekend - when cases of community transmission occur.

  • Players signed in Vitality Wildcard draft as Phoenix confirm squads

    Birmingham Phoenix has used the local talent at their disposal to finalise their squads ahead of the third edition of The Hundred, which gets underway on Tuesday 1 August.

    With their Vitality Wildcard selections, Phoenix men chose Birmingham Bears fast bowler Henry Brookes and batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell, whilst the final round of signings in the women’s competition include Central Sparks batter Davina Perrin, wicket-keeper Abbey Freeborn and all-rounder Charis Pavely. All five will be recognisable names for Edgbaston regulars with Pavely, who was part of England’s U19 World Cup finalist squad in January, the only player not to have experienced the competition already.

  • Pole vault legend, Duplantis, breaks world record for a further 11th time

    Sweden's Armand Duplantis improved on his own men's pole vault world record to 6.27m at the All Star Perche event in Clermont-Ferrand, France - the 11th time that the Olympic and world champion has broken the world record in his career.

  • Police made to apologise for killing ex-footballer Dalian Atkinson

    Police have sent a written apology to the family of ex-footballer Dalian Atkinson, six months after a police officer who Tasered him and kicked him in the head was jailed for manslaughter. West Mercia's Chief Constable Pippa Mills said that she was deeply sorry.

    "A police uniform does not grant officers immunity to behave unlawfully or to abuse their powers," she wrote. PC Benjamin Monk's conviction was the first for a death in custody in 30 years.

  • Police officer charged with murder of footballer Dalian Atkinson

    Two West Mercia police officers have appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court after been charged with the assault and murder, of footballer Dalian Atkinson who died after being Tasered.

    The ex-Aston Villa striker was restrained by police officers at his father's house in Telford, in Shropshire.

    The Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) has not named the officers because it believes their defence will apply for them to remain anonymous.

    After being informed, the family of the former Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday striker issued a statement welcoming the decision but stated that they "regret that it has been more than three years since Dalian died".

    The CPS made the decision to press charges following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

    An alternative charge of an unlawful act manslaughter has also been put forward by the CPS for the officer charged with murder, known as ‘Officer A’ who remanded in custody after appearing before magistrates.

    The second officer, Officer B, indicated she would plead not guilty and was bailed ahead of their next appearance at Birmingham Crown Court later.

    Police officers attended Atkinson’s father’s home where he (Dalian) was detained outside.

    He was taken by ambulance to the Princess Royal Hospital where he later died.

    Dalian was has an England B cap against the Republic of Ireland, also played for Manchester City, plus La Liga side Real Sociedad and Fenerbahçein Turkey.

     

     

     

  • Police say they 'want to discuss concerns of sprinter Bianca Williams'

    Met Police bosses say they want to speak to a Team GB sprinter who is accusing officers of racially profiling her in a stop and search.

    Bianca Williams and Ricardo dos Santos, a Portuguese 400m runner, were stopped in Maida Vale, west London.

    Commonwealth and European Games gold medal-winner Williams, whose three-month-old son was in the car at the time, called it an "awful experience".

    Commander Helen Harper said she was "really keen" to speak to the couple "to discuss... the concerns they have".

    The Met had said that officers were patrolling the area in which Ms Williams was stopped because of an increase in youth violence.

    But the Ms Williams believes the couple were targeted because they are Black and were driving a Mercedes.

    She said: "They [the officers] said there's a lot of youth violence and stabbings in the area and that the car looked very suspicious.

    "They see a Black male driving a nice car, an all-black car, and they assume that he was involved in some sort of gang, drug, violence problem."

    In a statement the Met said the Mercedes was stopped after it was seen driving suspiciously, including being on the wrong side of the road, and that the driver had sped off when asked to stop.

    But this was rejected by Ms Williams, who said: "That is false, we were never on the wrong side of the road. We were driving down through single-width roads.

    "We only found out about us driving on the wrong side of the road once they tweeted. This isn't the first or fourth or fifth time, it must be about the 10th. It's getting ridiculous.

    "We are planning on taking it down the legal route. I feel very hurt by their actions, and to witness my partner being taken away and for me to be taken away from my son, my heart hurts."

    The Met said officers from the Directorate of Professional Standards had reviewed footage from social media and officers' bodycams and were satisfied there was no concern around the officers' conduct during the stop and search of the two athletes.

    "That does not mean there isn't something to be learnt from every interaction we have with the public," Cdr Helen Harper said.

    "We want to listen to, and speak with, those who raise concerns, to understand more about the issues raised and what more we can do to explain police actions.

    "Where we could have interacted in a better way, we need to consider what we should have done differently and take on that learning for the future."

    Social media clips of police incidents must be treated with great care.

    Often what you see is a short segment of an event that has gone on for some time; background information and context are seldom provided.

    In this case, there are conflicting accounts as to what happened and why - which only an investigation is likely to resolve. Nevertheless, the incident has reignited claims stop and search is being targeted at Black people, particularly young men, and has given rise to concerns that handcuffs are being deployed unnecessarily, despite police guidance saying they should not be.

    It appears the tactic, which Scotland Yard says has helped to reduce knife violence in London, remains as controversial and divisive as it's always been.

    Speaking at a remote hearing of the House of Commons Human Rights Committee earlier, Baroness Lawrence said it was "ludicrous" that Black people could not drive around in expensive cars.

    "Stop and search will continue to be an element young people go through on a day-to-day basis," said the campaigner, whose murdered son was failed by an "institutionally racist" Met Police.

    "And when they are stopped, it is not just one officer or two officers, you have six or seven officers standing around one individual, a young person who is probably frightened to death because he doesn't know what is going to happen to him.

    "So if now people have mobile phones and start recording what is happening to them, we have the issues where police say it is one thing and the individual says it's another, and the authority believes the police over the individual.

    "That is something that continues to happen."

    London mayor Sadiq Khan said he took allegations of racial profiling "extremely seriously" and he had raised the case with the Met.

    The Independent Office for Police Complaints said it has not yet received an official complaint.

     

  • Pools announced for Birmingham 2022 Rugby Sevens competition

    Birmingham 2022 has announced the pools for the Rugby Sevens competition which will be held from 29 July to 31 July at Coventry Stadium.

    Gold Coast 2018 gold medallists, New Zealand have been drawn in pool A of the men’s competition with host nation and bronze medallists from your four years ago, England, also drawn in the same pool.

  • Popular shuttle buses back for Grand Slam of Darts

    The popular city centre shuttle buses will be back to get fans to and from the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts at Aldersley Leisure Village, Wolverhampton, from 13 to 21 November. Buses will be running from Wulfruna Street, and tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster while buying event tickets.

  • Popular Sports Camp returns this winter to help young people through downturn

    A hugely successful half-term sports-themed community programme which provided dozens of West Midlands youngsters with access to a range of physical activities and much-needed food parcels is to be repeated in the run-up to Christmas.

     

    Sport 4 Life UK’s October Sports Camp took place at Hodge Hill College in Birmingham during the autumn half-term break and attracted as many as 35 people a day aged between 11 and 29 from diverse backgrounds.

     

    And following the initiative run by the charity which uses sport to improve the life chances of young people not in education, employment or training, a number of the participants are set to complete virtual sports leader qualifications.

     

    The event will return in the third week of December at the start of the Festive school holiday for a Winter Sports Camp, but with the format to be dictated by relevant coronavirus restrictions at the time.

     

    CEO and Founder of Sport 4 Life UK Tom Clarke-Forrest said: “On one hand it’s rewarding for us to be making such an impact on these youngsters’ lives and I would like to thank everyone who helped to make the October Sports Camp a success. But on the other, the level of interest in our school holiday camps is growing and that is testament to the intensifying challenges young people face as a result of the pandemic and economic downturn.”

     

    He added: “We’re now planning to run a similar event in the lead-up to the winter break in December, however, we’re mindful that the pandemic may prevent sports activities. We’re thinking therefore that if that is the case we could be looking at a food programme along with online mentoring and support rather than physical activity. One way or another we will ensure we’re there for as many young people as possible this winter, assisting them to build a positive future.”

     

    During the October half-term Sports Camp, participants received food parcels containing essentials such as cereal bars, fruit, crisps and bottled water.

     

    Sporting activities including football, tennis and volleyball were provided along with informal mentoring throughout the week.

     

    Businesses and organisations interested in partnering with Sport 4 Life UK in its work supporting young people aged between 11 and 29 should contact Rob Wells, Head of Business Development, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

     

     

  • Portuguese Primeira Liga most profitable in the transfer market with a £110.8m profit in January

    The Portuguese Primeira Liga, particularly the big three clubs, has become the hotspot of young football talent during the past decade.