• The long-awaited ICC Champions Trophy returns

    After eight years away, the ICC Champions Trophy returns for its ninth edition.

  • The Manchester College ‘tips off’ new partnership with Manchester Magic and Mystics to create new opportunities for up and coming athletes

    The Manchester College has joined forces with Manchester Magic and Manchester Mystics to create a ground-breaking new basketball partnership in the city that will see its students benefit from a curriculum that is co-developed and co-delivered with an industry partner.

    As well as benefitting the College’s student-athletes by helping them take their game to the next level, teaming up with one of the biggest and most successful junior basketball programmes in the country will generate a host of opportunities for students interested in coaching, refereeing, sports science, media, marketing and more.

  • The Most Expensive Wonderkids in World Football

    The 2023/24 summer transfer window is in full swing and we have already seen some big money moves in world football. In total, over a billion pounds has been spent by Premier League clubs alone.

    Many more big name signings around Europe are expected before the 1st September deadline. By using data from Transfermarkt and official transfer valuations, Seat Compare have created a list of the top 20 most expensive teenage players in world football right now. 

  • The most influential Premier League players on Instagram revealed

    As the Premier League enters the crucial phase of the season, with fixtures rapidly approaching this month, it is a great time to be a football fan.

  • The most popular rugby teams at the Rugby World Cup revealed

    New Zealand are the most popular rugby union team at this year’s Rugby World Cup, a new study has found.

  • The Novuna GB & NI squad announced for the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Spain

    UK Athletics have announced the U20, Classic Up-and-Down, and Uphill Mountain athletes who will complete the Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland (GB & NI) squad for the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Spain next month.

  • The official Netball and Rugby Sevens balls unveiled for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

    With the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games just around the corner, Birmingham 2022 and Gilbert have unveiled the official match, replica, and supporter balls for both the Rugby Sevens and Netball events.

    For the first time, Commonwealth Games fans will have the chance to own a piece of Birmingham 2022 with the launch of the official replica and supporter balls.

  • The Pakistani cricket show that charmed Indians in 2023

    India and Pakistan have long shared hostile relations which often impact cultural exchanges between the neighbouring countries.

  • The Prague Half Marathon getting closer with over 15,000 people set to take part

    The anticipation surrounding the 24th edition of the Prague Half Marathon has reached fever pitch, as the city prepares to welcome an impressive cohort of more than 15,000 runners from across the globe.

  • The Premier League teams with the biggest season ticket price hikes this year revealed

    The average season ticket for the Premier Leagues 2024/2025 season has increased by 7.5%, new data reveals.

  • The Premier League teams with the biggest season ticket price hikes this year revealed

    The average season ticket for the Premier Leagues 2024/2025 season has increased by 7.5%, new data reveals.

  • The Queen's Baton Relay: The Journey so far

    Having visited 22 countries and nations in just 79 days, the Queen’s Baton Relay has now completed over a quarter of its journey, most recently finishing its tour of the 19 Commonwealth countries in Africa. While hosting the Baton, each Commonwealth Games Association organises activities to engage young people in sport, showcase their local heroes, and highlight a project that addresses at least one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

  • The search to discover hidden tickets to The Hundred returns

    The Hundred is returning to Edgbaston to excite crowds with another year full of world-class sport and live entertainment, and to celebrate, there’s 100 tickets hidden across the West Midlands up for grabs.

    The region’s team, Birmingham Phoenix, will be back in action in this year’s competition at Edgbaston for four unmissable home fixtures.

  • The star U.S. athletes who credit their Tongan heritage

    When Vita Vea was drafted into the U.S. National Football League in 2018, the Tongan American credited his parents with teaching him the work ethic and perseverance to succeed.

    “They didn’t have family out here or anything so they had to work from the get go,” Vea said, of his parents who immigrated to the United States from Tonga. “Nothing was ever given to them.”

  • The SuperHalfs project - a running adventure connecting Europe’s iconic Half Marathons

    The SuperHalfs project is captivating the global running community, inviting runners from around the world to embark on a unique journey through six of Europe’s most picturesque and culturally rich cities.

  • The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay gets underway from Fukushima

    Nadeshiko Japan saw the Tokyo 2020 Olympics get under way as the Torch Relay started in Fukushima. As the flame’s journey will begin in the J-Village national football training facility, the route, which is unchanged from a year ago when the Games were postponed, will see the Olympic flame travel through 859 municipalities, passing within a short distance of the majority of the Japanese population.

    Over 10,000 torchbearers, hand-selected from over half-a-million applicants, will have the responsibility of carrying the Olympic flame on its journey across the host country. With its pink gold colour - inspired by cherry blossom, a flower synonymous with Japanese spring - each torchbearer, who was chosen for their ability to overcome adversity, will celebrate the best in everyone.

    With the aim of uniting people around messages of supporting, accepting and encouraging one another, the Olympic torch is again on the move - one year after it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With no crowd to witness the start, the first runner to carry the torch was Azusa Iwashimizu, a Japanese player who was part of the team that won the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

    The ceremony was the beginning of what will be a four-month tour around Japan, culminating with its arrival at Tokyo's Japan National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony in July.

  • The Tour 21 Sold Out For 2021

    2021 cycling event, The Tour 21, has now sold out with 25 amateur cyclists signed up to ride the full Tour de France route, one week ahead of the professionals from Saturday 19th June – Sunday 11th July this summer. The team, led by ex-England, Crystal Palace, Wolves and Nottingham Forest footballer and blood cancer survivor Geoff Thomas, aim to raise over £1,000,000 for national blood cancer charity Cure Leukaemia.

    Cure Leukaemia, which was announced as the first ever official Charity Partner of the Tour de France in the UK in October last year, recorded a £1,500,000 fundraising shortfall in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and The Tour 21 team, which was increased from 20 to 25 riders after this event’s postponement last summer, aim to help the charity address this shortfall in funding by completing all 21 gruelling stages of the world’s most famous and prestigious professional cycling event 150 days from now.

    All funds raised by The Tour 21 team will be invested in the national Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) which has been solely funded by Cure Leukaemia since January 2020. TAP is a network of specialist research nurses at 12 blood cancer centres located in the UK’s biggest cities and a facilitatory hub based at the Centre for Clinical Haematology in Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This network enables accelerated setup and delivery of potentially life-saving blood cancer clinical trials to run giving patients from a UK catchment area of over 20 million people access to treatments not currently available through standard care.

    Cure Leukaemia Patron Geoff Thomas, 56, said: “I am delighted that we have a full team of 25 cyclists signed up and committed to not only taking on this gruelling challenge but also to raising vital funds to help blood cancer patients across the UK. COVID-19 decimated charity fundraising in 2020 and Cure Leukaemia were no different and that is why we, as a team, have an even greater responsibility to go beyond the initial £1,000,000 target for the event.

    “I am confident that with the team we have assembled we can do just that not only giving these amateur cyclists the experience of a lifetime but also ensuring vital blood cancer clinical trials can continue to benefit patients across the country. This will be my 5th and final Tour de France cycling challenge since I was declared in remission from chronic myeloid leukaemia in 2005 and I am determined to ensure that this is the most successful and memorable of them all.”

    Cure Leukaemia Chief Executive James McLaughlin continued: “Clearly 2020 was an extremely tough year for the charity and we are so grateful to Geoff and his team for taking on such a monumental challenge both on and off the bike. I know all the riders are going to do all they can to raise £1,000,000 which will help to ensure the sustainability of the TAP network across the UK and the blood cancer clinical trials it delivers. 

    “We have all seen the leading role that clinical trials are playing in securing the accelerated approval of the COVID-19 vaccines and such clinical trials are equally vital for the thousands of blood cancer patients across the UK to ensure they can access pioneering new treatments with the aim of bringing us ever closer to a cure for all forms of blood cancer.”

     

  • The Tour 21 Team reach £600k raised with 50 days to go

    A team of 25 amateur cyclists will begin riding the full 21 stages of the 2021 Tour de France route, one week ahead of the professionals in exactly 50 days. The Tour 21, which takes place from Saturday June 19 – Sunday 11 July, aims to raise in excess of £1,000,000 for national blood cancer charity Cure Leukaemia and the team are over halfway to their fundraising total after recently surpassing £600,000.

    Cure Leukaemia, which was announced as the first ever official Charity Partner of the Tour de France in the UK for the next three years, recorded a £1,700,000 fundraising shortfall in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and The Tour 21 team, which was increased from 20 to 25 riders after this event’s postponement last summer, aim to help the charity address this shortfall in funding by completing all 3,384km of the world’s most famous and prestigious professional cycling event.

    All funds raised by The Tour 21 team will be invested in the national Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) which has been solely funded by Cure Leukaemia since January 2020. TAP is a network of specialist research nurses at 12 blood cancer centres located in the UK’s biggest cities and a facilitatory hub based at the Centre for Clinical Haematology in Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This network enables accelerated setup and delivery of potentially life-saving blood cancer clinical trials to run giving patients from a UK catchment area of over 20 million people access to treatments not currently available through standard care.

    With the team progressing towards their £1,000,000 target, two inclusive fundraising opportunities linked to The Tour 21 have been announced today which will enable anyone to get involved, help the team reach their goal and have the chance to win some fantastic prizes:

    From Sunday June 6 – users of Strava, globally, will be able to sign up to The Tour 21 Strava Challenge. The Challenge will be to ride the distance of the longest stage of this year’s Tour de France route between June 19 – July 11, a staggering 238km! Strava users can complete it over 3 weeks or do it in a day, giving cyclists of all abilities the chance to get involved across the world.

    All who take part will be encouraged to raise £100 for Cure Leukaemia towards the team’s total and all those who fundraise or complete the challenge will be in with the chance of winning some incredible prizes which will be announced on June 6. Tickets are now available to purchase for The Ultimate Cycling Prize Draw with all proceeds going towards The Tour 21 team’s fundraising for Cure Leukaemia.

    The raffle win run from 50 days out, up until Friday June 18, the day before the start of The Tour 21 with a prize draw then held daily from June 19-July 11. It costs £21 to enter the raffle and, once entered, people will be automatically included in each of the 21 prize draws.

    The top prize is a Pinarello Dogma F12 worth £12,000 and other prizes include: a signed Tour de France 2021 winner’s jersey, a signed Pink Jersey from Tao Geoghegan Hart, 6x signed rider/team jerseys, Wahoo Kickr, 2x carbon wheelsets, Rapha voucher, Panda sunglasses and much more!

    Leading the team on his final Tour de France challenge is ex-England footballer, blood cancer survivor and Cure Leukaemia Patron Geoff Thomas, 56, who said: “We were meant to take on this challenge in 2020 before COVID-19 meant we had to postpone.

    “But in that time, we have added to the team and become the official charity partner of the Tour de France in the UK. There is real momentum behind what we are doing as a team and with Cure Leukaemia recording a £1,700,000 fundraising shortfall last year it is imperative that we surpass £1,000,000 to ensure patients across the UK have access to potentially lifesaving clinical trials.

    “I would urge the public to get involved in these fantastic fundraising opportunities announced today because they have the potential to take our fundraising way beyond our target, you can all play your part in The Tour 21.”

    Premier League football club Crystal Palace, Geoff’s former club, has also given its support to Geoff and the team as the off-bike kit partner and stag sponsor. Chief Executive Phil Alexander said: “Geoff was an inspirational captain for our football club, and he has continued to be an inspiration with his tireless fundraising efforts since his battle with blood cancer. Crystal Palace are proud to have supported him in his fundraising ventures over the last 18 years and we are proud to do so again for his final Tour de France challenge this summer.

    “Cure Leukaemia is a charity making a direct impact on the treatment of blood cancer both nationally and internationally and we are delighted to help Geoff and the team towards surpassing their £1,000,000 target. I also hope that the Palace fans will play their part too in the coming months through these additional fundraising opportunities announced today and I wish Geoff and the team the very best of luck for their epic challenge.”

    Cure Leukaemia Chief Executive James McLaughlin continued: “Geoff and all of the team are training phenomenally hard at the moment to be ready ahead of June 19th and to have raised over £600,000 in such challenging times is already a fantastic achievement.

    “However, we are keen for as many people as possible to support The Tour21 team and we hope by supporting these two new fundraising opportunities, the £1,000,000 target will be reached by the time Geoff leads the 25 strong team into Paris on Sunday July 11.”

  • The Voice of Golf, Peter Alliss, still being mourned following his death

    Known as 'the voice of golf' to fans around the world, Peter Alliss was synonymous with the coverage golf for more than half a century on BBC TV, having first appearing on the station in 1961 - he was made lead golf commentator after retiring as a player in 1978 - and provided the soundtrack to many of golf's most memorable moments, with November's Masters the last tournament he covered.

    Born in Berlin, where his father Percy was the professional at the glamorous Wannsee club, the legendary golf commentator, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in the Lifetime Achievement category in 2012, won 31 tournaments – as a player - and he and his father Percy were the first father-son duo to compete in the Ryder Cup, when it was a contest between Great Britain and the United States.

    After retiring from playing professionally, Alliss moved into the commentary booth, where his descriptive and dead-pan style became the soundtrack to the BBC's coverage of major golf events.

    His first experience behind the microphone came at the 1961 Open Championship, remarkably, in the same tournament he was challenging Arnold Palmer on the course.

    "His inimitable tone, humour and command of the microphone will be sorely missed. His often legendary commentaries will be long remembered," the BBC said.

    In 1978 he was appointed as the station’s chief golf commentator following the death of his co-host and great friend Henry Longhurst. He once described his television role saying: "I'm there as an old player, a lover of the game and a good weaver of stories."

    To the majority of golf fans across the world Alliss’ soothing voice was the audio accompaniment to the legends of the game – from Seve Ballesteros to Tiger Woods and many more before and since.

    European Tour chief executive, Keith Pelley, said: "Peter made an indelible mark on everything he did in our game, but especially as a player and a broadcaster, and he leaves a remarkable legacy," whilst Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who also fronted the BBC's Masters and Open coverage in the past, and Monty Python actor John Cleese were among the first to mourn Alliss' passing.

    He passed away age 89.

  • The women's stage race of the Volta a Catalunya is born

    Catalonia stands out as a world-class destination for holding major international sports fairs and congresses.

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