Ed Warner: I found a solution to cricket’s privilege problem in the South Downs July 20, 2023 Cricket can tackle its elitism problem by supporting initiatives take the sport to new audiences such as disadvantaged kids, says Ed Warner. Back in my investment banking days, I was responsible from across the Atlantic for a US research department. Every time I headed for JFK after a visit to my team of analysts I [...]
Fifa Women’s World Cup already breaking ticket records July 20, 2023 The ninth Women’s World Cup is set to kick-off today in Australia and New Zealand having already set a new record for tickets sales. Organisers have sold 1.4m seats for the tournament, eclipsing the previous benchmark of 1.35m tickets bought at the 2015 edition in Canada. Co-hosts Australia have sold out of regular seats at [...]
England eclipses hosts and holders for Women’s World Cup fever July 18, 2023 Women’s World Cup fever is set to hit hardest in England — ahead of holders the USA and co-hosts Australia, according to a new global fan survey. Awareness of the tournament, which kicks off on Thursday in New Zealand, is highest in England, where 66 per cent of people know about the Women’s World Cup. That [...]
2023 Women’s World Cup: Prize money up three-fold – but Lionesses in bonus row July 18, 2023 The Women’s World Cup may not have kicked off yet but it has already been hailed as a transformative moment in the growth of the game, with prize money increasing more than three-fold and, for the first time, most of it being paid directly to players. But some financial issues, including a bonus row between [...]
2023 Women’s World Cup ads showcase new-found star power of players July 17, 2023 Four years ago, the Women’s World Cup in France was billed as the biggest to date, but despite the hype it was still struggling to be commercially attractive for sponsors and advertisers in its own right. As the Women’s Sport Trust explained “when women’s sport is approached using the same commercial frameworks as men’s sport [...]
Ed Warner: English football might need multi-club question July 13, 2023 Football may be a big industry, but it still operates like a village. Everyone knows everyone else – and their business – and is still prepared to trust their creditworthiness, often in spite of abundant evidence to the contrary. Much like ticks available at the local store or the chalkboard of debt behind the bar [...]
Karen Carney’s women’s football review calls for top two divisions to be fully professional July 13, 2023 The Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship should become fully professional, according to a major review of domestic women’s football authored by former England captain Karen Carney. Women’s football also needs its own dedicated broadcast slots to ensure maximum exposure and reduces the risk of it being eclipsed by coverage of the men’s game, says [...]
Football’s data wars takes another turn, but can players really protect their information? July 11, 2023 A former Leyton Orient, Scarborough and Yeovil Town manager may seem an unlikely figure to be at the forefront of football’s data wars, but a landmark announcement in the Netherlands this week can be traced back to Russell Slade. Fifpro, the international union for professional footballers, on Tuesday announced the creation of a new database [...]
Forest Green name Hannah Dingley first female manager of a men’s football team July 5, 2023 Forest Green Rovers have become the first English professional football club to appoint a woman as manager of their men’s team after naming Hannah Dingley caretaker head coach. Dingley, part of the fourth-tier club’s coaching staff for four years, has been placed in temporary charge following the departure of previous manager Duncan Ferguson. “I’m really [...]
What the TV rights fight means for the Fifa Women’s World Cup June 20, 2023 With just five weeks before the Women’s World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand, Fifa has finally reached a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to air all 64 matches in Britain, Spain, France and Germany – ending the threat of a blackout in Europe’s top football nations. While ITV and BBC [...]