The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Akeem Ishola Busari as the new head coach of Nigeria’s U-17 girls’ team, the Flamingos.

Busari’s appointment was confirmed on April 2, 2026, marking a new beginning for one of Africa’s most successful youth teams. He replaces Bankole Olowookere, who guided the team to a bronze medal at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022.

The new coach now faces the task of building on that success while introducing fresh ideas to the team.

Nigeria is preparing for the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted in Morocco. After receiving a bye in the first round, the Flamingos will play either Niger Republic or Guinea in May in a two-legged tie.

The schedule is tight, leaving little room for mistakes. If the team qualifies, they will face stronger opponents in July. Busari will also need to build a new squad, as players at this level often move on quickly.

Another key task for the coach is to restore confidence in the team. The Flamingos were knocked out in the round of 16 at the last World Cup after a heavy defeat to Italy, a result that still affects the team.

Busari brings a wealth of experience to the role. He is a CAF A-licensed coach and has worked in both men’s and women’s football in Nigeria and abroad.

Before his appointment, he was Technical Adviser at Pacesetter Queens in Ibadan. He has also coached clubs such as Shooting Stars, Crown FC, Gateway United, and Bayelsa Queens. At Shooting Stars, he helped the club gain promotion to the top flight during the 2008/2009 season.

He has also won several State FA Cup titles with Gateway United and Shooting Stars. At Bayelsa Queens, he served as Technical Director, gaining valuable experience in both coaching and administration.

Outside Nigeria, Busari has coached clubs in the Benin Republic, including Espoir FC and JSP Benin.

He is known for an attacking style of play, with his teams pressing high and moving the ball quickly. This style could suit the Flamingos, who are known for their speed and energy.

Off the pitch, Busari has also contributed to coaching development. A graduate of Lead City University, he has worked with the Lagos State Coaches Association, helping to train young coaches.

His new role with the Flamingos will focus on developing young players, maintaining Nigeria’s strong record in youth football, and preparing players for the senior national team.

The Tigers earned a crucial 3-0 win over Stockton Town in their bid to avoid relegation from the Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Jonathan Reynolds MP hailed the power of community when he visited Hyde United for Non-League Day.

The government Chief Whip met the club’s volunteers, and even had a go at helping out himself, as the Tigers earned a crucial 3-0 win over Stockton Town in their bid to avoid relegation from the Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Almost 600 were in attendance at the Project Solar Stadium on a day that put the lower levels of the pyramid in the spotlight, and Reynolds was full of praise for those who keep the club running.

“It’s a wonderful way to recognise the volunteers and what they do for a club like this,” he said.

“We are so blessed in this area. I represent three different non-League clubs and what they have all got in common, as well as a bit of rivalry, is that they are run by volunteers and community power.

“It is not just about sport, it is about local identity, local community. Maybe sometimes people take for granted the depth of the English football pyramid.

“In a place like this we do recognise and value what these clubs bring and the contribution these people make.”

The Tigers have battled against the drop all season but are in with a chance of survival heading into the final month.

Victory over play-off chasing Stockton was a huge boost to their chances but commentator Ian Burke believes the club is about far more than just the 90 minutes every Saturday.

Non-League clubs like Hyde are fuelled by volunteers, with league sponsors Pitching In providing fans an easy way to find opportunities to help out at their nearest club through its Volunteer Hub.

And Burke hopes Non-League Day may have encouraged a few more fans to discover the lower leagues and maybe even volunteer themselves.

“Non-League Day is important. It exposes people who aren’t used to the non-League game to it,” he added.

“It is almost like the biggest minority sport in the country. People know it’s there, but it is totally different from what you see in the Premier League.

“Non-League football runs on volunteers. There’s people who grumble constantly who work on the gates or around the ground. Everyone who works here does it for the love of it.”

Find volunteering opportunities near you at https://pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk/

Terence Crawford remains unwilling to return to the sport after his December retirement, but has named the two active and undefeated fan-favourite fighters that swerved a showdown with him when he was campaigning as a welterweight.

‘Bud’ captured the WBO welterweight world title back in 2018 when he knocked out Australian Manny Pacquiao-conqueror Jeff Horn and he defended that belt on six occasions before his legendary undisputed title win against Errol Spence Jr.

The Omaha operator then moved up to the super-welterweight division and dethroned Israil Madrimov for the WBA super-welterweight crown on his way up to the super-middleweight division.

Up at 168lbs, Crawford decisioned Canelo Alvarez in a legacy-defining win, becoming boxing’s sixth five-division world champion, joining Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao in that extremely elite club.

However, in an clip captured by Jai McAllister, Crawford revealed that he was willing to face the up-and-comers during his welterweight reign, but that Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. avoided a shot at his WBO strap.

“I had the opportunity to fight Boots but Boots chose to drop out of the WBO rankings, him and Vergil [Ortiz Jr.]. So that is why I ended up fighting Shawn Porter.”

Ennis is a former unified welterweight world champion while Ortiz is the reigning WBC interim super-welterweight champion. The pair looked to be on a collision course with one another, but issues between Ortiz and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya ended those plans.

Instead, ‘Boots’ will attempt to become a two-division world champion when he challenges WBA and WBO titleholder Xander Zayas at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 27.

Michigan star Elliot Cadeau has rejoined his teammates for the Final Four a day after being rushed to the hospital.

The starting point guard revealed that he was hospitalized due to an allergic reaction after an accidental exposure to nuts.

“I just ate something I was allergic to,” the junior said as he sat at his locker at Lucas Oil Stadium two days before the Wolverines meet fellow No. 1 seed Arizona in the national semifinals.

Coach Dusty May said Cadeau, who averages 10.2 points and 5.8 assists, is “fine.”

Cadeau’s treatment came as his teammates were flying to the Final Four, though Cadeau said a Michigan staffer had driven him to Indianapolis to rejoin teammates ahead of Thursday’s locker-room interviews and other pregame promotional activities.

Cadeau described it as “just a minor inconvenience for me.”

“I just had a little bit of hives so that’s why I went to the hospital, just to prevent anything further from happening,” he said.

Detroit radio station WWJ 950 posted a video on X Wednesday showing a covered individual sitting upright while being wheeled out of Michigan’s player development center on a gurney and loaded into an ambulance.

Michigan later confirmed it was Cadeau, who had complained of a possible allergic reaction and received medical supervision “out of an abundance of caution.”

“If it’s the worst thing that happens to us, then we’re very blessed,” May said Thursday. “It also just shows him how much he means to his teammates. They were very concerned, obviously, like we all would be for a reaction like that.

“But just grateful that he’s fine. We have great medical care, and he’s back with us. Dude is a warrior. He’ll be fine.”

The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up one of baseball’s best prospects. Shortstop Konnor Griffin will be summoned to make his MLB debut in the team’s home opener Friday, the Pirates announced Thursday. The news comes as the two sides are reportedly working on a long-term extension, which is expected to be in the range of nine years and $140 million, reports ESPN.

Griffin, 20 later this month, will be the first teenager to appear in the big leagues since Elvis Luciano and Juan Soto in 2019. The No. 9 pick in the 2024 Draft skyrocketed through the minors last season, slashing .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 steals while climbing from Low Class-A to Double-A. Griffin is 7 for 16 (.438) with three doubles in five Triple-A games this year. 

The Pirates gave Griffin a chance to win the shortstop job in spring training, though he stumbled a bit (7 for 41 with 13), specifically swinging through too many pitches in the zone. We ranked Griffin has the third-best prospect in baseball entering spring training. Here’s the write-up:

The rap on Griffin during his amateur days was that he had every tool but the hit tool, the most important of the bunch. It was encouraging, then, to see him ease concerns about his swing-and-miss during his first pro season. He connected on more than 75% of his attempts while showing off the power (he cleared the 114 mph threshold) and speed (he stole 65 bases) combination that gave him a high ceiling. Griffin even kept his strikeout rate under 24% during a 21-game stint in Double-A, suggesting that he wasn’t just feasting on younger pitchers or those with less raw talent. Knowing when to adjust priors is one of the trickiest parts of evaluating players. Given everything about Griffin’s year, it would be silly to ignore how much higher his chances of reaching his star ceiling are now than they were 365 days ago.  

It should be noted there are not service time games being played here. Griffin did not spend enough time in the minors this year to push his free agency back. The Pirates will control him from 2026-31, though if the two sides complete their reported nine-year extension, service time will be moot, and Griffin will be tied to the Pirates for nine years.

Griffin is being called up early enough that he will accrue a full year of service time and thus be eligible for a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick. Those are extra draft picks given to teams that do not manipulate the service time of top 100 prospects. To get a pick for Griffin, he would need to win Rookie of the Year, or finish top three in the MVP voting in one of his pre-arbitration seasons between 2026 and 2028. (The extension would also have to be signed after he appears in a game.)

The National League’s rookie class is stacked this year, with Griffin joining righty Nolan McLean (New York Mets), first baseman Sal Stewart (Cincinnati Reds), and second baseman JJ Wetherholt (St. Louis Cardinals) in the Rookie of the Year mix. Others like center fielder Justin Crawford and righty Andrew Painter, both of the Philadelphia Phillies, could factor into the race as well.

The Pirates are 3-3 in the early going. Thursday is a team off-day, then they’ll take on the Baltimore Orioles in Friday’s home opener. Utility man Jared Triolo has started five of the team’s six games at shortstop. Nick Gonzales has started the other.

A nine-year extension would still allow Griffin to become a free agent at age 28.

Three-time champion Phil Mickelson will miss this year’s Masters and step away from golf “for an extended period” because of a family health matter.

The American has only missed the tournament on three other occasions since making his debut at Augusta National in 1991.

In a post on X, Mickelson wrote: “Unfortunately, I will not play in the Masters Tournament next week and will be out for an extended period of time as my family continues to navigate a personal health matter.

“I have great respect for Augusta National Golf Club and it is definitely the most special week of the year. I wish everyone the best of luck and will be watching.”

The 55-year-old last missed the first major of the season in 2022 after making controversial comments about the then-proposed LIV Golf project and the PGA Tour.

His absence this year, for the tournament that runs from 9 to 12 April, means it will be the first time since 1994 that both Mickelson and Tiger Woods will not feature in the Masters.

Mickelson sat out of the first four events of the 2026 LIV Golf season, at Riyadh, Adelaide, Hong Kong and Singapore. He also cited a “family health matter” when announcing his initial absence on 1 February.

Although he returned to action last month at Steyn City in South Africa, where he finished tied for 48th place, it was unclear whether he would play at Augusta.

Mickelson, who missed the cut at last year’s Masters, has also won the US PGA Championship twice and triumphed at the Open Championship, at Muirfield, in 2013.

Only Jack Nicklaus (six), Woods (five) and Arnold Palmer (four) have won more Masters titles than Mickelson.

If you’ve been scoping punters for the Minnesota Vikings in the upcoming draft, the best one might fly off the board in Round 2. He’s Brett Thorson, and there’s a wild new theory about his draft stock.

Minnesota could use draft capital on a punter if Thorson keeps climbing boards this spring.

The Vikings almost certainly won’t use a 2nd-Rounder on a punter, but the idea is out in the rumor mill as of this week for Thorson.

Thorson Could Become an Option for Minnesota — But Not in Round 2

A 2nd-Rounder on a punter is wild.

Report: Teams Could Spend Day 2 Pick on Thorson

Get familiar with the name Brett Thorson because his draft placement could blow your socks off.

NFL insider Jason La Canfora quoted an anonymous personnel executive this week: “I don’t know that you can justify taking a punter above the third round, but if that’s the threshold then he meets it. Maybe he even goes late second round.”

“He has elite hang time and distance, and a lot of special teams coaches now seem to be getting more into that and not as much solely looking for the directional stuff… And he can do that too.”

Another source told La Canfora: “It’s crazy to talk this way about a punter, but the Georgia kid might be kind of special. If you really need a punter, and you have a coach who wants to be able to flip the field, there’s value to having a great punter.”

La Canfora added personally, “Thorson is a native of Australia with a tough-minded mentality and a willingness to throw his body into traffic to make a tackle.”

“It can, and has, led to injuries, but teams who have met with him love him and his metrics are off the charts and if nothing else there is a strong sense among teams I spoke to that he will be selected somewhere on the second day of the draft (second and third round).”

Thorson is evidently a true weapon.

Precedent for Round 4 — but Not Round 2

In the last half-decade, the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have drafted punters in Round 4, picks that drew scorn from the general public because most specialists can be plucked from later rounds or undrafted free agency.

Taking Thorson in Round 2 — or even Round 3 — would take the cake. And yes — even the men drafted in Round 4 recently were advertised as game-changers, just like Thorson.

Short and simple: drafting punters anywhere in Round 2 or Round 3 is lousy business. It’s an example of a general manager getting carried away or getting too cute.

Thorson’s Scouting Report

The Australian is 6’1″ and 240 pounds. The only knock on him might be a lack of experience in poor weather; they don’t really have that in Australia or at the University of Georgia.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein on Thorson: “Australian punter with adequate drive power and above-average hang time. Thorson gets good leg extension and has the ability to generate consistent lift, allowing the cover team to swarm when punts are returnable. He displayed vast improvement in touch with his coffin-corner kicks in 2025 and checks the boxes to be a Day 3 pick.”

SI.com‘s Ethan Hurwitz on the Georgia punter: “The winner of the Ray Guy Award (given to the nation’s best punter) in 2025, and a finalist of the award one year prior, the two-time All-American was invited to the NFL Combine this past offseason and wowed teams with his strong leg. The Australia native regularly pins teams inside their own 10-yard line and can change the game with one swing of his right leg.”

“In his college career, Thorson punted the ball 156 times for 7,115 yards. His longest punt went 75 yards and he averaged 45.6 yards per punt. Though he’s still adjusting the NFL-sized fields coming from Australia, he’s continued to get better through the draft process, which included a stop at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.”

Vikings Have Johnny Hekker

Moreover, the Vikings have a new punter; his name is Johnny Hekker. Once upon a time, Hekker was the best punter in football, claiming six All-Pros, four Pro Bowls, and a Super Bowl to his name. But that was then, and this is now.

Hekker represented an average punter by the numbers in 2025, and if he takes off in the Twin Cities, it will require a turn back of the clock.

It’s also worth noting that Hekker’s contractual structure puts him in line to be the primary punter next season. Minnesota would have to swallow a bit of dead cap if it drafted Thorson and cut Hekker. Teams don’t typically keep two punters.

Thorson might be an option for the Vikings, but if he’s truly a 2nd-Rounder, you can rule him out.

Minnesota’s punter from the last four years, Ryan Wright, left the Vikings in free agency for a large contract with the New Orleans Saints.

Dmitry Bivol may not get the fights he wants this year – or be forced to go through with them one belt down.

The Russian pound-for-pound star has been out since his rematch with Artur Beterbiev in February 2025, a points win after losing the first fight.

Bivol’s undisputed reign lasted just a couple of months before he dropped the WBC belt rather than fight mandatory challenger David Benavidez – who was upgraded to full champion – in favour of a trilogy with Beterbiev.

Talks for the trilogy stalled and the unified champion then suffered an injury on his back which required surgery in August. Now recovered, he recently announced a mandatory defence against top IBF contender Michael Eifert.

He has also named a hit list of opponents that includes the third fight with Beterbiev – whose team are becoming frustrated by the delay – Benavidez and perhaps a rematch with Canelo Alvarez. Bivol has also not ruled out moving up to cruiserweight to become a two-division world champion.

Those plans will please fans, but the sanctioning body rotation is now in motion and, as reported by the Ring Magazine, the WBO are set to order Bivol to face the winner of Callum Smith vs David Morrell, which takes place on April 18 in Liverpool for the interim title.

Should Bivol want to keep hold of the WBO belt, which he holds alongside the WBA and IBF, it could have major repercussions for the division.

Benavidez intends to drop back down to light-heavyweight after his cruiserweight world title challenge against Gilberto Ramirez in May, but the lack of an undisputed clash with Bivol may make him reconsider, or instead pursue Beterbiev.

Sophie Fawns played with Helen Housby for four seasons at the NSW Swifts in Australia, but has joined AO Manchester Thunder for the 2026 Netball Super League season.

When Sophie Fawns told Helen Housby she was joining AO Manchester Thunder, Housby burst into tears – not out of sadness at what Housby would lose in a teammate, but what Fawns would gain in experience.

Housby and Fawns are now treading opposite paths, with the England shooter making the move from AO Thunder to NSW Swifts in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball almost a decade ago, while Fawns has swapped Sydney for Manchester to play in the Netball Super League. As one of the most exciting attacking talents in netball, signing Fawns was a major coup for AO Manchester Thunder, but it is a valuable opportunity for the 22-year-old too.

“She was ecstatic for me when I first told her I was going,” Fawns said. “I remember telling her at our gala dinner and she started crying. She told me I was going to have the best time and that the Thunder girls are the best kind of girls and the culture that they have at the club and that Karen [Greig, head coach] has created is second to none.

“It shows that Helen hasn’t been in that environment for 10 years, but she still talks about Karen and what that team is like. It made it extra special knowing what it means to play for Thunder and knowing that Thunder has been around quite some time and there are still only 86 players who have represented the club and the history and the legacy that it holds.”

Housby helped AO Thunder to their second NSL title in 2014 before heading to Australia in 2017, where she has played for the Swifts ever since. Fawns made her debut for the Sydney club at just 19 years old and has represented Australia at Fast5 level.

The shooter has been able to learn from one of the best in the world in Housby having gone from fan to friend. She added: “Helen played a massive part in terms of my career at Swifts. I never really had the aspirations of playing professional netball until I saw the Swifts play in a pre-season game.

“Helen being a goal attack and being that girl was someone I really looked up to and made me want to play professional netball. So, to be able to play with her and when I first came into the environment, I was so starstruck and she gave me a hug in my first training session when I was 16.

“But by the time I signed my first contract she said, you know we are actually friends and teammates now, so you can stop being a fan girl about me, and that was the best because it broke down the barrier that we could be silly and goofy with each other because we were teammates. Being able to be able to play with Helen Housby and what she has to offer to the game, I learnt so much of what you can do and it was a privilege to play with her as one of the best in the world.”

Fawns is now hoping to earn AO Thunder a fifth Netball Super League title, with the team currently sitting second in the table, and taking on league leaders Loughborough Lightning on Saturday at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. It is a potential Soft & Gentle Grand Final match-up, which has extra meaning for the AO Manchester Thunder team with the Grand Final coming to their city for the first time ever, when it will be held at Co-op Live on 20 June.

Fawns has been partnering Eleanor Cardwell in the shooting circle in Manchester, with Cardwell another player who has played out in Australia. The pair came up against each other in a Grand Final Down Under, with Fawns using that as motivation for this season.

“The first year she was over, she beat us in the Grand Final in extra time, so when we first met I made a joke that ‘I am going to not try and hold it against you but you did take that premiership away from me’, she said. “She is the best and the smarts she has and how she shows and demonstrates that leadership on court is something I am really grateful to be playing with.

“Now that we are on the same team I have told her, ‘I won’t hold it against you, but we do have to win one this year’.”

The road to the Soft & Gentle Grand Final is underway, get your tickets here.