Palmer is the first Chelsea player to receive the recognition since Ashley Cole in 2010. Frank Lampard also won the award while at the Blues.

Arsenal’s Saka was named men’s player of the year in the past two seasons, while Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham are also past winners.

Past winners:

2023-24 – Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

2022-23 – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

2021-22 – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

2020-21 – Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)

2019 – Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)

2018 – Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

2017 – Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

2016 – Adam Lallana (Liverpool)

2015 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

2014 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

2012 – Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

2011 – Scott Parker (Tottenham Hotspur)

2010 – Ashley Cole (Chelsea)

2009 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

2008 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

2007 – Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

2006 – Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich)

2005 – Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

2004 – Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

2003 – David Beckham (Manchester United)

The chief executive of Premiership Women’s Rugby, Belinda Moore, is stepping down in October “to focus on other opportunities”.

The news was not expected and comes after just one round of the new PWR season has been played.

She is just 22 months into her tenure and the women’s World Cup begins in England in August.

Moore oversaw the transition from the English women’s domestic league being owned by the Rugby Football Union to becoming an independent company.

No successor has been announced, with members of the PWR board expected to take temporary control.

A statement by the league gave little away on the circumstances surrounding Moore’s exit: “Belinda Moore has made the decision to move on from Premier Women’s Rugby Ltd (PWR) to focus on other opportunities and will be stepping down this month.”

Moore also secured the league’s current broadcast deal with TNT Sports and spearheaded the Powered Differently season-opening campaign launches.

There will be disappointment that she isn’t staying through to next year’s World Cup, when the league expected to benefit from increased coverage and interest.

Board members expected to be involved in covering Moore’s responsibilities until a successor is found include chairwoman Genevieve Shore, Claire Rogan and Kelly Simmons.

Artem Vakhitov has an opportunity to earn a UFC contract when he competes on The Contender Series on Oct. 8, but even before he sets foot in the octagon for the first time, he’s got light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira’s attention.

The former rivals who met twice in GLORY with Vakhitov holding the final win over Pereira before he left the promotion to sign with the UFC have already engaged in a war of words. With Vakhitov making his transition into MMA — with a 2-1 record, which is almost identical to Pereira when he joined the UFC roster — he’ll have plenty of eyes on him when he fights next Tuesday night.

While he still has to perform and impress the UFC executives in attendance to guarantee himself a contract, Vakhitov knows Pereira is already looking over his shoulder.

“I didn’t ask for any attention from him but he already knows he lost to me two times,” Vakhitov said about Pereira when speaking to MMA Fighting. “It’s worrying him a little bit.

“For sure for fans around the world, it’s very interesting. Let’s see for the future. I think we can do it.”

Much like Pereira signing with the UFC largely due to his wins over then champion Israel Adesanya in kickboxing, Vakhitov knows he’s got a leg up on the competition when it comes to a fast rise up the ranks.

Add to that, the 33-year-old Russian doesn’t believe there are many strikers even close to Pereira’s level on the feet, which is another reason why he wants to shake things up with his arrival.

“You see now that he is very easily beating all the guys now,” Vakhitov said. “For sure, they really needed some guy who can beat him in that striking style. I guess we will see who is the best striker very soon.”

Because he shares so much history with Pereira thanks to those back-to-back fights in 2021, Vakhitov competes on The Contender Series with a much brighter spotlight on him than the average prospect.

That might intimidate some fighters but don’t count Vakhitov among them.

“I’m not getting any pressure,” Vakhitov said. “I just have it in my own way. My aim and my focus is only on Dana White’s Contender Series for sure. If I will get Pereira in the future, I will show a great fight and let’s hope that will be meet soon in the octagon.

“I was thinking that I could get in the UFC directly without Dana White’s Contender Series but anyway it’s a very good chance for me. A great opportunity to get there. I will take this chance and for sure I will only show great fights in the future. I think it’s a very good opportunity for me.”

Beyond his training at home in Russia, Vakhitov has also spent significant time training at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, the same gym that houses notable UFC fighters such as Shavkat Rakhmonov, Gilbert Burns and Michael Chandler.

Making the move from kickboxing to MMA is never easy but Vakhitov believes he’s learned a lot already and he’s still adding more and more weapons to his arsenal everyday.

“From the beginning, I was starting to work on defense from takedowns, about things to help me defend from guys on the ground,” Vakhitov said. “I’ve got a few camps in Moscow and here in [Florida] so I’m already experienced and a lot of high level guys are training with us.

“It for sure helped me with the experience and I’m getting more into this stuff. It looks like the transition is going well and we are still working on it. Continuing to work on it.”

Assuming he wins next Tuesday and UFC CEO Dana White offers him a contract, Vakhitov doesn’t expect that he’ll just get handed a fight against Pereira right away.

Vakhitov has no problem earning the chance to face his old foe again but until then he’ll keep rooting for Pereira to hold onto his title — just like he did in his latest defense over Khalil Rountree at UFC 307.

“For sure [rooting] for Alex to win, it’s all I can wish for him,” Vakhitov said. “Just continue to win and I hope we will meet very soon. He just has to wait for me.”

PETERBOROUGH’S EFL Trophy clash with Stevenage was halted for more than half an hour due to a sodden pitch.

Players went off midway through the second period after a first-half downpour let puddles – with ground staff then doing “extensive” repair work.

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The teams were eventually allowed back out for a five-minute warm-up before the action resumed at 9pm.

Peterborough were leading their League One rivals 2-0 at the time.

Most of the rain had come before the break – leading to incredibly-difficult conditions for moving the ball.

Players were first taken off in the 68th minute – at 8.24pm – when the rain was in fact easin.

And initially just a five-minute break was announced.

Club staff soon started putting their forks into the turf in a bid to help drain it.

And when the ran stopped at 8.31pm, balls could be bounced on the pitch – but not very impressively.

Fans were told three minutes later the match would resume, with staff now digging around the London Road end of the surface.

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Referee Stephen Parkinson came out to test the the pitch – with a puddle at one end the main problem.

The ball couldn’t be bounced there – but cries of joy ran out from the crowd every time a ball was kicked more than a few yards.

And after more furious forking, players returned – in what, technically, was now time added on.

Finally both teams officially began their second warm-up at 8.53pm – with play restarting just before the hour-mark.

Striker Malik Mothersille and wing-back Jack Sparkes had netted for Posh on 12 and 43 minutes.

LOS ANGELES — A judge dismissed Ryan Garcia’s misdemeanor charge of vandalism Tuesday, noting the boxer has made restitution to the Waldolf Astoria, the upscale Beverly Hills hotel that told police Garcia did more than $15,000 in damage, and that he has no criminal record.

Judge James P. Cooper III granted a civil compromise at the Airport Courthouse in dismissing the case over the objections of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. He also lectured Garcia as the boxer stood next to his attorney, Michael Goldstein.

“Mr. Goldstein and I have seen athletes lose their money, very quickly, because people always want to be around you to party when you have the money,” Cooper said from the bench. “But when that money’s gone, your friends are no longer around and they no longer have their hands out because your money’s gone. And you can look at Mike Tyson. It happened to Muhammad Ali. It happens to a lot of people in your field. …

“Listen to Mr. Goldstein, listen to people who are older because we’ve been around the block a few times, OK? And we know what’s going on. So good luck, son.’’

Garcia, standing next to his attorney, said, “Thank you, your honor.”

In objecting to the judge’s decision to dismiss the case by civil compromise, deputy district attorney Eric Algorri said the vandalism involved luxury items at a luxury hotel.

The reported damages included a well-mounted TV, a refrigerator, two hallway sconce lights, a vase and a metal casing for a door hinge, according to Pamela J. Johnson, a public information specialist for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

But Cooper overruled the objection and explained his decision.

“By accepting the hotel’s representation that they received full compenstation and that they’re not seeking any further action, I am simply accelerating what would happen,” Cooper said. “The court is also mindful of the fact that the court issues a lot of restitution orders and I will say that 95 percent of them, the victim never receives satisfaction. And I think in this situation, where the defedant has made full restitution, in a weird sort of way he’s sort of shown a lot of remorse for what happened and I think he gets the benefit of his bargain.”

Outside the courtroom, Garcia told USA TODAY Sports, “I’m just thankful that we got a good result. And, yeah, just ready to get back on track and do better.’’

In objecting to the judge’s decision to dismiss the case by civil compromise, deputy district attorney Eric Algorri said the vandalism involved luxury items at a luxury hotel.

The reported damages included a well-mounted TV, a refrigerator, two hallway sconce lights, a vase and a metal casing for a door hinge, according to Pamela J. Johnson, a public information specialist for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The embattled 26-year-old boxer is serving a one-year suspension for testing positive for a banned substance the day before and day of his fight against Devin Haney on April 20 in Brooklyn. On Sept. 27, citing the positive drug test, Haney sued Garcia for fraud, battery and breach of contract, according to a copy of the lawsuit.

The legal issue began June 8 when Garcia was arrested by the Beverly Hills Police Department at the Waldorf Astoria on a felony charge of vandalism.

“You had the Beverly Hills Police Department taking really good care of him,” said Garcia’s attorney, Michael Goldstein. “They were very professional, and we appreciated that.”

Goldstein stressed the positive impact Garcia making restitution and having no criminal record had on the judge’s decision. Another option was for Garcia to agree to pre-trial diversion. “But that would have just kicked the can down the road … The court didn’t want to hamper his ability to train and keeping something like this renting free space in his head. So I think now he’s free from this and he can pursue everything else he wants to do and he’s back on track.”

The District Attorney’s office decided to prosecute the case July 18 and reduced the charge to a misdemeanor.

On Aug. 8, Garcia pleaded not guilty during his arraignment.

This story originally published at USA TODAY Sports.

British number two Cameron Norrie marked his return after three months out through injury with a straight-set win at the Roanne Challenger event in France.

Norrie withdrew from several tournaments this year – including the US Open – because of an arm injury that also kept him out of the Olympics.

The top seed at the Roanne Challenger, Norrie beat French world number 747 Etienne Donnet 6-1 6-2 to progress to the last 16.

This is Norrie’s first event since mid-July at the Nordea Open in Bastad, where he lost to Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4 in what was Nadal’s first event back from injury.