Sport

Wimbledon expansion: Extra courts at All England Club given planning boost

Published

10 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Wimbledon expansion: Extra courts at All England Club given planning boost

The All England Club has received a boost to its plans to build 39 new tennis courts on Wimbledon Park.

Officers at the Greater London Authority (GLA) have recommended the Deputy Mayor should grant conditional planning permission at a public hearing next Friday.

Merton Council approved the plans, but the proposal was referred to the GLA after Wandsworth Council rejected the scheme last November.

Officers say the proposal complies with most relevant planning policies and there are “no material considerations that are considered to justify the refusal of consent”.

They admit there will be a loss of open space, and harm to protected Metropolitan Open Land, but conclude the “balance is clearly in favour of” approving the scheme.

The All England Club’s plans include 39 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seater stadium on Wimbledon Park.

The extra courts would allow Wimbledon qualifying to take place on site – in line with the other three Grand Slams – and the All England Club has also promised to create a new 23-acre public park in the spirit of the original design of landscape architect Capability Brown.

There has been local opposition from groups such as Save Wimbledon Park, which fears the area will become a “huge industrial tennis complex”.

The full planning hearing will take place at City Hall in London on Friday, 27 September, with a decision possible later the same day.

The decision rests with Jules Pipe, the deputy mayor of London, as the Mayor Sadiq Khan excused himself from the process having publicly expressed his support for the plans in 2021.

The deputy mayor’s decision may not signal the end of the process. Angela Rayner – the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – could also decide to call the application in, and hold a fresh planning hearing.

The Minister will have seven days, from the moment the decision is communicated to her, to consider her options.

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Sport

Commonwealth Games 2026: Will Glasgow be the final host?

Published

18 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Commonwealth Games 2026: Will Glasgow be the final host?

So, why does Glasgow think it is an event still worth having?

Firstly, they believe the numbers add up. Glasgow’s calculations are that a combination of CGF funds, a financial sweetener from Victoria and private investment will avoid the use of any UK public money.

The 2026 Games programme will also be slimmed down to lighten the load on the bottom line.

The plan is to stage as few as 10 sports, compared to the 18-strong schedule in 2014, and to use existing venues rather than build from scratch.

The way Birmingham projected a feel-good face onto England’s second city shows the success the Games can be.

However, the city’s subsequent financial struggles, with its council effectively declaring bankruptcy in September 2023, also underlines the stakes involved.

Clare Hartley is the co-founder of Arc Event Consultancy and has worked with multi-sport event organisers, including Manchester 2006 and Birmingham 2022, for nearly 25 years,

“It is just very hard to put these multi-sport events on,” she says.

“They are very expensive, they require a lot of different venues and logistically they are very challenging.

“Multi-sport events are huge projects that take up so much money and time and more countries and cities are weighing up more carefully whether it is worth hosting them.”

The sporting calendar is far busier than it was in 1930, when the first Commonwealth Games took place, offering star athletes lucrative alternatives but also giving potential hosts the chance to put on events that better suit local tastes and budgets.

The Commonwealth Games – which has necessary infrastructure and a variety of venues comparable to an Olympics, without the bumper broadcasting receipts or global sponsorship deals to offset them – will always be a tricky proposition.

“You look at Singapore,” says Hartley.

“It is a sporting nation, part of the Commonwealth, a prosperous nation, and they are hosting the World Aquatics Championships next year, rather than bidding for the Commonwealths.

“There are so many sporting opportunities out there, nations can pick and choose a little bit and the Commonwealth Games has not been of as much interest.”

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MMA

What is UFC, what is MMA and what are the rules?

Published

20 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

What is UFC, what is MMA and what are the rules?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, also known as UFC, has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the US and in the last few years increasingly caught the attention of fight fans in the UK, too.

But what is it, how was it formed and what are the rules?

Here’s our guide on what you need to know.

What is UFC?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a mixed-martial arts promotion in which a series of fights take place around the world, also known as fight nights. It calls itself the “premier organisation in MMA”.

Mixed martial arts, of course, is nothing new dating back more than 5,000 years.

But UFC brings together some of the world’s best mixed martial artists, fighting each other at different weights with a main event taking place once a month. There are more than 40 events each year.

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Football

'Schillaci was a man who lived for goals'

Published

21 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

'Schillaci was a man who lived for goals'

Italian football expert Mina Rzouki remembers Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci, who has died aged 59.

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Sport

The Champions League's new table explained

Published

39 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

The Champions League's new table explained

The Champions League will follow a new format from 2024-25 – BBC Sport explains what will change and what will stay the same.

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MMA

Conor McGregor ‘to address US Congress in rights campaign for MMA fighters’

Published

41 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Conor McGregor 'to address US Congress in rights campaign for MMA fighters'

There have also been complaints about lower-ranked UFC fighters being awarded title bouts simply based on their ability to sell television pay-per-view subscriptions, which is a core element of the UFC’s income in the United States.

Despite losing in the 10th round against Mayweather, McGregor has indicated that he may box again, and a handful of other UFC fighters have expressed an interest in lucrative one-off boxing bouts.

Legal experts have been discussing in the media whether McGregor is now a boxer in the eyes of the law, and thus entitled to the protection of the Act, or if he will lose that protection when he returns to the UFC.

FIGHTER SAFETY

Epstein told Reuters that the UFC does extensive work on fighter safety and welfare and is as transparent as possible when it comes to contracts.

He rejected the notion that match-making based on independent rankings could improve the sport.

“We have been successful for one reason and one reason only – we put on the fights the fans want to see,” Epstein explained.

“That’s where we have a problem with what Congressman Mullin wants to do.”

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Sport

Harry Kane: Striker’s record-breaking night as Bayern score nine

Published

60 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Harry Kane: Striker's record-breaking night as Bayern score nine

Former England defender Stephen Warnock, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “Harry Kane is an exceptional professional.

“One thing we know about Kane is he’s never had blistering pace, his game is thought in the mind, he sees space and senses where the ball might drop – he is an intelligent footballer.”

This summer there were calls for Kane, England’s all-time record goalscorer, to be dropped during the run to the Euro 2024 final.

Warnock continued: “He will prove people wrong for the next couple of years. People are going to talk about it [his performances for England at Euro 2024]. It was a bad Euros for him.

“It didn’t go well and I think there was a number of factors; an injury he picked up in the late stages of the Bundesliga, the style of play England had, or, the wingers he was playing with didn’t complement him.

“He will score goals at Bayern Munich as he suits the way they play. The one thing about Vincent Kompany’s teams is they do create so many opportunities.”

Kane scored 44 goals in 45 games for Bayern last season. He recently marked his 100th England cap with two goals against Finland.

“He will be involved in 50 goals this season with goals and assists, but he will still get questioned about his England position,” added Warnock.

“I don’t know why people want to question him, he is still phenomenal.”

For all Kane’s goals – 417 for club and country now – he has yet to win a major trophy.

Bayern failed to win the Bundesliga for the first time in 12 years last season.

He has also lost two European Championship finals with England and a Champions League final with Tottenham.

Former Bayern and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, on TNT Sports, said: “He played to the level you’d expect [last season]. The other players didn’t.

“Harry is going to win trophies – the only question is which ones.”

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