Sports

The fight for American football in Europe

Published

4 weeks ago

5 February 2026

A major investor in a new American football league in Europe believes the time is right for a sustainable pan-European competition, despite a host of previous failures.

David Gandler, who co-founded the sports streaming service Fubo, says he has personally invested “seven figures” in the European Football Alliance (EFA). The new league is planning to launch in May with seven teams, while a further two — in London, also backed by Gandler, and in Milan — are scheduled to join in 2027.

“There’s pent-up demand,” Gandler told DW in an interview. “The only thing really missing around American football is structure. So to capture that kind of growth, what you really need is a professionally-governed, transparent and responsive league.”

The EFA, though, is not alone in its endeavors, with the recent emergence of the American Football League Europe (AFLE), which has so far announced five teams for the forthcoming season.

Moritz Heisler, the AFLE’s managing director, told DW that the two organizations were in negotiations to “bring things together,” adding: “If done right, a merged or evolved AFLE doesn’t need to be the biggest league, just the smartest one.”

However, an EFA source characterized the discussions as being about the AFLE’s teams joining their league.

Focus on homegrown players

Whether they end up merging or continue on their separate paths, both the EFA and AFLE face the same question: How do you establish a successful and commercially viable American football league in Europe?

Even the NFL, whose Super Bowl, which is on Sunday, is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, shut down its European project, NFL Europe, back in 2007. At the time it ceased operating, the league was said to be losing $30 million (€25 million) per year.

Although NFL Europe enjoyed some popularity in England and Germany, it failed to break through in the United States, where it was seen as being a developmental league for American players. The NFL has since pivoted to bringing its regular season games to Europe.

David Gandler has his photo taken on the Leyton Orient pitch — David Gandler is also the majority shareholder of English lower league football club, Leyton OrientImage: Liam McAvoy/PRiME Media Images/IMAGO

“Compared to football and basketball, American football is a niche sport in Europe,” Heisler acknowledged. “But the NFL didn’t ‘fail’ in Europe because people don’t like American football. It struggled because it tried to import a US product instead of localizing deeply enough.”

Heisler said the new league’s focus should be on engaging local fans and helping them connect with “players who live in their city.”

Gandler, with his background in streaming, agrees.

“There’s a massive opportunity on the media side,” he said. “I think there’s a way for us to create significant value on an international level, but at the same time helping the local franchises maximize their rights on the domestic market. It’s all about homegrown players.”

NFL model the ‘gold standard’

Teams officially split from the old league, the European League of Football (ELF), in January, having previously demanded “structural reforms, economic fairness and real transparency” — a reference to alleged mismanagement by the ELF’s CEO, Zeljko Karajica, who didn’t respond to a request for comment.

On Monday, the ELF, which could boast some healthy attendances and a television deal, announced that it had gone into self-administration, a form of insolvency, with the aim of “continuing to operate” and “sticking to its schedule for the season.” But as the EFA source commented: “They have no teams!”

Promising “financial sustainability,” the EFA says it wants to follow the NFL’s “gold standard” model of being run collectively by its franchises and sharing revenue.

Berlin's Olympic Stadium in NFL mode — Berlin’s Olympic Stadium recently held an NFL match but European leagues have struggled Image: Kirby Lee/Imagn Images/IMAGO

“Having that governance control over the product is critical to success,” said Mason Parker, owner of the Prague Lions, one of the teams signed up to the EFA.

“The league will be successful when the team owners start treating the league’s P&L (profit and loss) like their own P&L. The other league was simply not structured that way. The incentives weren’t correctly aligned.”

Heisler said the ELF, which ran for five seasons, had prioritized “speed and scale,” trying to expand too quickly. As a consequence, one-sided games became the norm, and the league’s poorer teams lacked the facilities to match its desired professionalism.

Images of players queuing up to use portable toilets during a game in Berlin last July underlined the disparity between franchises and invited ridicule on social media.

“There was no vetting,” Parker said. “The [other] teams had no say. That’s a perfect example of the systemic problem that the ELF had.”
Another problem is the NFL’s strategy on the continent. The NFL is playing more games in Europe with extensive activities around those games and granting international marketing rights to the 32 teams in order to build long-term brand presence.
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‘Global growth phase’

With flag football, a non-contact version of American football, set to debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Gandler said the sport had reached an “inflection point.”
“Viewership in Europe is accelerating, and the sport, in my view, is entering a global growth phase,” he said. “When basketball entered the Olympic stage, the Olympics actually became a catalyst for international adoption.”
Gandler hopes a new European league could even complement the NFL by “bridging storylines,” for example about former NFL players who come to Europe, or European players who go on to make it in the NFL. Previous efforts to help players from outside the US crack the NFL have seen limited results.
“The NFL is doing a superb job at marketing American football across the globe. And I think the EFA, or American football in Europe, has an opportunity to fill that void when these teams leave those markets.”
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Edited by: Matt Pearson

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Heavyweight who sparred Wardley and Dubois gives fight verdict: “He has unbelievable power”

Published

4 minutes ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois collide in Manchester in two months’ time in what a sparring partner of both men calls a ‘barnstormer.’

Champion Wardley takes on challenger Dubois in one of the year’s standout heavyweight bouts, with extreme power in each corner and questions for both men to answer.

Wardley was elevated from interim to full WBO champion, and is looking to satisfy fans with a dangerous first defence. The best way to do that is by facing a genuine knockout puncher – something his record arguably lacks so far.

As for Dubois, the 28-year-old once again faced questions of his heart and grit under pressure when he lost for a second time to Oleksandr Usyk last year. A career-best performance prior to that against Anthony Joshua reminded us how devastating he can be, but many feel he has to deliver more consistency.

Speaking to Seconds Out, fan favourite heavyweight Johnny Fisher looked back on his experiences sparring both men.

“Great fight. Fabio – I’ve seen his rise. I’ve sparred him many times in the earlier days, four, five years ago. Daniel, obviously I’ve been around him in the Sims gym, been around and sparred him before that as well. It’s a fantastic match-up.
“People have written off Fabio Wardley many times. That’s probably not a wise thing to do, so I’m not going to do that. And Daniel Dubois – unbelievable, electric power that I’ve felt myself … It’s a barnstormer.”

Fisher, who did not make a prediction, went on to praise Wardley more.

“[Fabio] is everything that we see that he is – a warrior. His mental toughness, coming back from looking like you’re in trouble, to swinging and getting someone out of there… He’s also a great boxing technician, we’ve got to give him credit for that fight with Parker as well – not just knocking someone out, showing the skills to be a world class heavyweight.”

The fight has all the ingredients of a British heavyweight classic, with the winner targeting another major scalp later this year.

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NFL Players from Long Beach Polytechnic H.S. (CA)

Published

17 minutes ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin



  By SuperWest Sports Staff

Here is an up-to-date list of all NFL Players from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.

Consequently, players taken in the upcoming draft will not be included until they have seen the field.

The League does not officially recognize players who appeared only in preseason exhibition games.

Long Beach Poly is a prep football powerhouse, ranked as the No. 1 pro football player-producing high school in the state, and the second NFL football player-producing high school in the nation.

California has produced a total of 3,331 NFL players from 793 schools, with 264 pros currently active.

See where all the other schools in the Golden State rank here, with links to their respective players.

NFL Players from Long Beach Polytechnic HS

Player	Pos	Teams	From	To
Alex Austin	DB	HOU,NWE	2023	2025
Jack Jones	DB	NWE,LVR,MIA	2022	2025
Marcedes Lewis	TE	JAX,GNB,CHI,DEN	2006	2025
JuJu Smith-Schuster	WR	PIT,KAN,NWE	2017	2025
Aaron Shampklin	RB	PIT	2024	2024
DeSean Jackson	WR	PHI,WAS,TAM,LVR,LAR,BAL	2008	2022
Jayon Brown	ILB	TEN,LVR	2017	2022
Jurrell Casey	DE	TEN,DEN	2011	2020
Jamize Olawale	FB	OAK,DAL	2012	2019
Kaelin Clay	WR	BAL,CAR,BUF,NYG	2015	2018
Winston Justice	T	PHI,IND,DEN	2007	2013
Isaiah Green	CB	PIT	2013	2013
Terrence Austin	WR	WAS	2010	2011
Darnell Bing	DB	DET	2008	2009
Pago Togafau	LB	PHI,ARI	2007	2009
Willie McGinest	DE-LB	NWE,CLE	1994	2008
Omar Stoutmire	DB	DAL,NYJ,NYG,WAS,NOR	1997	2007
Manuel Wright	DT	MIA,NYG	2005	2007
Samie Parker	WR	KAN	2004	2007
Mark Washington	LB	MIA	2007	2007
Marques Anderson	DB	GNB,OAK,SFO,DEN	2002	2005
Brandon Whiting	DE-DT	PHI,SFO	1998	2004
Larry Croom	RB	ARI	2004	2004
Ken-Yon Rambo	WR	DAL	2001	2002
Marquez Pope	DB	SDG,RAM,SFO,CLE,OAK	1992	2001
Player	Pos	Teams	From	To
Mark Carrier	DB	CHI,DET,WAS	1990	2000
Don Sasa	DT	SDG,WAS,DET,CAR	1995	1998
James Burton	DB	CHI	1994	1997
Leonard Russell	RB	NWE,DEN,STL,SDG	1991	1996
David Howard	LB	MIN,DAL,NWE	1985	1992
Dennis Price	DB	RAI,NYJ	1988	1992
Stephone Paige	WR	KAN	1983	1991
Chuckie Miller	DB	IND	1988	1988
Randall Morris	RB	SEA,DET	1984	1988
Al Williams	WR	SDG	1987	1987
James McDonald	TE	RAM,DET	1983	1987
Charles Clinton	DB	HOU	1987	1987
Kirk Jones	RB	CLE	1987	1987
Tony Hill	WR	DAL	1977	1986
Kendall Williams	DB	BAL	1983	1983
Andre Tyler	WR	TAM	1983	1983
Gene Washington	WR-SE	SFO,DET	1969	1979
Earl McCullouch	WR-SE	DET,NOR	1968	1974
Carl Weathers	LB	OAK	1970	1971
Johnny Morris	FL-HB	CHI	1958	1967
Mike Kellogg	FB	DEN	1966	1967
Jeff Smith	LB	NYG	1966	1966
Willie Brown	WR-HB	RAM,PHI	1964	1966
Gerry McDougall	FB	SDG	1962	1964
Bill Jessup	E-FL	SFO,DEN	1951	1960
Player	Pos	Teams	From	To
Henry Wallace	DB	LAC	1960	1960
Sam Cathcart	DB-HB	SFO	1949	1952
Royal Cathcart	HB	SFO	1950	1950
Quentin Klenk	T	CHR,BUF	1946	1946
Kelly Moan	TB-DB	RAM	1939	1939
Red Franklin	TB-HB	BKN	1935	1937
Corrie Artman	T	NYG,BOS,PIT	1931	1933
Bullet Baker	BB-WB-TB-HB	NYY,GNB,CRD,SIS	1927	1931
Jack Evans	BB	GNB	1929	1929
Don Hill	TB-WB-HB-C	CRD,GNB	1929	1929
Jim Lawson	E	NYY	1927	1927

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Canucks notch rare win after ‘stressful’ trade-deadline week

Published

30 minutes ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

CHICAGO – The roiling, dark skies above Chicago flashed with lightning Friday evening. Incredibly, it was sunny around the Vancouver Canucks.

Blue-sky days have been rarer than wins for the Canucks this season. But the merciful passing of Friday’s National Hockey League trade deadline allowed the rain to pause above the Canucks, who took advantage of the break in the weather to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 in the first game of the rest of their season.

After the strain of this dismal season for the Canucks and the stifling stress of deadline week, when virtually all of their experienced players were mentioned in trade conjecture, and three – Tyler Myers, Conor Garland and David Kampf – were dealt elsewhere for draft picks, there was an obvious lightness around the team.

Judging by the boisterous cheers rolling into the hallway outside their dressing room at the United Center after the game, there was some honest-to-goodness joy, too.

“You could feel before the game that guys were just kind of, you know, excited to play and I think looking forward to the rest of the way here, just knowing this is the group we’re going with,” veteran winger Drew O’Connor said. “It felt good, kind of a weight off our shoulders.

“It was a stressful week. It’s kind of the first time I’ve been a part of it where you didn’t really know who was going to go and who was going to stay, and it was difficult. I think it was difficult on all of us leading up to this week. We lost some guys that have been here a long time and meant a lot to the organization, so that’s difficult. At same time, I think it’s a bit of a relief now that we know what our group is. We’ve got to move forward and try to build something. It was really nice to get the win tonight.”

The Canucks will meet their newest player, waiver pickup Curtis Douglas, Saturday in Winnipeg before Vancouver plays for the second time in less than 24 hours. Maybe the rain will be back, but not the storm.

They have some emotional clarity and some freedom now to just go play the final quarter of their season, even if it starts with them hopelessly last in the NHL standings.

Dangled as trade rentals since November, free-agent-eligible Canucks Teddy Blueger and Evander Kane were not jettisoned on Friday. General manager Patrik Allvin said he received no offers for them. He did, however, wrangle sixth-round picks from the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins for Kampf and minor-leaguer Lukas Reichel, respectively.

“Yeah, a little bit,” Blueger smiled about three hours after taking the opening faceoff. “Nothing has changed with me wanting to be here and be a part of this group. I haven’t been here that long, but I feel like we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs with guys like Fil (Chytil) and Demmer (Thatcher Demko) and Brock (Boeser). You feel like you get close with guys when you go through stuff, both the ups and the downs. And as a person, I value loyalty, so that is something that definitely plays a role with me.”

Allvin has left open the possibility of the Canucks circling back on Blueger and seeing what it might cost to bring him back next season. Kane is gone – but not yet. Management’s plan is to have him finish the season in the NHL with the Canucks before the 34-year-old embarks on free agency.

Other veterans whose names had been cast on social media like breadcrumbs to pigeons this week, like Boeser, O’Connor, Jake DeBrusk, and Elias Pettersson, survived the deadline.

“Every time that deadline is done . . . there’s definitely a sense of relief,” DeBrusk said. “You know where you are; you don’t have to question anything. Obviously, there were some guys that didn’t know . . . and we lost some troops as well. So it’s a tough day.

“I don’t know if I agree with playing on the trade deadline day itself. Guys didn’t nap today (waiting for the deadline to pass). They (the Blackhawks) lost their captain, Nick Foligno. You’re looking at everything going on and, you know, obviously other guys in different positions are probably doing the same thing. (But) we have a job to do, and that’s what it is.”

The Canucks did the job Friday better than the Blackhawks, who traded their captain to the Minnesota Wild so the Foligno brothers, Marcus and Nick, can try and win a Stanley Cup together.

Boeser scored twice for the Canucks, capping the team’s third win in 24 games with an empty-netter. Fittingly, O’Connor, DeBrusk and Blueger all scored. Max Sasson also scored into an empty net while goalie Nikita Tolopilo, who stopped 20 of 23 shots, made his best saves at pivotal moments.

“Yeah, it’s so hard,” Boeser said of losing Myers and Garland this week. “Some of my closest friends over the years. It sucks. We kind of knew it was coming (but) we didn’t know who was going to go. We’ve got to make sure we’re looking forward now and really start to build this thing up.

“It’s nice to get (the deadline) past and now we can just focus on some better hockey.”

Mired in a poor season personally, like so many Canucks, Boeser suddenly has six goals in his last 11 games and is up to 15 goals for the season – two behind team leader, Kiefer Sherwood, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 19.

“I’ll catch him,” Boeser smiled.

He said it was “crazy” how few Canucks remain from the team that went two rounds deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs less than two years ago.

“Someone posted the lineup of our playoff series against Edmonton, and how much has changed in just two years,” Blueger said. “Such a short period of time. Obviously, that’s not ideal, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”

The transaction Friday that will have the most immediate impact on the Canucks was the waiver claim of Douglas from the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is a six-foot-nine forward who has 92 penalty minutes (and two assists) in 29 games this season.

“With our young guys in the lineup … I want the players to feel safe,” Allvin explained. “I don’t want them to get beaten up. And we’ve been looking for a player like this with more size, physicality. So when he was available here … we felt that would be a good fit for us.”

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Luka Doncic joins elite club with 44 points in Lakers win

Published

43 minutes ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Los Angeles Lakers

Mar 6, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) and center Jay Huff (32) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Luka Doncic recorded 44 points, nine rebounds and three steals in three quarters of action to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a solid 128-117 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Friday night.

Doncic made seven 3-pointers and notched his 10th 40-point effort of the season to break a tie with Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards for the most this season. He also became the fourth different Laker to record 10 or more 40-point games in a season, joining a trio of Hall of Famers — Kobe Bryant (four times), Elgin Baylor (three) and Jerry West (three)

Doncic’s scoring was needed on a night in which the Lakers were without LeBron James (left elbow, left foot). James injured the elbow in a hard fall during Thursday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Austin Reaves scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter before fouling out for Los Angeles, which won for the fourth time in the past five games. Luke Kennard had 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench, Rui Hachimura scored 13 points and Marcus Smart added 11.

Pascal Siakam scored 26 points for the Pacers, who lost their eighth straight game. Indiana has dropped the past five games by an average of 19.6 points.

Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and eight assists and Jay Huff scored 16 points for the Pacers. T.J. McConnell added 10 points off the bench for Indiana.

The Lakers, who also were without Deandre Ayton (left knee), shot 52.9% from the field and made 17 of 37 from 3-point range.

Indiana connected on 46.9% of its attempts but was just 8 of 35 from behind the arc.

Doncic was 5 of 5 from 3-point range and scored 22 points in the opening quarter as the Lakers led 35-27.

Doncic scored seven points in the second quarter to increase his output to 29 as Los Angeles led 64-51 at the break.

He tallied 15 points in the Lakers’ 35-point third quarter before exiting. He capped the period in style by banking in a 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds left as Los Angeles took a 99-80 advantage heading into the final quarter.

The Pacers were within 103-89 after a 3-pointer by Jarace Walker. However, Reaves scored nine points during an 11-2 surge as the Lakers pushed the lead to 114-91 with 7:34 left. The margin topped out at 24 before Indiana narrowed the score.

–Field Level Media

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Raiders trade Maxx Crosby to Ravens for pair of first-round picks

Published

57 minutes ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The Las Vegas Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens made a blockbuster trade ahead of the start of NFL free agency.

Las Vegas is trading five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, per multiple reports.

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Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium on Aug. 23, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

The Raiders will receive two first-round picks from the Ravens, including the No. 14 overall pick in next month’s NFL draft, one report said.

The 28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks last season and has reached double digits four times in his seven seasons.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrate during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2025. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)

The Raiders last appeared in the playoffs back in 2021 but have gone 7-27 over the past two seasons. They have the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, which is expected to land them Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

The Ravens, meanwhile, are entering a new era, after firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh and replacing him with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders sniffs smelling salts during an NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on November 20, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.

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Aaron Judge hits first World Baseball Classic homer in Team USA win

Published

1 hour ago

7 March 2026

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Aaron Judge wasted no time clubbing his first World Baseball Classic homer.

Judge, the Team USA captain, hit a first-inning two-run home run, while Brice Turang had three hits and four RBI to lead Team USA to a whopping win over Brazil in its World Baseball Classic opener Friday night.

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Cal Raleigh #29, Byron Buxton #25, and Roman Anthony #3 of the United States celebrate after scoring from an RBI double hit by Brice Turang #13 of the United States in the fifth inning against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

There was one out and one on in the first when Judge, the first player to commit to the team last April, connected off Bo Takahashi at Houston’s Daikin Park.

Lucas Ramirez homered twice for Brazil with his father, 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez, in attendance. He cut the lead to 2-1 with his leadoff homer, and his solo shot in the eighth got Brazil within 8-5.

Aaron Judge #99 of the United States celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

At 20 years, 49 days, he became the youngest player in WBC history with a multi-homer game.

Byron Buxton was hit by a pitch in the fifth to push the Americans’ lead to 4-1. Turang cleared the bases with his double to left field two pitches later to make it 7-1.

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Brice Turang #13 of Team USA hits a three-run double in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game presented by Capital One between Team USA and Team Brazil at Daikin Park on Friday, March 6, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Brazil is in the WBC for just the second time and first since 2013. The team fell to 0-4 all-time in the tournament after losing to Japan, Cuba and China in 2013.

Another highlight for Brazil came when 17-year-old high school senior Joseph Contreras got Judge to ground into a bases-loaded double play to end the second inning. Contreras, the youngest player in the WBC this year, is the son of pitcher José Contreras, who played 11 MLB seasons.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Beat the Streets rolls out to more UK locations

Published

1 hour ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

By Kath Hudson 07 Mar 2026

Beat the Streets launches in five more locations this spring

Founded by Dr William Bird, it turns every journey into a game

Offering free participation, it has been proven to engage individuals from the most deprived communities

In 2025, social value was calculated at £321.80 per adult

Beat the Streets has announced plans to launch in a number of new towns this spring.

Bloxwich launched in February and will be followed by Colchester on 11 March. Hendon and Grangetown; Penzance and St Austell will all launch later this month.

Beat the Streets turns towns and cities into a giant game with friendly competition to see how far an individual or their team can walk, run or cycle around their community, turning every journey into a game.

First introduced near Reading in 2013, it has now reached two million adults and children in more than 200 places across the world.

It was the brainchild of Dr William Bird, who founded Intelligent Health in 2010 to create a world where every community is designed for health, and every individual has the agency and the environment to flourish.

An analysis of nine programmes in 2024/25 showed that 40 per cent of registered participants came from the 20 per cent most deprived communities. Children from the most deprived areas (IMD 1–2), demonstrated a 7 per cent reduction in the proportion classified as less active and the rate of children achieving more than 60 minutes of daily activity increased by 8.4 percentage points.

On average, programmes engage 12 per cent of the population and 68 per cent of adult players were women.

The social value was calculated at £321.80 per adult participant and extrapolated to 54,365 adult players this generated an estimated wellbeing value of around £17.5 million.

The game is free for all players and for partners purchasing the programme for their area, the average cost to engage a participant was £12.73 in 2024/25.

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Free emblems, new cosmetics, and more

Published

2 hours ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Diablo 4 is collaborating with yet another major franchise in Season 12: Season of Slaughter. This time, the crossover is with Doom: The Dark Ages, bringing the Slayer’s aesthetic to Sanctuary through thematic rewards, premium cosmetics, and free emblems during a limited-time event.

This event will begin on March 11, 2026, at 10 am PT and is set to run until 10 am PT on March 18, 2026.

Everything we know about the Doom: The Dark Ages collaboration

Season 12 of Diablo 4 is also known as the Season of Slaughter (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

This crossover introduces the “most expansive earnable Reliquary yet” to Diablo 4 Season 12. During its run, players can battle enemies to earn Dark Ages Currency, a new currency tied to the Doom: The Dark Ages event.

To earn Dark Ages Currency, players must slay Elite and Champion enemies. The currency can then be spent on Doom: The Dark Ages-themed cosmetics from the event reliquary.

The reliquary contains 10 unique transmogs inspired by the Doom Slayer’s arsenal. Each cosmetic costs 100x Dark Ages Currency. Examples include:

Shield Saw cosmetic skin
Doom Slayer’s Flail weapon cosmetic

These items give your character a Doom-inspired makeover, perfect for facing Sanctuary’s demons.

Once you have acquired all the rewards, you will be able to claim the bonus Forsaken Gates Town Portal.

Players can get Doom: The Dark Ages-themed cosmetics from the reliquary (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Doom Chests: Boss drops

In addition to the reliquary rewards, players can earn loot by engaging bosses. Lair Bosses in Season 12 have a chance of dropping Doom Chests, which contain Unique items with Doom Crucible-themed transmogs. This provides players with special cosmetic versions of gear and an incentive to challenge high-tier bosses in the Season of Slaughter.

Also read – Diablo 4 Season 12: The strongest builds, based on PTR meta

Free Doom: The Dark Ages emblems in Diablo 4 Season 12

Players can fight Elite enemies, collect Dark Ages Currency, and purchase these cosmetics (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Blizzard Entertainment is also giving away multiple free emblems during the event period via the in-game shop. You can claim them on the following dates and timings:

March 11, 12 pm PT – Dark Before the Dawn
March 13, 12 pm PT – Grandeur of the Gutted
March 15, 12 pm PT – Rip and Tear

These emblems are completely free; you only need to log in to the game in order to claim them.

Also read – Diablo 4 Season 12 PTR: Best builds for every class

Paid premium cosmetics

Alongside free rewards, you can also obtain optional paid cosmetics from the in-game shop starting from March 12, 2026, at 12 pm PT. The items include:

Doom Slayer Armor (cross-class armor set)
Mecha Dragon Serrat cat mount skin
Cacodemon pet

Blizzard has not yet confirmed the prices of these cosmetics. However, based on previous crossover cosmetics, they may range between $20 and $30 each.

Also read – D4 Lord of Hatred will bring back iconic crafting item from D2

The Doom: The Dark Ages collaboration will launch with Season 12: Season of Slaughter, which also introduces Bloodied Items, the Killstreak system, and the player ability to temporarily transform into The Butcher, complete with unique skills and gameplay mechanics.

Players will also be able to check out the new Paladin Class (from the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion) up to level 25. With free reliquary items, Doom cosmetics, and a Paladin class trial, Season 12 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting seasons yet in Diablo 4.

For more details on Diablo 4 Season 12, visit the game’s official website.

Check out our other guides related to the game:

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