Category: 6. Sports

  • Instant Recall: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

    Instant Recall: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

    If there was any doubt about Alex Palou on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he erased it early in and throughout the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey.

    Get used to it, folks. Palou not only has set the standard for this sport; he is the standard.

    Palou would have led all 95 laps from the pole if there wasn’t that pesky business of needing to stop for fuel. Nolan Siegel had pitted much earlier in the race, on Lap 12, and that’s why his Arrow McLaren machine was a few paces ahead of Palou for 11 laps.

    After that? Well, it was all Palou. Again.

    The driver of Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 10 DHL Honda has now won three of the past four races on the Monterey Peninsula, and he finished third last year. Palou has competed there five times. His average finish is a ridiculous 1.6. And, he has won the past two poles.

    Palou gapped fellow front-row starter Pato O’Ward so quickly Sunday that it might have seemed the Arrow McLaren driver had an issue. He did, of course. His name is Alex Palou.

    The Spaniard now has eight wins in 14 races this season, and guess what: His second-best track is next on the schedule. Palou has won two of the past four races at Portland International Raceway, site of the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, Aug. 10 at 3 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). He finished second to Team Penske’s Will Power there a year ago. He might have another absurd average finish at that track had he not finished 12th there in 2022.

    By now, Palou’s third consecutive series championship and fourth in five years is virtually a foregone conclusion. We can save that analyzation for another day, but his lead is 121 points with only 162 points available the rest of the way. He should officially be handed the Astor Challenge Cup on Sunday, Aug. 31 at Nashville Superspeedway.

    While everything at Laguna Seca featured Palou, there were other shining drives. Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard drove from seventh to finish second. That’s now five podium finishes for the Danish driver who had only three in his first three full seasons.

    Lundgaard and Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian had a spirited battle, and Lundgaard used a mid-race shoulder to uproot Herta for the position mid-race. Herta continued his family’s run of Laguna Seca success, but Palou’s dominance makes it seem like forever ago that a Herta was the talk of this track.

    O’Ward finished fourth, but he never seemed in the game. Yet, that added to his career year, already the ninth top-five finish which includes two wins. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Mexican will finish a career-best second in the standings.

    (It should be noted that O’Ward trails Palou by 121 points, but he leads Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon by 77 points, so it’s unlikely he moves out of the second position.)

    Dixon gained 14 positions in Sunday’s race to finish fifth, and that enabled him to overtake Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood for third in the standings. Assuming Dixon holds the position, he will finish in the top three in points for the 16th time in his Hall-of-Fame career.

    Kirkwood, meanwhile, had a July to forget. There were five races, and he posted an average finish of 14.8. Sunday, he finished 16th with a drive-through penalty for contact with Dale Coyne Racing’s Rinus VeeKay. He has lost 120 points to Palou this month.

    PREMA Racing’s Callum Ilott had another strong weekend at Laguna Seca. The only front-row qualifying effort of his career in this series came in 2022. In 2023, he tied his career-best finish by coming home fifth. Sunday, he drove from 24th to finish sixth.

    One more performance to single out: Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen finished ninth, his third top-10 result in the past four races. This has been a breakout season for the second-year driver who won the INDY NXT by Firestone championship in 2023.

    Beyond that it was all Palou as it has been all season. He is poised to go wire to wire in this historic season.


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  • Princess Charlotte Is Glowing With Happiness as She Reaches a Surprise Milestone Moment With Dad Prince William

    Princess Charlotte Is Glowing With Happiness as She Reaches a Surprise Milestone Moment With Dad Prince William

    When Prince William traveled to Switzerland to support England’s soccer team, he brought along a very special guest: his daughter Princess Charlotte! The outing was a milestone moment for the 10-year-old, as this was her first overseas soccer game, per Harper’s Bazaar. She was all smiles cheering on her country to victory in the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 final between England and Spain.

    Princess Charlotte looked beautiful in a blue-and-white polka dot dress — the same one she wore to Wimbledon 2024 with her mom Kate Middleton! Her long blonde hair was straight down around her shoulders as she hugged her dad for a snap posted to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram account. “Let’s go, @lionesses! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿” it was captioned.

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    BASEL, SWITZERLAND – JULY 27: William, Prince of Wales, speaks with daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales during the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Final match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park on July 27, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

    People praised the young royal in the comments, arguing over which parent she looked more like. “Charlotte takes after her dad so much! The genes are strong ❤️ looks like a lovely day, go lionesses!” one person wrote. Another said, “Beautiful photo!!! Look at her! I see her mom in there in this photo. ❤️”

    “Gosh she’s gorgeous! I love seeing her turn into such a strong lady. You know her parents must be proud ✨” someone else commented.

    Prince William also shared a video from the celebration, featuring Princess Charlotte standing by her dad’s side. “An incredible night for @lionesses and @england in Basel,” it was captioned. “Congratulations to Sarina, the team and all the support staff. Champions! 🏆”

    “Charlotte looks in awe 🥹❤️,” someone noted. Another wrote, “‪Such a beautiful video! I’m very happy that Princess Charlotte was there to witness this historical moment for women’s football in England 😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️ congratulations again to the Lionesses 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻”

    She certainly does, both in these official posts and in other photos taken at the event as she smiles and chats with her dad during the game.

    Princess Charlotte is very into sports, just like her mother and father. In a 2023 episode of The Good, The Bad, & The Rugby podcast, Princess Kate shared that Charlotte and her siblings Prince George, 12, and Prince Louis, 7, are all “growing and trying out different sports.”

    BASEL, SWITZERLAND - JULY 27: Aleksander Ceferin, President of UEFA, Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Princess Charlotte of Wales are seen in attendance prior to the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Final match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park on July 27, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

    BASEL, SWITZERLAND – JULY 27: Aleksander Ceferin, President of UEFA, Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Princess Charlotte of Wales are seen in attendance prior to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Final match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park on July 27, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

    Middleton also revealed that Charlotte plays rugby and football, which “weren’t school sports when I was growing up.” She added, “Charlotte’s playing both the sports now, and it’s really good to see youngsters, particularly girls, playing these types of sports now.”

    Back in May, Prince William shared that Princess Charlotte ran track and field. Olympic middle-distance runner Keely Hodgkinson talked to Prince William after a visit to Windsor Castle. “The prince told me his daughter is doing the 400m at the minute and the hurdles and that she did watch me in Paris,” she told Hello!

    We love that Princess Charlotte is a sporty princess, and that her parents fully support her interests!

    Before you go, check out these hilarious moments when Princess Charlotte proved she’s the Queen of Sass.

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  • Updates To UFC Fight Night: Albazi vs Taira – ufc.com

    Updates To UFC Fight Night: Albazi vs Taira – ufc.com

    1. Updates To UFC Fight Night: Albazi vs Taira  ufc.com
    2. With Amir Albazi out, Tatsuro Taira gets undefeated prospect as opponent in new UFC Vegas 108 main event  MMA Fighting
    3. New UFC on ESPN 71 main event announced after Amir Albazi injured  MMA Junkie
    4. Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park  ufc.com
    5. UFC Vegas 108 reportedly loses main event in devastating blow to card  Sports Illustrated

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  • Find out Gyokeres’ price in Fantasy Premier League | News

    Find out Gyokeres’ price in Fantasy Premier League | News

    Viktor Gyokeres’ price has been revealed for Fantasy Premier League.

    He’ll kick off the 2025/26 season priced at £9.0m on the game, making our new forward the joint-third most expensive striker, alongside Ollie Watkins.

    That makes him a more affordable option in your team than Alexander Isak (£10.5m) and Erling Haaland (14.0m).

    The start of the season could be the perfect time to add Gyokeres to your team, because his price will only rise if he’s among the goals as more managers select him!

    He’s the second-most expensive Arsenal player, with Bukayo Saka taking up more of the budget at £10.0m.

    Want to know more about FPL and which Gunners to pick for your squad? We’ve got you covered. Check out our guide below to the best options and then get your team setup.

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    FPL Focus: Which Gunners to pick in your squad

    Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.

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  • Coventry cyclist Jake Stewart finishes Tour de France for first time

    Coventry cyclist Jake Stewart finishes Tour de France for first time

    Phil Upton

    BBC CWR, Presenter

    BBC Two men in dark blue tshirts and a woman in a white and black striped shirt and grey cardigan are standing in a line with their arms around each other and are smiling at the camera. The man and the woman on each end of the row are wearing yellow bucket hatsBBC

    Jake’s parents were in Paris to cheer him on

    A professional cyclist has completed this year’s Tour de France for the first time.

    Jake Stewart, 25, from Coventry, took on the three-week and 3,500km (2,175 miles) race with the Israel-Premier Tech team. He crossed the finish line on the Champs Elysee in Paris on Sunday.

    He made his debut at cycling’s showpiece stage race a year ago but did not complete it.

    Known as The Coventry Comet, he has now set his sights on September’s Tour of Britain. Stage five starts in Atherstone and finishes at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park.

    Two men in dark blue tshirts and a woman in a white and black striped shirt and grey cardigan are standing in a line with their arms around each other and are smiling at the camera. The man and woman on either end of the row are both wearing yellow lanyards while the man in the middle is wearing a cap

    The rider will now be gearing up for the Tout of Britain race

    Stewart attributed his success in the sport (he got a World Tour race win at the Criterium du Dauphine) to his upbringing in the West Midlands.

    “Cycling is a very inaccessible sport, it’s becoming more and more expensive for less privileged families to be able to provide for their kids.

    “Growing up in Coventry, it keeps you humble when you make it on the big stage.”

    Parents Ester and Paul Stewart watched their son cross the finish line in Paris.

    “He’s got no ego, he just goes out there and he just wants to find his place in the peloton and be the best rider he can be,” Mr Stewart said.

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  • Rolex Fastnet Race – SVR Lazartigue defends her Rolex Fastnet Race multihull line honours

    Rolex Fastnet Race – SVR Lazartigue defends her Rolex Fastnet Race multihull line honours

    15:00 Monday 28 July 2025

    As dawn was showing its first rays this morning off Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, so the sleek light blue triple-hulled form of the Ultim trimaran SVR Lazartigue sped across the finish line of the 51st Rolex Fastnet Race to collect overall line honours at 04:38:04 BST. Given this year’s relatively light winds, her time of 1 day 17 hours 18 minutes 4 seconds was well outside the 1 day 8 hours 38 minutes 27 seconds record time she set in 2023’s gale-force conditions.

    Skipper Tom Laperche commented: “The race was different, more strategic and tactical. The windiest part was 20 knots, whereas last year it was 35. Versus Banque Populaire, early on we made a good decision to go close into the English coast and managed to cross them coming back on starboard. We got in front. It was difficult returning from Fastnet to Scilly, because the wind was stronger behind, so they reduced their deficit. Since yesterday afternoon we knew that it will be tactical between the gybes when they have a good speed.”

    The crew of SVR Lazartigue celebrate winning multihull line honours in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin © Paul Wyeth/www.pwpictures.com/RORC  

    Although not racing in the same class, the two MOD70s led the Ultims on the water until Start Point. “The MODs are very good boats,” continued Laperche. “They are light and easier for manoeuvres so they managed to stay in front of us. If we are not foiling they can have the same speed.” 

    The run and then broad reach back from the Fastnet Rock enabled the Ultims to reach blistering pace, with a top speed of around 43 knots. 

    SVR Lazartigue’s crew of six included round the world record holder and race winner Franck Cammas and triple America’s Cup winner and 49er Olympic gold medallist Peter Burling, fresh from his Portmouth SailGP victory: “It’s amazing how you can blast along on a reach at 40 knots without doing too much or on autopilot. It’s pretty cool to see how much these boats have evolved.”

    Banque Populaire followed in second at 05:23:52 with an elapsed time of 1 day 18 hours 3 minutes 52 seconds, followed by Actual Ultim 4 and Sodebo Ultim 3.

    The Armel le Cleac’h-skippered Banque Populaire finished second in the Ultim class © James Tomlinson/RORC 

    Since yesterday the first trickle of boats round the Fastnet Rock has turned into a steady stream. 

    In front of the MOCRA fleet Erik Maris’ MOD 70 Zoulou rounded at 19:05:54 yesterday evening, 48 minutes ahead of her sistership, Jason Carroll’s Argo. Since then the two trimarans have blasted back with Argo leaving the TSS south of the Scilly Isles to starboard while further south Zoulou left it to port. Mid-morning in the moderate northwesterly breeze Argo was still trying to close on her rival as the two raced east, closing on Start Point. 

    Directly astern the cream has been rising to the top among the nine Ocean Fifty trimarans. Matthieu Perraut/Jean-Baptiste Gellée on Inter Invest were first around the Fastnet Rock at 19:58:17 yesterday followed 15 minutes later by Tanguy le Turquais/Erwan Le Draoulec on Lazare and then Koesio, sailed by Erwan le Roux/Audrey Ogereau. Having given the Scilly Isles TSSes a wide berth, this morning the Ocean Fiftys were closing on the Cornish coast with Inter Invest having just passed the Lizard and Koesio up to second and Thibault Vauchel-Camus/Damien Seguin’s Solidaires en Peloton third.

    SHK Scallywag 100 rounded the Fastnet Rock just six minutes ahead of Black Jack 100 © ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi 

    In the tight battle at the front of the IRC monohull fleet, Seng Huang Lee’s SHK Scallywag rounded the Fastnet Rock last night at 23:00:51 in a time of 1 day 11 hours 10 minutes 51 seconds, just 6 minutes 17 seconds ahead of Remon Vos’ Black Jack 100 and just under another three minutes ahead of Joost Schuijff’s Leopard 3. In the light to moderate conditions this was a fine performance given that in the stormy 2023 race Bryon Ehrhart’s Juan K 88 Lucky had taken 1 day 7 hours 7 minutes 34 seconds to reach the Rock.

    Mid-morning the leaders had turned their bows east and were about to pass between the Scilly Islands and the TSS to the south of them, with Black Jack 100 10 miles ahead of SHK Scallywag and another 16 ahead of Leopard 3. 

    From the chart table on SHK Scallywag navigator Will Oxley reported: “We’ve a bit on here with lack of sleep, rain and a faster yacht ahead of us. Black Jack is doing well with a nice A2. We will be looking for a passing lane in the next 200nm… VMG sailing, rain and tidal gates do offer some opportunities. Fingers and toes crossed.”

    Roy P Disney’s Pyewacket 70 is currently third in IRC SZ © ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi 

    However Christian Zugel’s VO70 Tschüss 2 was still resolutely leading IRC SZ on corrected time from Leopard 3 with Roy P Disney’s Pyewacket 70 third. She had also taken the lead in IRC Overall from the Australian-flagged Swan 53 Bedouin, tentatively on track to repeat her overall Rolex Fastnet Race victory (as Wizard in 2019). 

    From on board Pyewacket 70 navigator Peter Isler reported: “Although the race track has featured a lot more upwind sailing than we are accustomed to we’ve had a close battle with Tschüss 2 for the entire race. As in this year’s Caribbean 600 she is proving to be well sailed and fast when close reaching and upwind.  We are hoping to find our edge on the downwind portion of the race track – as our turbo charged configuration (taller mast, longer sprit and deeper foils) comes with a significant handicap cost.”

    Among the IMOCAs it was all about choosing the best moment to tack coming into the Rock. Elodie Bonafous’ Association Petits Princes-Queguiner and Jérémie Beyou’s Charal held a little later than Yoann Richomme’s Paprec Arkea and Sam Davies’ Initiatives Coeur to lead into the Rock at around 02:30 this morning. Since then they have taken a long gybe south with Association Petits Princes-Queguiner further south, last to tack back to the east. 

    This morning the Class40s are still upwind about 80% of the way to the Rock having passed to the west side of the Land’s End TSS and generally erring to the west of the rhumb line. Leading this morning is Axel Trehin and Corentin Douguet’s Faites un Don sur SNSM.org who have painstakingly eked out a three-mile lead over William Mathelin-Moreaux’s Les Invincibles.

    Antoine Magre’s brand new Palanad 4 is effectively a 50ft Class40 © James Tomlinson/RORC 

    In IRC Zero fortune has been favouring the large as David Griffith’s JV60 Whisper has continued to maintain a vice-like grip on the lead. The Aussie maxi rounded the Rock at 05:30:06 this morning with Antoine Magre’s Palanad 4 in second but almost an hour behind. Jens Kellinghusen’s Ker 56 Varuna 6 was third, a further 44 minutes back.

    Magre reported from his new Sam Manuard-designed Mach 50 (only launched in France a week ago): “We managed to hold on to the fleet of 81 boats as much as we could. Now it’s about catching up on them and getting ready to go. Our goal was to try and stick with them in the lighter wind as much as we could. Now it’s about making up the ground as we can in the boat’s best conditions. We could do with an extra few knots of wind but at the moment we’re averaging 13-14 knots. It is a good gybing game to get down to the Scillies. It’s looking like it will be relatively fast for the final sections.” 

    Stefan Jentzsch’s Black Pearl was the first Admiral’s Cup yacht to the Fastnet Rock © ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi 

    Among the Admiral’s Cup fleet, as expected, Black Pearl was first on the water to the Fastnet Rock at 06:54:11 but under corrected time Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste in the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club was leading Admiral’s Cup 1 by 3 minutes 14 seconds from Peter Harrison’s Jolt 3 in the Yacht Club de Monaco team, with Gordon Ketelbey’s Zen from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia a further 27 minutes astern. Admiral’s Cup 2 were closing on the Rock late morning with the Pierre Casiraghi-skippered Jolt 6 first on the water. However the JPK 1180s were still holding the corrected time podium with the Michele Ivaldi-skippered Django JPK (representing the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda) ahead of Per Roman’s Garm (racing on their own in the RORC Red team after Ino Noir’s retirement yesterday) and Tom Kneen’s Sunrise with the Royal Irish YC. 

    Pierre Casiraghi reported: “We had a pretty brutal night. The wind picked up and we had a lot of waves. But all is good on board. We are starting to feel tired but this race has a reputation for a good reason. We are now in the Celtic Sea and we’re going to pass the Fastnet Rock around noon. This race tests the crew and boat and tires everyone, but that’s why we are here. We are all excited to soon be going downwind finally after going upwind since the beginning of the race.”

    In IRC One Lorenz’s Moana was leading on the water in class © Paul Wyeth/www.pwpictures.com/RORC  

    In IRC One Lorenz Pinck’s Moana was leading on the water and looked set to round the Rock early in the afternoon. However Australian Linda Goddard’s Swan 53 Bedouin was still holding a 3.5 hour lead on corrected time over Ed Bell’s JPK 1180 Dawn Treader (although she carries a 120 minute penalty for being OCS at the start). The heavyweight Swan must be liking the upwind conditions for she continues to lie second in IRC Overall with Leopard 3 third. Also making an unexpected appearance on the IRC One podium is the heavyweight 59ft classic yacht Hound, being campaigned by American owner Dan Litchfield, which is third just ahead of past winner Géry Trentesaux’s Sydney GTS 43 Long Courrier. 

    Behind, the leaders in IRC Two were halfway across the Celtic Sea, again directly on the wind. Interestingly yesterday afternoon/evening some passed to the east of the Land’s End TSS, led by Lawrence Herbert’s J/133 Corazon while another larger group passed between the TSS and the Scilly Isles, led by Victoria Cox and Peter Dunlop on the J/122 Mojito. A third group took the most extreme route west of the Scilly Isles, led by Herve Chataigner on the new JPK 1050 Pilou, only tacking north at 0630 BST today. The corrected time podium is an international mix of J/122s with Chris and Patanne Power Smith’s Aurelia from Ireland leading Frans Van Cappelle’s Moana from the Netherlands and RORC Vice Commodore Derek Shakespeare’s Bulldog. 

    Lawrence Herbert’s J/133 Corazon led a group to the east of Land’s End © Paul Wyeth/www.pwpictures.com/RORC  

    In IRC Three no one chose the east passage up the Land’s End TSS last night. Instead Philippe Girardin’s J/120 Hey Jude led the class on the water up to the west of the TSS close to the Scilly Isles, while Denis Murphy on the Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo chose a similarly extreme westerly option to Pilou. Late morning and the leaders were halfway to the Rock, all west of the rhumb line. On corrected time Rob Craigie and RORC Commodore Deb Fish on the Sun Fast 3600 Bellino were leading the class (and IRC Two-Handed) from the Army on sistership Fujitsu British Soldier, with Simon Bamford and Ollie Grogono on the Sun Fast 3300 Kestrel third (and second in IRC Two-Handed – with the defending champions on Léon fifth).

    Remarkably in IRC Four, the majority have chosen to take the ‘extreme west’ option, leaving the Scilly Isles to starboard. As they fan out to begin their Celtic Sea crossing the Royal Engineer YC’s J/109 Trojan leads the easterly group and Jean-Francois Nouel’s Sun Fast 3200 Hakuna Matata ahead to the west. However, under IRC it was Volvo Ocean Race/America’s Cup crewman Simeon Tienpont’s J/35 Fever that led from Fanch Le Guern and Pierrick Penven’s Sun Fast 3200 Zephyrin and Frédéric Hernot’s X-362 Xception 2 in third. 

    By James Boyd


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  • Aaron Ramsdale: Newcastle United open talks to sign Southampton goalkeeper

    Aaron Ramsdale: Newcastle United open talks to sign Southampton goalkeeper

    When Nick Pope started against Italy at the San Siro in September 2022 he became the first Newcastle goalkeeper to win a senior England cap for 121 years. Three years later and the Magpies could now have another England international stopper on their books.

    But Newcastle fans could be forgiven for any apprehension around potentially signing a goalkeeper who has suffered relegation from the Premier League with three different clubs.

    Ramsdale was in the Southampton side that went down with 12 points last term and he also dropped out of the Premier League with Sheffield United in 2020-21 and Bournemouth in 2019-20 – and even endured a League Two demotion while on loan at Chesterfield seven years ago.

    The 27-year-old conceded 66 goals and kept three top-flight clean sheets in a disastrous 2024-25 with his numbers understandably below average due to playing behind such a porous defence.

    His experience cannot be questioned, however, and he has 183 Premier League appearances to his name – only 38 fewer than current Newcastle number one Pope.

    Ramsdale’s Premier League career profile is similar to Eddie Howe’s back-up keeper Martin Dubravka – both are less accomplished shot stoppers than Pope but more accurate passers.

    Dubravka did well when called upon last term but he will turn 37 in January and the opportunity to sign a player almost 10 years younger with comparable ability could prove to be shrewd business.

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  • Enjoy a full match replay of our Newcastle win | News

    Enjoy a full match replay of our Newcastle win | News

    We emerged victorious from another matchday in Singapore on Sunday, grinding out a 3-2 win over Newcastle United.

    Martin Odegaard’s penalty separated the sides on game two of the Asia Tour, as Mikel Merino also got on the scoresheet alongside an Alex Murphy own goal.

    There was more action for some of Mikel Arteta’s young charges, while new arrival Viktor Gyokeres watched his new teammates for the first time.

    Watch a full 90-minute replay of the contest in the video above.

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    Every word from Arteta’s post-Newcastle presser

    Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.

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  • Australia rugby legend Shannon Parry surprises local girls in Melbourne with coaching masterclass ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025

    Australia rugby legend Shannon Parry surprises local girls in Melbourne with coaching masterclass ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025

    • ChildFund Rugby’s Grassroots to Global Series and the Gallagher High Performance Academy join forces, delivering two-day forum and masterclass for female rugby leaders
    • Global programme visits Melbourne, Australia, ahead of Women’s World Cup 2025, as part of World Rugby’s mission to strengthen women’s coaching pathways and increase opportunities for female leaders in rugby
    • Shannon Parry – former captain of the Wallaroos squad and now head coach of the Australia A women’s sevens team – joined by more than 20 girls, women and youth leaders, who are actively involved in strengthening and developing the women’s game
    • Two-day event held at Melbourne University Rugby Club, as build-up to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 continues

    Held in more than 25 countries, each forum supports the women’s game at local, national and international levels, with a view to driving change and increasing the number of women involved in the sport, both on and off the field.

    The Australia Forum was held at Melbourne University Rugby Club and attended by more than 20 young, inspirational female leaders. From players, coaches, match officials, first aiders, team managers, event organisers and club administrators, each of the delegates are deeply entrenched in the local rugby community, and came together to share experiences, strengthen networks, and inspire change.

    Grassroots to Global Forums underscore the direct impact that female coaches have on driving female participation at community levels, highlighting the critical importance of increasing female coaching opportunities. Following a similar event held in England in June, this was the latest forum to partner with Gallagher and its High Performance Academy (GHPA) – a fully immersive global development and leadership programme that’s enhancing the prominence of female coaches and increasing the competitiveness of the women’s game – in the build-up to Women’s Rugby World Cup.

    Founded by World Rugby and Gallagher – with a focus on talent identification, professional support and championing the next generation of international coaches – the Academy develops existing coaching talent, and identifies opportunities for new coaches and women in other high-performance roles. Since 2023, 43 female coaches have been supported by the GHPA, which aims to realise a target of 40 per cent female coaches at this year’s record-breaking tournament.

    ChildFund Rugby’s Grassroots to Global Series and the GHPA work together towards the common goal of getting more girls and women into rugby coaching, and are integral to World Rugby’s strategic plan to develop opportunities for women at all levels of the game.

    As part of the two-day forum, participants exchanged ideas and created action plans for enhancing gender inclusion within their rugby communities. This included identifying the key drivers and barriers facing women in rugby leadership.

    A highlight of the event was the surprise attendance and support of former Wallaroos captain, Shannon Parry. The Rio 2016 gold medallist  represented Australia in four Women’s Rugby World Cups (2010, 2014, 2017 and 2021) and captained the squad from 2014 until her retirement in 2023. Parry was part of the GHPA during the HSBC SVNS series in 2024, and ideally placed to lean on her experiences and share her wealth of knowledge gained from transitioning from a player to head coach of the Australia A women’s sevens team.

    Joining her was one of Australia’s top women’s rugby sevens players Maddison Levi, who  was named World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year in December 2024 after a fantastic 12 months, which included a record-breaking 14 tries at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

    Shannon joined the Grassroots to Global leaders in delivering a fun and engaging masterclass, which welcomed local girls and young women in a practical, on-pitch session. This enabled delegates to put into practice the leadership skills developed in the forum, while also inspiring and engaging the next generation of rugby stars in a fun, inclusive and supportive environment.

    “It has been a real privilege to come down to Melbourne University Rugby Club to coach and inspire a fantastic group of young women, who I hope are now motivated to be the rugby leaders of the future. I’ve really enjoyed seeing the impact of their participation in the forum and masterclass, and having the opportunity to discuss my own experiences as both a player and a coach”, said Shannon Parry, Gallagher Ambassador and GHPA HSBC SVNS 2024 alumni.

    “I have benefited myself from the Gallagher High Performance Academy, and cannot stress enough how important pathways like them are in growing women’s rugby. They are vital in driving awareness and inspiring young women to not only fall in love rugby and want to succeed in it, but also in creating vital opportunities to elevate female coaching. Gallagher knows that to do so, we need to invest from grassroots all the way through to the pinnacle of the sport, and it has been fantastic to stand alongside them here in Melbourne.”

    ChildFund Rugby Co-Director Meg Knight said: “This Grassroots to Global Forum wraps up a global series of 32 forums in 29 countries. Data from each of these events will now be looked at to build a global picture of leadership in community rugby around the world. In August, delegates from these countries will come together and advocate to rugby’s decision makers for support to bring, and keep, more women into the game as coaches and role models. Gallagher has played a critical role in making this possible by supporting forums in Canada, England, and now Australia, and uniquely connecting them with the Gallagher High Performance Academy.”

    Gallagher’s Chief Marketing Officer Christopher Mead added: “Gallagher works with ChildFund to deliver masterclasses that help to elevate women through the game of rugby. Our partnership has given many talented women the opportunity and tools to expand their experience and elevate the game. This masterclass was an important milestone for Gallagher in the run up to the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 tournament, continuing our commitment to advancing women in rugby at the grassroots and international levels.”

    “With Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 fast approaching, it’s inspiring to see the impact that ChildFund Rugby’s Grassroots to Global Forums are already having, by bringing together such passionate female leaders from the rugby community.”

    World Rugby’s Chief of Women’s Rugby, Sally Horrox said: “Driving change on and off the field starts with building strong networks and creating clear pathways for women in coaching and leadership roles. The partnership with Gallagher’s High Performance Academy is helping us to accelerate this progress, and together we are laying the foundations for a more inclusive and competitive women’s game.”

    ChildFund Rugby is World Rugby’s Global Social Impact Partner for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. ChildFund Rugby is championing the power of sport to create lasting, positive change across the globe, impacting lives at every level of the game. Find out more at www.childfundrugby.org.

    Gallagher is the Official Insurance Partner of Women’s RWC 2025 and WXV. More information on the Gallagher High Performance Academy, can be found here.

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  • ‘Making Women’s Euro trophy cases was a privilege’

    ‘Making Women’s Euro trophy cases was a privilege’

    A Merseyside-based carpenter who created this year’s UEFA Women’s Euro trophy presentation boxes said the project had been “one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever worked on”.

    Yana Daniels, a former Liverpool striker and Belgian international, handcrafted all the wooden boxes for the competition’s Player of the Match trophies in her workshop in Wirral.

    Ms Daniels was approached by Visa, which had helped her to set up her business through its careers development programme for female players after they retire.

    “Being entrusted with this responsibility was a privilege,” she said.

    The England team won the competition with a 3-2 victory over Spain after a 1-1 draw at St Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland.

    Ms Daniels, who has also made a range of products for LFC retail, said creating the boxes by hand had been “a labour of love”.

    “Every detail, from the grain of the wood to the final engraving, was created with pride and care, knowing these boxes will be part of a moment that matters,” she said.

    She added the boxes were “a keepsake for those who gave their all, and left their mark on European football”.

    Ms Daniels, who represented her home nation at the tournament in 2017, said the women’s sport had “grown immensely” in recent years.

    “It’s not a taboo any more. Women’s football is normal, which should have always been the case,” she said.

    “I had to play with boys teams. I was the only girl for about five years. You can’t compare it to 20 years ago.

    “Now every girl can dream of being a professional footballer, which is amazing.”

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