Sky Sports has declined an offer to renew a long-term contract that expired last year, leaving Cricket South Africa searching for alternative broadcast partners for the upcoming series against England.
Unfortunately, our application for a period of grace to fulfil the required criteria for our SFA bronze licence was declined by the SPFL board. On this basis we are not eligible to participate in the pyramid play-off competition.
The future of the event at the 980-seat venue has been in doubt for years, with Matchroom's president, Barry Hearn, repeatedly hinting the tournament may have to leave its spiritual home in favour of a bigger venue when their previous deal expired next year.
According to the Lawn Tennis Association, only 15,000 British players picked up a padel racket in 2019 but by the end of 2024, that figure was more than 400,000. Of those, about 399,000 are probably mispronouncing it: think pah-dell rather than paddle.
On a Wednesday in the desert last March, Reilly Opelka, the American with a cannon of a serve, was grinding out a tough match against French number one Arthur Rinderknech. Nearby, former US Open men's finalist Kei Nishikori beat Luca Nardi, part of the new wave of Italian talent, while Brazilian phenom Joao Fonseca closed out Pavel Kotov, who reached number 50 in the world in 2024.
The climax of the new 12-team competition, which will be held every two years and replaces traditional tours, will be held at Twickenham at the end of November with two matches on Friday, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. Six Nations form guide: how the 2026 contenders are shaping up The six Tests pit the sixth-place finisher in the northern hemisphere pool against the sixth in the southern hemisphere pool, the fifth against the fifth and so on, culminating in the first against the first.
Today we crush the Hula Hoops and strut into the era of billionaire owners and player auctions, with a side dish of geopolitics. Each player will be listed in turn and the highest bidder wins their labour for six weeks in the summer.
I am delighted that the once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre has reached another key milestone with the submission of the planning application for its transformation. The 15hectare site, opened in 1964, is set for a revamp of its athletics stadium, indoor arena, and swimming and diving facilities.
The players have been lobbying for a greater share of the money made by those organising the grand slam championships since last year's French Open when a delegation, including Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, urged executives from all four tournaments to increase their prize funds to 22% of revenue by 2030, which would be in line with ATP and WTA Tour events.
It's a bit of a no-brainer. We're women, we've all got different shapes and sizes. As a 20-year-old, wearing a dress would have been fine for me, but if you put me on court now I couldn't think of anything worse than wearing a netball dress. - Coach Tamsin Greenway on Mavericks' kit innovation
EFL clubs will vote on expanding play-offs in the Championship from four to six teams at a meeting on 5 March. The proposal, which has been under consideration for a number of seasons, would mean the teams finishing from third to eighth compete for a place in the Premier League. It would mirror the format used in the National League.
Rassie Erasmus has described Ireland's rugby system as "precision farming" and the last year has shown how delicate the ecosystem is. All the analysis that followed the alarming defeats to France, New Zealand and South Africa remains valid and the issues that cropped up remain worthy of attention. Yet it all feels a little less alarming after a weekend where the senior side issued a stunning riposte to those who believed they are a beaten docket and the U-20s showed there's life in the pathways yet.
The England and Wales Cricket Board and all eight of The Hundred team franchises reaffirm their commitment to ensuring The Hundred continues to be a competition that is inclusive, welcoming and open to all. The Hundred was established to reach new audiences, grow the game of cricket and ensure that everyone—regardless of their ethnicity, gender, faith, nationality or other—can feel they belong in our sport.
The 2025/26 EFL Cup final is looming large in the first major showpiece of the season in the top four divisions of English football. Last season's showpiece at Wembley Stadium was the highest-attended match of the weekend in Europe, attracting almost 89,000 fans. Millions more will again watch on TV around the world this time as the competition that began in August 2025 and has featured 92 teams comes to a close.
Saturday's National League matches at Aldershot Town and Gateshead have been postponed due to waterlogged pitches. Aldershot were due to host Carlisle United, but heavy rain in Hampshire forced a pitch inspection on Friday morning, with a qualified match official declaring the surface at The EBB Stadium unplayable. Meanwhile, the surface at the International Stadium has similarly been affected by downpours, leading to Gateshead's fixture with Wealdstone also being called off.
