25 h. ago Millie Bright: ‘I’m really proud of Lucy Bronze for coming out and sharing her story’

Chelsea and England defender on the power of football, the pitch named after her and a new reality for fan interactions“When you experience the things we have in the women’s game, it does open your eyes to the struggles of others,” says Millie Bright. “It does make you more aware of all kinds of different barriers people might face. You really appreciate the struggles that people have to go through and the constant barriers and battles that have to be fought every single day just to exist. Literally just to exist. You’re not asking to be better than anyone, you’re just asking to exist and be able to do what you love doing, whatever that is, in sport or beyond sport; things that are just part of living a full life, and everyone deserves a full life.”The Chelsea and England defender is sitting in the small stand at Cobham FC’s brilliantly named Leg O’ Mutton Field talking about the power of football. Last year Bright was back in Killamarsh, the village in north-east Derbyshire where s...

Politics

25 h. ago Millie Bright: ‘I’m really proud of Lucy Bronze for sharing her story’

Chelsea and England defender on the power of football, the pitch named after her and praise for her teammate for talking about her ADHD and autism diagnosis“When you experience the things we have in the women’s game, it does open your eyes to the struggles of others,” says Millie Bright. “It does make you more aware of all kinds of different barriers people might face. You really appreciate the struggles that people have to go through and the constant barriers and battles that have to be fought every single day just to exist. Literally just to exist. You’re not asking to be better than anyone, you’re just asking to exist and be able to do what you love doing, whatever that is, in sport or beyond sport; things that are just part of living a full life, and everyone deserves a full life.”The Chelsea and England defender is sitting in the small stand at Cobham FC’s brilliantly named Leg O’ Mutton Field talking about the power of football. Last year Bright was back in Killamarsh, the vil...

Politics

38 h. ago Lesmahagow Community Football Club scores £150k pitch investment

The South Lanarkshire Council-administered Renewable Energy Fund will help at McKirdy Park.

Economics

67 h. ago Southwark’s Marlborough Sports Garden set for £5 million refurbishment

Plans include a new running track, full size basketball court, 4G football pitch and climbing wall

Economics

4 d. ago Heartbreaking reason mourners wore red for 'special' girl, 10, killed by car on football pitch

Mourners lined the streets of Kendal wearing red in memory of football-obsessed 10-year-old Poppy Atkinson who was killed when a car crashed onto the pitch at Kendal Rugby Club

Events

8 d. ago Socceroos make Indonesia pay for early penalty miss in World Cup qualifying romp

Australia overcome slow start to thrash Group C rivals 5-1 in SydneyJackson Irvine scores two to edge hosts closer to qualificationAcross the opening 15 minutes of this World Cup qualifier, the Socceroos looked like they were being swept away by Indonesia. Any suggestions of the eventual 5-1 scoreline would have been laughable. Travelling supporters and the local Indonesian diaspora made a mockery of any home advantage, as a sea of red surrounded the Sydney Football Stadium pitch before kick-off, auguring a tide of furious pressure and intent upon the opening whistle.In just the fifth minute, a free-kick swung in from the right by Calvin Verdonk beat the outstretched head of Cameron Burgess and found Jay Idzes, whose resulting header forced Mat Ryan into a diving save. The roar from the stands felt like it shook the foundations. Two minutes later, a ball lofted over the top of the defensive line fell for Rafael Struick, who was clipped by Kye Rowles for a penalty. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Maddest stuff we heard during lockdown football – potty mouth, fuming managers and a dog

Lockdown football produced the bad, the worse and the ugly, then again at least we got to hear the outrageous things some footballers say when they're on the pitch and managers' shouts from the dugout

Sport

1 week ago Ian Wright and Arsenal boss slam Real Madrid 'disgrace' after Gunners suffer defeat

Arsenal travelled to Madrid for the first leg of their Women's Champions League quarter-final but the pitch in the Spanish capital was the subject of discussion after their defeat

Sport

1 week ago Slegers pitches for better conditions as Wright labels Madrid surface ‘disgrace’

Heavy rain left Real Madrid’s pitch almost unplayableHosts beat Arsenal 2-0 in first leg of WCL quarter-finalThe Arsenal manager, Renée Slegers, said that improving pitch conditions is “the next step for women’s football” after the state of the playing surface at the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano drew strong criticism during Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final.A combination of heavy rain in Madrid and a stadium unsuitable for such an occasion made for a pitch that was almost unplayable. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Ian Wright slams pitch as Arsenal beaten by Real Madrid in Women's Champions League: 'F****** disgrace'

Muddy pitch only got worse as rain fell in Madrid

Sport

1 week ago Ian Wright fumes over ‘disgrace’ of a pitch as Arsenal lose to Real Madrid

A sodden surface made for a poor spectacle as the hosts secured a 2-0 first-leg advantage in the Women’s Champions League quarter-final

Sport

1 week ago ‘A shame’: Women’s League Cup final pitch criticised as Chelsea beat Man City

The playing surface at Derby County’s Pride Park stadium was worn out towards the near touchline and in both goalmouths

Sport

2 w. ago ‘It’s happening fast’ – creative workers and professionals share their fears and hopes about the rise of AI

Photographers, translators, academics and GPs are among those whose jobs are either threatened or aided by the techOliver Fiegel, a 47-year-old photographer based in Munich, was reading a German national Sunday newspaper recently when he saw a front-page image that looked strangely off. The image showed a boy chasing a football on a pitch. But some of the wildflowers on the grass floated without stems. Half the goal net was missing. The boy’s hands were misshapen.In previous years, many of Fiegel’s photography clients had been newspapers and magazines. But that work has dried up recently. This image, he felt, showed one reason why: “generative illustration”, the supplied caption said. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Rampaging vandals wreck Scots football pitch with stolen road roller

Police Scotland are probing the incident at Cowdenbeath FC's stadium.

Politics

3 w. ago Police probing death of girl killed by BMW on football pitch issue major update

Poppy Atkinson was on a pitch at Kendal Rugby Club last Wednesday evening when she was struck by a car.

Events

3 w. ago Lionesses ‘devastated’ at death of young footballer, 10, hit by car on sports pitch

‘The football world will miss you Poppy. You will always play a special role.’

Events

3 w. ago Girl, 10, killed on pitch dreamed of becoming a professional footballer, say family

The youngster who ‘touched so many lives’ died after being hit by an electric BMW i4 automatic at rugby club in Kendal

Events

3 w. ago Girl, 10, killed by car on rugby pitch dreamed of playing for Manchester United

Poppy Atkinson died after being hit by a car on a rugby pitch, with an eight-year-old girl also injured in the collision

Events

3 w. ago Family pay tribute to 'infectious, beautiful' girl, 10, killed when electric BMW ploughed into football practice as they reveal her dream of one day playing for Manchester United

Poppy Atkinson, from Kendal, was killed after being struck by the car on a sports pitch at Kendal Rugby Union Football Club yesterday.

Events

3 w. ago Kendal car tragedy: First picture of 'special' girl, 10, killed when BMW drove onto sports pitch

The family of Poppy Atkinson praised her as a young girl who "touched so many lives" and that it was easy to see how her "spirit and passion" for football was "infectious"

Events