French lessons offered as ferry visitors to Guernsey surge
'Really thrilled'
"What is particularly positive is that many of these visitors are choosing to stay overnight, providing a real boost to our hospitality and tourism sectors," it said.The States of Guernsey and The Guernsey Institute had been providing free French language lessons for hospitality and tourism businesses in response.Juliana Le Prevost, a French teacher from the Institute said the courses started last week and had been well received by attendees."We did a course specialized for the industry, so that means for retail, hospitality and transport, and it has been very successful so far," she said."What we did is to start with the greetings of course, understanding how to be formal, informal, and also being familiar with numbers, which is really important for the hospitality or retail businesses."And directions, because the French tourists would like to go to the Victor Hugo House or know how to get to the bus station."They were actually really thrilled to be able at least to say a few words French and to be able to give a good service."
Debraj Chakrabarti, Reception Manager at the Pandora Hotel who attended one of the sessions, said it was useful to make the growing number of French tourists feel welcome.He said: "Lots of French people who doesn't understand or speak English, they're going to be more comfortable with the journey and the memory of our island."Not only French people are coming, now we are getting tourists from the US, Germany, Netherlands, Dutch and Australia as well and they are very much interested in Victor Hugo and also the history of the island."
Christine Bonhomme, Director of Maison de la Normandie et de la Manche which promoted the Channel Islands in those regions, said the courses would make the island more attractive to visitors."Visit Guernsey has taken a great initiative by offering French lessons to hospitality staff and we are certain this will be most welcomed by French visitors," she said.
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The Guardian
13 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Expanding Super League to 14 teams is unpopular. But it might just work
Do you know anyone who thinks expanding Super League to 14 clubs next season is a good idea, beyond the people who voted for it and the Championship clubs with hopes of promotion? Me neither. When almost no one thinks something is the right thing to do, it almost certainly isn't. But why have nine successful businessmen made such a controversial decision? Let's analyse the widespread objections to the idea and play devil's advocate to see if there are valid reasons for making a change. Clubs and Super League management have had enough of shambolic Salford and want them out. If Toulouse were simply to replace them in a 12-team top flight next season, some clubs would play home games against French clubs (with their handful of away fans) and others would have to travel to France three times. That would not be popular either. Expanding the league to 14 teams means Toulouse can join, loop fixtures can be removed, and two more major markets are added. Toulouse and Bradford appear to be 12th and 13th on IMG gradings. They are averaging crowds of more than 3,000 and could double that in the top flight. Both cities have populations of more than 500,000 and the clubs would both bring major commercial backing. York and Oldham only draw 4,000 fans between them in the Championship but both have more than 200,000 local residents, plus wealthy backers and suitable stadiums, so have the potential to 'do a Leigh'. London Broncos, whose underfunded team are ranked 22nd and play to low three-figure crowds in Wimbledon, would be a gamble: but the one with the biggest winnings if it came off. Only the club owners seem to disagree with that, although at least two did vote for expansion to wait until 2027. 'Three-quarters of the league concluded we should grasp the nettle and voted for change as quickly as possible,' said the RFL Senior Executive Director and RL Commercial chair Nigel Wood, who personally thought 2027 was more sensible. 'Even under the current grading system we could have multiple clubs suddenly having to move leagues at short notice.' With the decision due in October, the two or three promoted clubs will have only three months to prepare, which should guarantee they finish below 11 established clubs, a win-win scenario for self-centred owners. Not necessarily. Much of the dismay was based on the assumption that two additional teams, selected by a supposedly independent panel, would be based on unspecified criteria. The assumption that Nigel Wood's Bradford Bulls and Gary Hetherington's London Broncos would happen to fit those criteria was understandable. Wood has now clarified the decision would be based on the grading system but the panel will 'stress-test' each applicant's financial strength. 'There has to be an enhanced scrutiny of the financial aspects of grading to find clubs with the sustainability to cope within the Super League, possibly with not a full distribution,' said Wood, reiterating the need to avoid a repeat of the Salford farce. If two expansion clubs have to cope with less than the full £1.3m central funding, that puts moneybags York – surprise Championship leaders – firmly in the picture. Hetherington and Wood divide league fans into two camps: one that considers them cynical opportunists and the other that views them as clever entrepreneurs. They are probably both. Hetherington has an excellent track record with Leeds and, if he could repeat that in London, it would benefit the whole sport. And the majority of Super League clubs wanted Wood back in some capacity, maybe just not as king of the castle again. Replacing one northern town with another – Bradford for Salford – will have minimal national impact, but increasing Super League's footprint seems wise. Toulouse and Bradford both have serious potential and buoyant clubs there could increase Super League's attractiveness to external investors. Having started in seven markets, Super League has shrunk to just four: the addition of Toulouse and either London or York would take that back up to six. Oldham would make much of their Greater Manchester location, York their famous one. Sky has always implied it wants Super League to be whatever size Super League wants to be, but it is not clear what will happen to the seventh weekly fixture or who would pay the £500,000 a season for those games to be televised. It could be streamed or not broadcast: most viewers will hardly be fuming if they can't watch Huddersfield v Leigh live from The Shay. If Toulouse are in the top flight, they and Catalans could play home games every other Friday night. 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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
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BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
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The Club World Cup in the United States only finished on 13 July, but Europe's top leagues are already set to kick off Dutch Eredivisie begins on 8 August, with the Portuguese Primeira Liga and Spain's La Liga starting soon after, before France's Ligue 1, Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A get under way later in Sport has taken a look at those six competitions, the fixtures to watch out for and a guide on what we can expect in 2025-26. 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Germany - Bundesliga Starts: 22 AugustDefending champions: Bayern Munich (33 titles)Teams in Europe: Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund (Champions League), Freiburg, Stuttgart (Europa League), Mainz (Conference League play-off)Promoted and relegated: Cologne, Hamburg (promoted), Bochum, Holsten Kiel (relegated)Biggest summer signings: Luis Diaz (Liverpool to Bayern Munich, £65.5m), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool to Leverkusen, £35m), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven to Leverkusen, £35m), Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland to Dortmund, £27m), Yan Couto (Manchester City to Dortmund, £25.3m), Vini Souza (Sheffield United to Wolfsburg, £13m), Mark Flekken (Brentford to Leverkusen, £8m)Expert insight, from German football writer Constantin Eckner:"Bayern Munich are once again the clear favourites to win the Bundesliga. Even though they have struggled to sign new attackers, their squad is still reasonably strong, even with Jamal Musiala missing the first couple of months of the season."Borussia Dortmund have the best shot at challenging Bayern and Jobe Bellingham might play a prominent role in their efforts to keep up with the defending champions. The former Sunderland midfielder has all the tools to be the Bundesliga's breakout star."Another name to keep in mind is Ibrahim Maza, a 19-year-old attacking midfielder who has just joined Bayer Leverkusen. While still inexperienced, he could turn out to be the rightful successor to Florian Wirtz." Italy - Serie A Starts: 23 AugustDefending champions: Napoli (four titles)Teams in Europe: Napoli, Inter Milan, Atalanta, Juventus (Champions League), Roma, Bologna (Europa League), Fiorentina (Conference League play-off)Promoted and relegated: Cremonese, Pisa, Sassuolo (promoted), Monza, Venezia Empoli (relegated)Biggest summer signings: Francisco Conceicao (Porto to Juventus, £27.7m), Sam Beukema (Bologna to Napoli, £26.9m), Nico Gonzalez (Fiorentina to Juventus, £24.4m) Noa Lang (PSV Eindhoven to Napoli, £21.6m), Ange-Yoan Bonny (Parma to Inter Milan, £20m), Luis Henrique (Marseille to Inter Milan, £20m), Lloyd Kelly (Newcastle to Juventus, £20m), Jonathan David (Lille to Juventus, free), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City to Napoli, free), Ciro Immobile (Besiktas to Bologna, free), Luka Modric (Real Madrid to AC Milan, free)Expert insight, from Italian football journalist Daniele Verri: "The title race looks like it will be a battle between Napoli and Inter. "The holders are a better side with the arrivals of Kevin De Bruyne, Noa Lang, Lorenzo Lucca, Sam Beukema and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who will allow Antonio Conte to rotate without losing quality."Keeping Conte in the dugout was the real deal for Napoli, though it won't be easy to compete in both Serie A and the Champions League."Inter are still very strong. Hakan Calhanoglu is going to stay and Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman could join too."Massimiliano Allegri - and Igli Tare's - AC Milan have left a positive impression this summer. The potential arrivals of Ardon Jashari from Club Brugge and Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus would complete a very competitive squad. "The same applies for Roma under new boss Gian Piero Gasperini, who have been active in the market, and Juventus, who will be hoping to line up with a deadly attack of Randal Kolo Muani and Jonathan David. "Meanwhile, Cesc Fabregas' Como have spent 200m euros since last summer after a strong return to Serie A - they are aiming big."The players to watch are Napoli's De Bruyne and Milan's Luka Modric - they promise to bring leadership, experience and quality to Serie A. It will be a treat." Netherlands - Eredivisie Starts: 8 AugustDefending champions: PSV Eindhoven (26 titles)Teams in Europe: PSV, Ajax (Champions League), Feyenoord (Champions League third qualifying round), Go Ahead Eagles (Europa League), Utrecht (Europa League second qualifying round), AZ Alkmaar (Conference League second qualifying round)Promoted and relegated: Excelsior, Telstar, Volendam (promoted), Almere City, RKC Waalwijk, Willem II (relegated)Biggest summer signings: Ruben van Bommel (AZ Alkmaar to PSV, £13.7m), Raul Moro (Real Vallecano to Ajax, £9.5m), Sem Steijn (Twente to Feyenoord, £8.7m), Yarek Gasiorowski (Valencia to PSV, £8.5m), Luciano Valente (Groningen to Feyenoord, £6.8m).Expert insight, from Dutch football journalist Arthur Renard: "PSV are favourites for the title, building on a strong squad by adding talent like Ruben van Bommel, son of ex-international Mark. They looked strong in a 2–1 pre-season win over Athletic Bilbao."Eyes will be on Ajax as well with John Heitinga now in charge. The former Liverpool assistant brought keeper Vitezslav Jaros with him, but might want to add experience after Jordan Henderson's departure."It will also be interesting to see how Robin van Persie does in his first full season at Feyenoord, as he has to deal with key departures like Igor Paixao and Antoni Milambo. FC Utrecht could surprise again after finishing fourth last term, while AZ and Twente aim to push into the top three."The player to watch is Kees Smit. The AZ midfielder starred at the U19 Euros – named best player and joint-top scorer. A Youth League winner in 2023, Smit stands out for his technical skills and game-reading ability." Portugal - Primeira Liga Starts: 8 AugustDefending champions: Sporting (21 titles)Teams in Europe: Sporting (Champions League), Benfica (Champions League third qualifying round), Porto (Europa League), Braga (Europa League second qualifying round), Santa Clara (Conference League second qualifying round)Promoted and relegated: Alverca, Tondela (promoted), Boavista, Farense (relegated)Biggest summer signings: Richard Rios (Palmeiras to Benfica, £23.4m), Luis Suarez (Almeria to Sporting, £19.2m), Victor Froholdt (Copenhagen to Porto, £17.3m), Borja Sainz (Norwich to Porto, £14.3m), Gabriela Veiga (Al-Alhi to Porto, £13m), Nehuen Perez (Udinese to Porto, £11.5m), Amar Dedic (RB Salzburg to Benfica, £10.4m), Mario Dorgeles (Nordsjaelland to Braga, £9.5m)Expert insight, from Portuguese football journalist Diogo Pombo:"It would be easy to say Sporting are the front-runners - they won the last two championships."But they sold Viktor Gyokeres, whose goalscoring exploits and physical abilities solved a lot of problems for the team. And the players don't seem a natural fit for the 4-2-3-1 system coach Rui Borges prefers - a shift away from Ruben Amorim's back three, which gave the team its foundation for success."Benfica struggled during pre-season to find a creative spark and desperately need a midfielder who can add 'out of the box' ideas to its attacking play."So, despite the horrible sensations left last season, FC Porto seems to be the 'grande' that shaped the best plan for this season. In Francisco Farioli they have a sharp up-and-coming coach, ambitious, full of fresh ideas and the one who was able to assemble a team that already shows the most oiled-up dynamics on the pitch."The midfield trio of Alan Varela, Victor Froholdt and Gabri Veiga looks the most complementary and sharp among the three main title contenders." Spain - La Liga Starts: 15 AugustDefending champions: Barcelona (28 titles)Teams in Europe: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal (Champions League), Real Betis, Celta Vigo (Europa League), Rayo Vallecano (Conference League play-off)Promoted and relegated: Elche, Levante, Real Oviedo (promoted), Valladolid, Las Palmas, Leganes (relegated)Biggest summer signings: Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth to Real Madrid, £50m), Alvaro Carreras (Benfica to Real Madrid, £43.2m), Franco Mastantuono (River Plate to Real Madrid, £38.9m), Alex Baena (Villarreal to Atletico Madrid, £36.3m), Joan Garcia (Espanyol to Barcelona, £21.6m), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis to Atletico Madrid, £20.8m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool to Real Madrid, £8.4m), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United to Barcelona, loan).Expert insight, from European football journalist Guillem Balague: "Barring a dramatic changing of the guard, the 2025-26 La Liga trophy will probably be lifted by either Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid - just as it has been for the past 21 campaigns. In that time Barcelona have won 12 titles, Real Madrid seven and Atletico two."Real Madrid start as many people's favourites, but did last season as well. Defence has been the main focus with the additions of Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool, central defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth and and left back Alvaro Carreras from Benfica."Their most important signing, however, is probably Xabi Alonso who will be hoping to take the club back to the glory days after his huge success at Bayer Leverkusen."Aided and abetted by a prodigiously talented academy, Hansi Flick goes for his second title in a row at Barcelona."They have been prudent in the transfer market, bringing in goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol and Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United without having to put their hands into their - these days - shallow pockets."Barca need to improve defensively but there will be plenty of goals."Last but not least, Atletico - Real Madrid's very noisy neighbour - have made their intentions clear with a very busy transfer window. "In come midfielder Alex Baena from Villarreal, Slovakia central defender David Hancko from Feyenoord, American midfielder Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis, and Argentine midfielder/winger Thiago Almada from Botafogo."If Diego Simeone does not compete for the league and the Champions League until the last few weeks of the season, it will be considered a failure."This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. What is Ask Me Anything? Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio. 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