Your Brighton player of the season
We asked you to select your Brighton player of the season from the four candidates chosen by our fan contributor.And with the poll now closed, we can reveal the winner is... Jan Paul van Hecke!Here's what Scott McCarthy from We Are Brighton, external said about him:Van Hecke has been the one constant at the heart of the defence this season. Rattled through more partners than Henry VIII had wives, yet nothing has fazed him. Will surely succeed Lewis Dunk as captain... presuming he breaks the curse of not leaving within months of winning the club's official player of the year award.See the final poll breakdown
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BBC News
8 minutes ago
- BBC News
Queen's 2025: Olga Morozova - women's singles champion since 1973
When Olga Morozova lifted the biggest trophy of her career, she might not have thought she would be the reigning champion for more than 50 next week she will finally lose her crown when the Queen's Club Championships stages a women's event for the first time since winner will get a new trophy, which has the previous champions engraved on it, as the original one could not be the tennis world itself is also a different one to Morozova's days of wooden racquets and taking public transport to Queen's prepares to welcome today's players to its grass courts on Monday, Morozova reflects on a time when rain meant matches were moved indoors on to a tricky wooden court, the event was sponsored by a tobacco company and her prize money for the title was £1,000. From cheap B&B via Tube to Queen's title For Moscow-born Morozova, prize money was not especially relevant."I came from the Soviet Union. We were not professional, we were amateurs. The money which I won not only here but in Wimbledon, everywhere else, was going to our federation," the 76-year-old said."They paid for my trip, they paid for my coach, they paid for my whatever."That "whatever" would have included transport and accommodation."We arrived at Queen's by Tube," she said. "We were staying in Earl's Court in a B&B. It was not a very good B&B, I think the toilets and the showers were three floors [apart]… You shared with other people, it was normal for everyone at that time."For Wimbledon, we had a car - imagine coming out of the B&B, down the stairs and you have the Rolls Royce with the driver with white gloves waiting for you and opening the door."It may not have been Wimbledon but Queen's was a prestigious event. Chris Evert and Margaret Court were in the field, along with Evonne Goolagong, whom a 24-year-old Morozova upset in straight sets in the final without dropping was a surprise result to most, but not to Morozova."I remember I played well," she said. "Beforehand I was feeling the ball good and I already knew Evonne and knew how to play her, and grass was my very favourite surface."Since the prize cheque was not going to her pocket and there was no replica trophy to take away, the main benefit - prestige aside - was relief that the decision to seed her for Wimbledon for the first time had been the days before the computerised rankings system, seedings - which ensure top players do not meet very early in a tournament - were decided by panels of experts."I was seeded eight at Wimbledon, and everybody was saying 'Oh, my God, why is she seeded?' But finally I won the tournament and I was actually feeling quite good because now they know why I was seeded!"Morozova's serve-and-volley game was well suited to grass - she was the Wimbledon junior champion in 1965 and won several titles on the reached the Wimbledon final in 1974, losing to Evert just weeks after losing the French Open final to the American. But together, they earned the women's doubles title at Roland Garros, making Morozova the first Russian to win a Grand Slam title. Prize money fight – then and now As Queen's staged what would be its last women's tournament for 52 years, a huge moment for women's tennis was taking place at a hotel nearby in west 21 June 1973, Billie Jean King gathered a group of women to unite players from rival tours into a single organisation that became the WTA (Women's Tennis Association), creating a first truly global professional sports tour and sparking a substantial increase in prize between darting to furtive meetings about the fledgling movement, King managed to win the women's doubles at Queen's that then, women tennis players have earned considerably more than Morozova's generation. Today, seven of the world's 10 highest-earning female sports stars are tennis although the Grand Slams now offer equal prize money for men and women, there is disparity elsewhere. At other tournaments, minimum prize money levels are set by the she won the title, Morozova won £1,000 - the equivalent of around £15,000 now. The 2025 champion will take home $218,000 (£161,000) - over 10 times more in real prize was half of what Ilie Nastase won that year in the men's singles. This year, the men's champion at Queen's will receive around two and a half times more than the women' LTA has pledged to introduce equal prize money at Queen's and Eastbourne by total prize fund for this year's WTA event at Queen's will be $1.415m (£1.043m), with the LTA voluntarily increasing the standard prize money by a the prize fund for the men competing at the same venue the following week is 2.522m euros (£2.122m).The WTA is aiming for parity in prize money by 2033, and tournament director Laura Robson said at the Queen's launch earlier this year: "The LTA definitely would love to hit that marker well before the WTA Tour but to do that we need a successful event, we need people to come and watch and to get excited about it."It doesn't start at all or nothing. We have to build the way that the tournament's run and eventually get to that marker of equal prize money but it's something I'm all for as a former player."Morozova herself did remark, though, that the prize money on offer was "good"."Of course I want the girls to have more but at the same time I think that it will come," she added. Boost for British players After her playing career ended, Morozova became a coach in her native country but then spent many years at the recently as last summer, she was working with British player Harriet Dart, who reached the third round at Wimbledon. Morozova is also full of praise for the two leading British hopes at this year's Queen' says British number one Katie Boulter, a multiple title-winner on grass, "knows her own game so well" and always produces "simple but very good quality strokes".Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, "is improving her technical side… [but] needs to be a little bit more patient with herself and her coaches" because her stunning run to the 2021 US Open title put her under significant scrutiny and who also once coached Robson, believes the return of a women's event at Queen's will be a huge boost for British players."They will have more experience on the grass," she said. "They will know how to play on grass, they will have a little bit better opportunity to perform much better at that high level."The tournament has pulled in seven of the world's top 15 players. Whoever's name comes after Morozova's on the new trophy will have come through a very competitive that, Queen's will pay tribute to its most recent female champion during this year's event, something Morozova, who is now a grandmother, says is "a huge surprise" because she won "a long time ago"."I'm just very pleased I'm still alive!" she said. "I can come here and it's very nice that I am actually recognised for what I did. It's lovely."
BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
'I couldn't imagine not teaching full-time - until I had my baby'
"I really loved my job, and I loved working full-time. I couldn't have seen that changing before I had a family."After eight years in teaching, primary school teacher Alice Cole says that all changed with the arrival of her first child, Oliver, last Alice's partner working shifts, Alice says a full-time return to work would have made her family time "non-existent"."Working flexibly now has given me that precious time with my son which I wouldn't change for the world," she returned to work three days a week at Oasis Academy Warndon in April and is on a flexible working arrangement for the next year, which means she can also take Oliver to regular baby group believes delivering more flexible working options for teachers - especially those who are new parents - is going to be key to addressing ongoing issues with recruitment and retention in the wants all new parent teachers to be offered such flexibility, to allow them to "feel confident that taking that step forward in their personal life isn't going to lead to a step back in their professional life".It's an area of teaching the government is trying to improve as part of its pledge to recruit 6,500 new Secretary Bridget Phillipson said more schools should offer flexible hours when she announced plans to give teachers a 4% pay rise earlier this and working conditions have been key drivers for many teachers deciding to leave the profession in recent years, and to fewer deciding to data released on Thursday suggested the overall number of teachers has fallen by 400, and 1,400 fewer teachers entered the profession in 2024-25 than the previous is the lowest year on record for new teachers joining the profession overall, at 41,736, or 9.2% of all teachers, and targets for trainee teacher recruitment were again missed for both primary and secondary schools for the ninth time in 10 remaining high compared to previous years, the number of teachers leaving the profession in England has slightly improved compared to 2023-24. The government said Thursday's data showed there were 2,346 more teachers in secondary and special schools in England compared to last to the data, the education secretary said the government was "delivering on our pledge to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers, with more joining the profession in our secondary and special schools and over a thousand more people intending to train to become teachers this year compared to last, fundamental to improving children's life chances."However, those figures have become a source of contention, with Conservative shadow education minister Neil O'Brien accusing Labour of "abandoning" their pledge by ignoring the falling number of teachers in state nurseries and primary schools, which had driven the overall numbers down. Primary pupil numbers are decreasing, though, as birth rates fall, and staffing issues have been felt most acutely in secondary schools - particularly in specialist subjects like maths, science and science teacher Sam Alner says he loves the "dynamism" of teaching, but regularly wonders how long he can sustain it."Relentless is probably a word people would use when they talk about teaching," he 12 years into his teaching career, Sam is also vice principal at Bridge Academy in Hackney, east London, where more than half of the students receive free school the busy exam season, his day can begin at 05:00 and regularly finish late for parents' evenings, which he says can be "really, really full on".Sam has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon, saying he loves the "hustle" of school life. But he says he has seen other experienced staff members leaving to find a better work-life balance, or higher-salaried jobs, in recent years."There's always more you can do because you can always spend that little bit extra time on making a lesson better," Sam says."When you're young and fresh that's OK. But when you're having to make the choice between that work-life balance, I think that's when people look at teaching and go: 'I can't sustain or justify this.'" For Sam's subject, computing, the government hit just 37% of its national target for recruiting new teachers for gathered by survey tool Teacher Tapp, commissioned by teaching charity Teach First, suggests 15% of schools in the poorest communities cannot offer computer science GCSE, compared to 4% of the wealthiest schools in disadvantaged areas find it harder to recruit teachers, especially in specialist subjects, meaning disadvantaged pupils may have fewer opportunities, Teach First chief executive Russell Hobby says."What we really need is to flip the dial on that," he says."Otherwise, if we don't do that, we will continue to see these inequalities perpetuated."Dan Botting, executive principal of Portsmouth Academy, which also has a high proportion of pupils on free school meals, says finding staff to teach computing has been "really challenging" for his areas like Portsmouth have historically found it harder than other regions to recruit and retain teachers, so the school has had to be creative.A member of the senior leadership team has been retrained to deliver classes in computing, instead of "continuing to search for candidates that just aren't out there".They have had to limit the number of pupils who can take it at GCSE, Dan says, despite high demand - which he says has been a "shame".The school can provide for just one class of pupils per year for a GCSE in the subject at the moment, which Dan thinks "we could probably triple", as the students are enthusiastic about technology. Portsmouth Academy works closely with local universities to try to recruit new graduate teachers, and has hosted a "get into teaching" all subjects, Dan says he believes it is crucial to recruit teachers who will stay in the profession long-term."It's really important to retain those people," he says, adding that it is crucial they have "the right skills and expertise to be able to deliver for the pupils who need it most".Additional reporting by William Dahlgreen Act 'now or never' to hit 6,500 teachers target, report warnsTeacher mums who leave profession fuelling shortagesWould a 1.40pm Friday finish stop teachers quitting?
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
I'm in my 20s with lots of online friends, but can't seem to connect IRL
A couple of years ago, I moved to a new city. The pandemic put my university plans permanently on hold, and I've recently started working full time. I built up a sizeable network of online friends during and after the pandemic, but I've found myself craving real-life friends to interact with more often. I don't drink and I'm struggling to find activities for people my age that I'm interested in. Apart from a few at my job, I haven't been able to make any new friends, and my contact with old school friends has become less and less frequent. I'm struggling to find a solution. I've tried friend-finding and dating apps, but have had almost no responses and I'm getting demoralised. How do you make friends in a situation like this? Your early 20s can be a strange time for friendships. People leave formal education, start jobs and start or end significant relationships. It's a time of flux, when you feel your whole life is ahead of you, yet also like it's never going to start. There's a lot of jostling for position and how to define yourself. Increasingly, I'm getting letters like yours from early twentysomethings, so you're not alone. An online life has its place, but we are social animals and need social interaction. I went to the UK Council for Psychotherapy-registered therapist Jason Maldonado-Page, who remembers 'feeling the same way as you do when I moved to London in my mid-20s', adding that it's a theme that comes up a lot in his clinical work as cities can be lonely places. He reiterates that your 20s can be a time of great change, and things like 'new careers, intimate relationships and, for some, the birth of a child can take time and focus, and can be a hindrance to making and sustaining friendships. For many of us, friendships are not like on TV, where people live nearby and pop in unannounced.' It's important to remember: in a world obsessed with portraying the ideal or the terrible, expectations must be realistic. A reader shared a phrase I like, which is that you can have 'friends for a reason, friends for a season, or friends for life', and I think that's true. Friendships until this point have probably been circumstantial – you were bound together by proximity – but now they have to be worked at. I think there's this idea that friendships should just happen, but they need input and confidence (everyone is scared of rejection and this can hold us back). People also presume everyone else is having a great time and has lots of friends, but even 'popular' people get lonely (sometimes the busiest people are the loneliest) Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Maldonado-Page thinks it is a really good sign that you have built up a sizeable network of online friends. 'While I appreciate this is not the same as 'real-life friends',' he says, 'I am sure you are not alone in wanting more. Could this be a good opportunity to put an appeal out to your online friends for anyone interested in a face-to-face friendship? You may be surprised to find others in your situation.' But if you don't get any takers – and I know this is easier said than done – don't take it personally and keep trying. Avoid people who say they don't need more friends: often they have intimacy issues. 'Friendships develop over time and are not instantaneously constructed,' says Maldonado-Page, 'so try to take the pressure off yourself. I've also learned, through my lived experience and my clinical work, that the quantity of 'real friends' tends to decrease as you get older, but the quality of those fewer friends becomes greater, leading to more fulfilling friendships.' In my experience, good friendships start with small steps. Ask a colleague if they'd like to go for coffee, or even a walk around the block at lunchtime. Get to know them and see if you'd like to be their friend. Change the focus. It doesn't have to be about activities – these work for some people and not others; they're not for me – but remember you could always start something informal. A lunchtime walking group, a once-a-month Saturday brunch club? Invite people to yours? I think formal groups/activities work for some people and not others – they're not for me and they might not be for you. Most of all, remember it all takes time, and you have plenty of it. Every week, Annalisa Barbieri addresses a personal problem sent in by a reader. If you would like advice from Annalisa, please send your problem to Annalisa regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions. The latest series of Annalisa's podcast is available here. 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