Dean Lewington to be awarded Freedom of City of Milton Keynes
"His commitment, leadership and contribution both on and off the pitch make him an outstanding ambassador for our city and it's a real pleasure to be able to recognise his contributions with this honour," added Marland, a Labour councillor.
Second recipient
Jane Carr, a Liberal Democrat councillor who leads the opposition group on the council, said: "It is proper and fitting that Dean is being proposed for this award and I look forward to the Special Council Meeting to celebrate his achievements."Lewington will become only the second individual recipient of the Freedom of the City since Milton Keynes was granted city status in 2022.Leah Williamson, captain of the Lionesses, the England Women's team, was given the honour in 2023.Lewington was part of MK Dons squad that won the EFL Trophy at Wembley in 2008 and were then promoted to the Championship in 2015.In 2023, he set a new English Football League record for the most league appearances for the same club.The Freedom of the City, the highest honour a city council can give, recognises individuals who have provided service to the area. The council said it would announce the date of the special meeting soon.
Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
Super League 2026 line-up set for October reveal
Super League's 2026 club line-up will be confirmed on Thursday, 16 October, the Rugby Football League (RFL) has top flight is set to expand from 12 to 14 teams in time for next season, with the expansion taking place by combining the current club grading system with an independent have until next Tuesday in order to register their intent to apply for one of the two new spots, while clubs must supply all relevant information in a formal application by 12 addition to the club grading system's criteria, the league also said the panel would judge applications against each club's financial performance in 2025, as well as their financial performance and sustainability forecasts for 2026 to 2028 and their ability to "field a competitive team in 2026 and beyond".The additional criteria comes as Salford Red Devils' financial difficulties continue to plague their season, with last Sunday's fixture against Wakefield Trinity being called off as the club only had two senior players 2025 campaign has played out against the backdrop of prolonged financial issues, culminating in 14 first-team players leaving the club while they have regularly fielded team line-ups filled with youth players, conceding 940 points in 21 league games this term. Members of independent panel confirmed Clubs have been graded under media giant IMG and Rugby League Commercial's 'Reimagining Rugby League' initiative in the past two seasons, but only 2025's league structure has been decided by its criteria, which saw London replaced by Wakefield in the top flight for this the system, Super League, Championship and League One clubs are assessed based on points calculated by on and off-field performance and this system is set to be used alongside an independent panel to decide which clubs will form the expanded Super League chair Lord Jonathan Caine will be two fellow non-executive RFL directors, Abi Ekoku and Dermot Power, as well as RFL chief executive Tony Sutton and interim head of legal Graeme Rugby League Commercial's managing director Rhodri Jones and Peter Hutton, a senior independent non-executive director of RL Commercial and Super League (Europe) Board member, complete the panel's seven members."I am honoured to have been asked to chair the panel to determine whether the Betfred Super League expands from 12 to 14 in 2026 and, if so, which clubs will take up the 13th and 14th positions in the competition," Caine said."This panel consists of individuals with the considerable knowledge and expertise necessary to ensure that the process is both thorough and robust. All of our proceedings will be conducted on the basis of absolute fairness, rigorous impartiality between the applicants, total independence and, of necessity, complete confidentiality."
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
What is Uefa's association coefficient ranking?
Uefa's association coefficient rankings are used to determine which countries have the best-performing clubs in European awards points to both individual teams and their national associations based on their performances across the Champions League, Europa League and Conference season, the two highest-ranked nations in each season are awarded an extra place in the following season's Champions League. Meanwhile, the overall five-year rankings determine how many places in each country receives in each competition example, England and Spain have earned an extra place in the league phase of this season's Champions League as a result of performances by clubs from those countries last rankings used for a given season are based on results from the previous year. For instance, for the 25-26 season, the five-year qualifying period from 19-20 to 23-24 is used. However, the two best performing nations from 24-25 season are given those extra spots for the 25-26 Champions League.A nation's position in Uefa's rankings directly influences how many clubs it can enter into the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. How do the points work? Teams are awarded two points per win and one per draw, although points earned are halved during the qualifying awarded for victories in regular time (90 minutes) and after extra-time are counted, but wins via penalty shootouts do not contribute to Uefa's coefficient rankingsBonus points are awarded for advancing to specific stages of all three of Uefa's club points earned are then divided by how many clubs competed in European competitions by that nation in that particular season. For the 25-26 season, England's points will be divided by nine as they have nine clubs in European pointsTeams between 25th and 36th in Champions League's league phase – six pointsTeams between 1st and 24th in Champions League's league phase – six points plus an additional 0.25 for 24th place and increasing by 0.25 for each place above 24th with a maximum of 12 points in total for first placeTeams between 1st and 24th in Europa League's league phase – 0.25 points for 24th and increasing by 0.25 for each place above 24th with a maximum of six points for 1st placeTeams between 9th and 24th in Conference League's league phase - 0.125 points for 24th and increasing by 0.125 for each place above 24th with a maximum of two points for ninth placeTeams between 1st and 8th in Conference League's league phase – 2.25 points for 8th and increasing by 0.25 points for every position above eighth with a maximum of four points for first placePoints for reaching round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final in Champions League - 1.5 points per each round reachedPoints for reaching round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final in Europa League – one point per each round reachedPoints for reaching round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final in Conference League - 0.5 points per each round reached Which countries get which spots? Russia are currently expelled from playing in European club competitions, meaning the spots they would have been given are distributed Liechtenstein play their league football as part of Switzerland's domestic system, the only Liechtenstein-ran competition is the Liechtenstein Cup which only warrants a qualifying spot in the Conference LeagueNations 1-4 – Four league phase spotsNation 5 – Three league phase spots and one third qualifying round spotNation 6 – Two league phase spots and one third qualifying round spotNations 7-9 – One league phase spot and one third qualifying round spotNation 10 – One league phase spot and one second qualifying round spotNations 11-14 – One play-off qualifying round spot and one second qualifying round spotNations 15-24 – One second qualifying round spotNations 25-55 – One first round qualifying round spot (the two best-ranked clubs from these nations automatically start into the second qualifying round to cover Russia's and Lichtenstein's absences)Europa LeagueNations 1-5 – Two league phase spotsNations 6-7 – One league phase spots and one second qualifying round spotNations 8-12 – One play-off qualifying round spot and one second qualifying round spotNations 13-15 – One third qualifying round spotNation 16 – One second qualifying round spotNations 17-34 – One first qualifying round spot (except for Russia, while the best-ranked club qualifying from a non-top-seven nation is moved straight into the play-off qualifying round)Conference LeagueNations 1-5 – One play-off qualifying round spotNations 6-12 – One second qualifying round spotNations 13-29 – Two second qualifying round spotsNations 30-33 – One second qualifying round spot and one first qualifying round spotNation 34 – Two first qualifying round spotsNations 35-47 – One second qualifying round spot and two first qualifying round spotsNations 48-50 – Three first qualifying round spotsNations 51-55 – Two first qualifying round spots How are UK teams currently faring? England currently holds the top spot in Uefa's association rankings, with English clubs having won five out of 14 major finals across the three European competitions since were ranked 11th for the qualifying period for the 25-26 season but will enter 26-27 in 14th Ireland enter both this season and next season, based on the five-year qualifying period, in 42nd entered this season in 52nd out of 55 nations. They have since dropped to 53rd and could fall to 54th, depending on the performance of Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar 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. More questions answered... Why was Eze's free-kick disallowed against Chelsea?How can I watch Premier League highlights from 8pm on BBC Sport?Why does football have Saturday 3pm TV blackout in UK?Why has the Man City 115 charges case taken so long?
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
Wales midfielder Rowe joins Forest from Saints
Wales international Rachel Rowe has joined WSL2 newcomers Nottingham Forest from rivals 32-year-old midfielder is the ninth signing of the summer transfer window for last season's National League title winners."I'm really excited to be joining Nottingham Forest," said Rowe. "It's clearly an elite and ambitious club. The continued success is admirable and shows a huge commitment to invest in the growth of the women's game."Rowe joined Southampton in June 2024 saying she was leaving Rangers after one year in Glasgow in order to be closer to home."We are absolutely delighted to welcome Rachel to the club," said Forest Women head coach Carly Davies."Rachel joins us with a wealth of experience, leadership, and technical quality at both domestic and international level. Her qualities fit seamlessly with our vision for this team and the direction we are heading." Having come through Swansea City's youth academy, Rowe began her senior professional career with Cardiff City and was part of the team that won the Welsh Premier Women's Football League in joined Reading in February 2015 on a part-time basis before agreeing full-time terms in December that year following the club's promotion to the WSL, going on to make more than 100 appearances for the Reading's relegation from the WSL at the end of the 2023-24 season Rowe played one season with Rangers before returning to England to play in the Championship - now rebranded WSL2 - with Southampton."Her versatility and know-how at the top level will be invaluable, both on and off the pitch," added Davies."She enriches our squad with her winning mentality and strong work ethic."I'm confident she'll make an immediate and lasting impact for Forest Women as we continue to create history and build a legacy for women's football in Nottingham."
