'Without Queen Ann, Hearts fans wouldn't have a club'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
5 minutes ago
- BBC News
Aston Villa's Bodymoor Heath training ground extension approved
Plans for Aston Villa to expand their Bodymoor Heath training ground have been approved. The Premier League club applied to North Warwickshire District Council for permission to create a two-storey extension to the main building at the facility. Documents show the expansion would create a bigger and updated dining and nutrition area at first floor level for senior and junior project is the latest in a series of improvements at the Warwickshire training ground, with work under way to create better facilities for the club's women and youth teams and a permanent new office space for administrative and media staff. Marginal gains 'key' In the application, the club said it was "important" for them to improve their facilities to support its "ambition to stay at the top of elite levels of men's football, where marginal gains are key to success".The current dining facilities are "inadequate" to meet the current sport science requirements the club demands, they added.A council report, which recommended that the plans were approved, said that the new development is "appropriate" for the green belt site, because it would cause "limited harm" to the openness of the landscape. In the pipeline is a new centre with 40 bedrooms for players and staff to stay on site when they return from evening games.A purpose-built academy centre is also being built, following the demolition of a number of buildings, as well as a new 3G pitch, covered by a 15-metre dome. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Sun
5 minutes ago
- The Sun
Unemployed former Premier League star confirmed as TNT Sports pundit for Community Shield
TNT SPORTS have announced the return of a newly unemployed Premier League star as part of their punditry line-up for the Community Shield. Premier League champions Liverpool lock horns at Wembley with FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in the broadcaster's first match of the season. 3 Sunday's clash at Wembley will be the first time the Community Shield will be broadcast on TNT, after a new four-year deal was announced earlier this week, removing the rights from ITV. But a new broadcaster will not be the only change, as regular TNT viewers will notice a new line-up of pundits for its coverage of the match. West Ham legend Michail Antonio will be adding his expert analysis to the coverage in his first appearance since he was released from the club after 10 years. He will appear alongside TNT regular Steve McManaman and debutant Joel Ward, who will be representing the Liverpool and Crystal Palace contingents of the punditry lineup. This will not be the first time Antonio has formed part of TNT's presenting line-up, most recently appearing pitch-side at the Conference League final between Chelsea and Real Betis. Antonio already made headlines this week after he was released by West Ham, following 10 years at the club. In his time with the Hammers, he scored 83 goals in 323 appearances. However, the 35-year-old's career came to an abrupt end following a horrific car crash. On December 7, Antonio was driving through Epping Forest during stormy weather when he lost control of his Ferrari and crashed into a tree. TNT Sports to broadcast opening 2025 FA Community Shield game As a result, the Jamaican did not make another appearance for West Ham at senior level, despite attempts to return to fitness. A week before his release was confirmed, Hammers boss Graham Potter alluded to the potential end of the Jamaican international's tenure, saying he would not likely be involved in the squad this season. Antonio's presence in the punditry line-up comes as part of a major shake-up for the broadcaster, as longstanding pundit Rio Ferdinand will no longer be involved - to be replaced by Gareth Bale. Ferdinand announced the end of his 10-year relationship with the broadcaster at the end of last season. 3 3 He said: "After 10 incredible years, I have made the difficult decision to step away from TNT Sports after the Champions League final. 'Since retiring from football it has been a privilege talking about the game I love for a decade for sports fans watching on BT Sports and TNT Sports. 'I want to acknowledge the tremendous support from the team behind the scenes, whose hard work often goes unseen, but has been essential to our success." Bale has been announced as the permanent punditry replacement for Ferdinand on TNT for the whole of the season.
Telegraph
5 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Embrace padel with new covered courts, pensioners told
Pensioners are being encouraged to play padel tennis and pickleball with a new Wimbledon-inspired scheme to build more covered, all-weather courts. A network of 40 covered community sports centres will be rolled out across the UK by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) in an attempt to encourage people of all ages to play a form of tennis. The move is being backed by Paul Farmer, the chief executive of Age UK, who has described padel as 'a simple and easy format that can provide older people with opportunities to get and stay active'. The initiative comes after there were more Britons in the Wimbledon singles draw this year than any year since 1984, and on the first day of the championships on June 30, Britons won more singles matches in a day than at any time in the Open Era. Data from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) shows Britain is at the forefront of the global rise in tennis participation and has the highest percentage of population playing tennis of any of the 199 nations who contributed to their report. In April 2025, adult annual participation was at 5.8 million adults playing at least once a year, up by 51 per cent since January 2019. Back then, padel participation was at 6,000 but this has climbed to about 400,000 annual players today. Fans of the sport include the Hollywood star Eva Longoria, who has said she is 'addicted' to padel and is the co-owner of a team, Eleven Eleven. David Beckham is another celebrity fan of padel. There were just 50 padel courts six years ago but now there are more than 1,000 across the UK. However, there is a lack of covered tennis courts in Britain compared with the rest of Europe. France has six times as many as us, with a roughly similar population and preferable weather. The new hubs, which will use new light-weight all-weather lit canopy structures that allow courts to be covered easily, will be positioned in some of the areas with the highest levels of obesity and inactivity across Britain. They are expected to offer free community sessions, specific activity sessions for inactive groups, including pensioners, and other classes such as female-only and disability tennis sessions, as well as being able to be booked by members of the public. The sites could also be able to be used for basketball, netball or other sports all under one roof, whatever the weather. It is hoped the new facilities would also help to inspire the next generation of children to take up a sport. The £80m project will be funded by the Government, the LTA's charitable arm – the LTA Tennis Foundation, and local authorities, including through the opportunity to unlock money from property developers, and other partners. In the spending review, the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) received £400m for sports facilities capital spending over the next four years, of which the LTA is bidding for £60m. The proposal would complement existing Government investment into football pitches, which doesn't cover courts or court-based sports. Mr Farmer has written to the DCMS urging Labour to back the project, 'to further grow opportunities for older people to be active and participate', saying: 'Expanding access to year-round tennis facilities is vital.' The charity already runs a Walking Tennis programme, in partnership with the LTA encouraging older adults to stay active. Mr Farmer added: 'In those locations where we run the programme outdoors, we have witnessed a very significant drop-off in participation in the autumn and winter months. 'This would also grow opportunities for older people to participate in padel by expanding affordable community provision. 'Padel is a simple and easy format that can provide older people with opportunities to get and stay active, but public facilities are crucial to ensuring that these benefits are accessible to all.' Parkinson's UK also urged the DCMS to back the project. In May, then British No 1s Jack Draper and Katie Boulter, alongside wheelchair tennis champions Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid, and Lucy Shuker, urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to invest more in tennis. Pointing out the 'huge strides' British players had made in recent years, it read: 'Too many places around the country still do not have access to high quality community sports facilities. 'A new national network of community accessible covered tennis, padel and multi-sport hubs would support year-round play, and grow participation, particularly among underserved communities and disabled people.' Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray also backed the plans earlier in summer, saying: 'It is essential in this country for the winter months, because the weather is not great, particularly up north. 'It's tough. It's not easy to go out and want to run around when it's freezing cold and raining. So more covered courts will make a big difference.'
