Latest news with #ClubChampionship
Irish Examiner
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Dara Moynihan makes welcome return as Kerins O'Rahilly's joins Austin Stacks on Kerry SFL summit
ON THE day water breaks returned to Kerry club football, Kerins O'Rahilly's moved level on top of the county's SFL Division 1 with Tralee neighbours Austin Stacks with a hard-earned win over Killarney Legion while the Rock were losing to Spa. O'Rahillys closed out a 1-15 to 0-15 win over Legion in Strand Road but never were comfortable and trailed 0-7 to 0-2 after the opening quarter with Ryan O'Grady, David O'Sullivan and Josh Bowler doing the bulk of the visitor's scoring. Darragh O'Connor and Jack Savage were keeping the Strand Road side in touch, before a Conor Hayes goal for O'Rahillys saw them back in the game. Ryan O'Grady and Gearoid Dillane swapped points as Legion retired 0-8 to 1-4 in front at half time. Points from Hayes, Darragh O'Connor and a two pointer from Jack Savage saw the Tralee side move three clear and they maintained their advantage to the end despite the efforts of young Josh Bowler and Ryan O'Grady. Stacks had the opportunity to go two points clear at the top but struggling Spa - with only a win and two draws so far in the league - caused an upset when they ended Stacks unbeaten league run, 2-16 to 1-17. Spa were always on top and though Stacks levelled on a number of occasions, crucially they never led. Dara Moynihan lined out with Spa for his first outing since last year's Club Championship in August, and the sides were level 0-5 to 1-2 after 17 minutes, Colm Browne with the Stacks goal. Ciaran Spillane and Shane O'Callaghan again swapped points with Kerry panelist Armin Heinrich being prominent for the Tralee side. Evan Cronin restored Spa's lead with a two point free and another two pointer from Cian Tobin gave Spa a 0-10 to 1-6 lead at the interval. They moved three clear thanks to points from Tobin and Spillane and by the 40th minute it was 0-13 to 1-7. Heinrich was withdrawn a minute later and points by Greg Horan and Adam Curran meant it was a one point game ( 0-14 to 1-10) at the second water break. An Evan Cronin goal appeared to give Spa breathing space but a Ferdia O'Brien two pointer and a Ryan O'Driscoll levelled the contest again at 1-15 apiece with five left. Michael Foley restored Spa's lead as Stacks wasted a couple of gilt-edged chances and it proved costly when Luke O'Neill finished a searing run with low shot to the Stacks net. Ferdia O'Brien and O'Driscoll cut the deficit to two but they were denied the win when Shay O'Meara saved on the line in the final seconds. Dr Crokes are going nowhere as they move into joint second place with Legion following a facile 2-18 to 0-6 against a disappointing Laune Rangers side. Rangers actually led 0-2 to 0-1 after four minutes but it sadly went downhill after that for Killorglin side after that. A Mikey Casey goal saw Crokes retire 1-8 to 0-5 at half time. Laune Rangers only added a single point in the second half as Crokes' well-oiled machine added 1-12 with Billy Courtney and David Shaw adding two points each, Alex Hennigan added three, Gavin O'Shea also brought his game tally to 0-3 before Cian McMahon scored a cracking goal but it was all too easy. Glenflesk had a big win over neighbours Rathmore who introduced Paul Murphy, but he could not stem the Glenflesk goal rush as they won 5-11 to 0-17. Cian Lynch, Ian Roche and Darragh Roche got the first half goals as they led 3-2 to 0-7 at half time with Ciaran Collins and Mark Reen contributing 0-3 each. Rathmore closed the gap to three points on two occasions, but was Jamie Moynihan and Callum Cronin finished Rathmore off with second half goals.
Fox News
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Esports World Cup will offer 'life-changing sum' to top competitors
The Esports World Cup (EWC) will feature the best competitive gamers from across the globe, and the pressure got more intense on Thursday as a record-breaking prize pool was announced. The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced a prize pool of more than $70 million, which will make the event among the most prestigious in sports. The event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and run from July 7 to Aug. 24. "The record-breaking $70+ million prize pool, along with our commitment to the Club Partner Program and our multi-year publisher agreements, is a privilege to announce and validation of our purpose to elevate the industry, by giving players, clubs, publishers and all other stakeholders the stability needed to invest for future success," Esports World Cup CEO Ralf Reichert said in a news release. "While more than $70 million is an incredible, life-changing sum, it's always aligned with a long-term vision rather than short-term impact. It's not just to have more money at stake, but to create opportunities for everyone at every level of the ecosystem, and strengthen the industry for generations to come." There are 25 tournaments taking place in 24 games so far. Esports World Cup officials said the games include: Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Crossfire, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 25, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six Siege, Rennsport, Rocket League, Starcraft II, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, and VALORANT. There are also 40 clubs that have joined the EWCF Club Partner Program ahead of the Esports World Cup, including: 100 Thieves, All Gamers, Bilibili Gaming, Cloud9, Edward Gaming, EVOS, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, FURIA, G2 Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, Gen.G, Gentle Mates, HEROIC, JD Gaming, Karmine Corp., Movistar KOI, LEVIATAN, LOUD, MOUZ, NAVI, ONIC, POWR, REJECT, S8UL, Sentinels, T1, Team BDS, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Team RRQ, Team Secret, Team Spirit, Team Vitality, Twisted Minds, Weibo Gaming, Wolves Esports, ZETA DIVISION. Team Falcons won the Club Championship and a $7 million prize in the inaugural event last year. The remainder of the prize pool "will be divided into three distribution categories: Game Championships, MVP Awards, and Qualifiers on the Road to EWC. Each of the Game Championships will have its prize pool with a combined total exceeding $38 million. In addition, a $450,000 MVP Award pool will be allocated to standout participants across all competitions," organizers said. More than $5 million will be awarded to Road to EWC qualifiers. "Winning the Club Championship crown and $7 million at the inaugural Esports World Cup was a defining moment for Team Falcons," Team Falcons CEO Mosaad Al-Dossary said in a news release. "The opportunity to compete in front of our home fans, where they made the arenas shake with every great play, motivated us like never before, and it was an honor to secure the victory for them. "We've used the momentum and winnings from last year to build on our success and we look forward to continuing that legacy this summer." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Forbes
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Esports World Cup Announces Record Breaking $70 Million Prize Pool
Prize money in the world of esports has long been a divisive topic. While the multi-million dollar prize pools of the Dota 2 International always made headlines, a few years down the line, there is almost no doubt that these heights made the scene unsustainable for a lot of teams outside of the very top players who took the lion's share of those prize pools. However, on the other side of the coin, when players in some of the biggest games in the world are competing for just a few thousand dollars, it can feel like their years of work to reach the top are not being respected. It's difficult to stay on the right side of the line for many esports tournament organisers, and that only becomes a bigger issue when you have more than 20 different tournaments happening within two months and an overall championship encompassing all of them. That is where the Esports World Cup finds itself, returning for a second year with the mandate to sustainably grow esports, but offer enough of a reward that the top teams will do everything they can to earn a spot in the tournament. 'We went in last year with $60 million, it was unheard of, it was so much bigger than anything else, and at the same time, we wanted to leave room for growth,' said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. 'So we went from 60 to 70 [million dollars prize pool] The $70 million prize pool for the 2025 event has more than $38 million dedicated to individual game prize pools, over $5 million for qualifying events and $450,000 for MVP awards across the Esports World Cup. The rest, around $27 million, is reserved for the Club Championship, the cross game championship where organisations can win serious money if they perform well across multiple games. The Club Championship winners will walk away with $7 million, which will be one of the biggest individual payouts in esports history. 'If you look at the Esports World Cup, [the Club Championship is] what holds it together,' said Reichert. 'So on the one hand it's fantastic that we have all of these games and can bring them together at one point in time, which is unique, then the club championship is what makes it a story and wraps it together. So we don't consider it as a side element but at the very heart and centre of the Esports World Cup. So naturally this should have the highest prize money.' But really, the most important figures when it comes to the prize pool are what the players themselves can be walking away with. While the Esports World Cup obviously features all of the biggest games, this year with the addition of Valorant, which often have multi-million dollar prize pools, it also features a lot of the slightly smaller esports, where big prize pools are rarer. That means some players in these games can win truly life changing money, and that has already been proven off the back of the 2024 event. 'We literally changed lives,' said Reichert. 'In Street Fighter with Xiao Hai who won $350,000, he's 35, which was maybe not his last [tournament], but he's certainly in the autumn of his career. We could see how much this meant to him as a title, but as well in terms of his financial future. In the MLBB women's event, we had a $180,000 prize for first, which is by far the largest ever for a women's tournament, and those winners who went home, can live for a few years from this. And last but not least, in PUBG Mobile the Brazilian org Alpha7 went home with $470,000 which, living in Brazil, it's almost a fortune for such a club.' There is no doubt that the money on offer to both players and clubs is impressive, and will likely change a lot of lives once it has all been handed out later this year. But it's almost surprising at how the prize pool has grown this year. On paper, the $10 million increase is significant, but when you consider that includes entirely new prize pools for new tournaments being added, and a significant amount going to qualification events, it's perhaps not quite the major increase many expected after a successful first year and the goal of growing year by year. However, this is by design, with the Esports World Cup Foundation very conscious of not doing too much too quickly. 'There's nothing worse than spending a billion one year and zero the next year,' said Reichert. 'So we would rather spend the billion over the next 10–15 years and grow it step by step, because that's what ultimately will help the sport most and the sport is above everything.' For now, the focus is on the $70 million that will be handed out this summer across the 25 tournaments in 24 games that are set to take place in Riyadh. With so much cash on the line, multiple lives will change as a result of this mammoth prize pool, and there is no doubt that competition will lead to some incredible stories you will not want to miss.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Burnden Road Runners have a ball at the Wigan Festival
With a mix of closed roads, live entertainment and fancy bling, the Wigan Running Festival is a popular choice for Burnden runners. This year was extra special as the Wigan Half Marathon marked the first long distance race on the Club Championship list. Despite 'The Hill' at mile nine, Burndeners were in high spirits as they soaked up the party atmosphere and joined hundreds of runners in making a sign of interlocking finger and thumb at the start line - to mark the connection with the Joining Jack charity. The route is varied - beginning from Mesnes Park, passing Wigan's football stadium, an old Heinz factory and following the Leeds-Liverpool canal before heading into a scenic nature reserve and the grounds of Haigh Hall. A spectacular, well-supported finish, a fabulous Burnden support crew stationed at Haigh and a great goody bag with bling and a t-shirt made the slog worth it and Burnden brought home times to make Bolton proud. There were three category wins from Gwen Kinloch, Simon Marland and Lyndsay Darbyshire, as well as several category places in the top three - cementing Burnden brilliance once again. First Burndener home was Matt Dewhurst in an astounding 1hr 19mins 11secs. Second runner was Andrew Horrocks, in 1:24:39, and Mark Whittington closed the top three in 1:25:37- placing third in his MV50 age category. while Simon Marland won his MV65 age category in 1:39:52. The top three Burnden ladies were Kinloch, who won her FV65 age category in 1:37:21, Darbyshire, who was first FV55 in 1:41:21, and Francesca Caine in 1:41:39. Other category places went to Anne Ferguson (second FV65 in 1:49:33), Marcus Hamer (second MV65 in 1:49:20), Mike Caine (third MV55 in 1:34:28), Ed Ashton (third MV60 in 1:36:52) and Katherine Baines (third FV40 in 1:45:03). Other results: Tom Stratton 1:27:41, Michael Kermode 1:29:47, Gareth Doherty 1:35:53, Stephen Horsman 1:38:37, Phillip Fryer 1:40:11, Martin Fielding 1:40:17, Lyall Mew 1:40:52, Martin Whitehead 1:41:28, Gregg Beardwell 1:42:41, Gayle Gerrard 1:44:26, Helen Bury 1:45:31, Alistair Marland 1:45:44, Dean Covill 1:47:53, Martin Cullen 1:50:18, Paul Willan 1:52:16, Rich Burnett 1:56:55, David Morrison 1:57:08, Mark Butler 1:57:16, Linda Doherty 1:59:22, Jane Forrest 1:59:40, Elaine Roper 2:00:46, Kathryn Baron 2:04:18, Julia Hall 2:05:45, Katie Walsh 2:07:44, Louise Righini 2:11:59, Natasha Clarke 2:18:09, Emma Walker 2:18:21, Sandra Caine 2:18:36, Chelsea Entwistle 2:18:36, Sarah Brown 2:18:51, Carol Richardson 2:19:21, Julie Morrison 2:25:37, Justin Bones 2:26:21, Sarah Woodiwiss 2:26:24, Tony Woodiwiss 2:26:25, Joanna Fielding 2:26:52, Susan Wood 2:30:53, Debra Hennessey 2:31:08, Sue Marland 2:35:38, Jennifer Entwistle 2:42:17, Shirley Robinson 2:42:18, Jennifer Forkin 2:42:19, Tony Fulop 2:50:56. Gillian McGowan flew the Burnden flag at the Wigan 5K race - finishing in 38:56. Bubbles were flowing for Tess Riley as she sunk all the way to the South West to compete in the Bath Half Marathon - a huge charity event, having raised more than £30 million since 2000. It is a traffic-free course around the UK's only World Heritage City and Rileu finished in 2:16:34. Martin Fielding was back at the Hyrox event, this time returning with wife, Joanna, who is no newbie to the sport. Described as 'the world series of fitness racing', this brutal training event is popular all over the UK and the Fieldings headed to Glasgow for the doubles edition. With supporters providing an electrifying atmosphere throughout, the sport of Hyrox incorporates cardio and strength racing 1km between eight activities - SkiErg, Sled Push, Sled Pull, Burpee Broad Jumps, Rowing, Farmers Carry, Sandbag Lunges and Wall Balls. The Fieldings smashed this terrifying event in 1:25:51.
