Latest news with #FootballCommunity
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Midfielder Banks to leave Chesterfield
Midfielder Ollie Banks is set to leave Chesterfield when his contract expires this 32-year-old was a mainstay for the League Two side this season, helping the Spireites to a seventh-place finish before they lost to Walsall in the play-off made 40 league appearances and scored two goals during the 2024-25 campaign and was also a key part of the National League title-winning squad last brings to an end his second three-year spell with the club having also played for Chesterfield between 2013 and 2016."One of the hardest things I've ever had to do, saying goodbye to Chesterfield," Banks wrote on X."I've loved every single minute of representing this club - the highs, the challenges, the memories we've made together."Moments I'll carry with me forever and ones my two little lads will grow up remembering too."Thank you to each and every one of the fans, players, and staff, your support has meant everything. It's been a pleasure and an honour."Now onto a new chapter.. but a huge part of my heart will always be here. All the best Spireites!"Chesterfield said on the club website, external: "The club would like to thank Ollie for his tremendous efforts both on and off the pitch during his two spells as a Spireite. We also wish him the best in his future."
Emirates 24/7
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Emirates 24/7
Sharjah Ruler receives Asian champions, grants team AED20 mn reward
His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, emphasised the importance of continuous effort and dedicated work to achieve sporting accomplishments on international platforms—achievements that ultimately reflect on the nation. His Highness also stressed the need to educate young players, promote sportsmanship, and foster cooperation across all segments of the football community—from players to administrative and technical staff, as well as the fans—so that matches are held in a way that pleases everyone. This came during His Highness's reception, on Tuesday, at Al Badi' Palace for the Sharjah Football Club's team, following their victory in the AFC Champions League 2, after defeating Singapore's Lion City Sailors 2–1. His Highness directed that the team of Sharjah Football Club be awarded AED 20 million in recognition of their historic achievement—winning the AFC Champions League 2 title for the first time in the club's history and the history of the UAE. His Highness congratulated the players of the team, along with the administrative and technical staff, on winning the club's first Asian title—an accomplishment that marks a historic moment for the club and for Emirati football. His Highness said, 'We congratulate the officials of the UAE, the Emirati people, and all residents in the country on this victory that came after years of anticipation. We hope this joy continues with upcoming wins by the UAE national team.' His Highness stressed the importance of building a strong national team by ensuring player synergy through intensified group training. 'When playing for the national team, your loyalty should be to the country, not to your club,' His Highness told the players. 'You are now carrying the flag of the UAE, so you must give your best and put aside local league rivalries.' His Highness praised the choice of Coach Cosmin to lead the national team, noting that in the past, coaches were often unfamiliar with the players' skill levels. Now, with Cosmin's presence, the responsibility falls on the players to prove their worth, commitment, and love for the national team. His Highness encouraged the players to make a personal vow to themselves and to God to give their utmost for the national team. He also wished Sharjah FC success in choosing a new coach who could contribute as Cosmin did—pointing out that Cosmin loved the team so deeply he overlooked his own illness. His Highness prayed for his health and success in his mission with the national team. His Highness also highlighted his personal interest in football, especially when it comes to the national team. He recalled the team's matches before qualifying for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, saying he used to follow the team's progress and results daily. 'This comes from our love for our country and our children who play for it,' His Highness said. In conclusion, His Highness stated that club managements must focus on educating players, enhancing their sense of responsibility, and avoiding interference in referees' decisions during matches. A single careless mistake by a player could cost the team victory and render all efforts in vain. His Highness stressed the importance of collective cooperation to ensure that matches reflect good sportsmanship and fair competition. His Highness graciously shook hands with the team's officials, players, and both administrative and technical staff, and took commemorative photos with the team in a joyous atmosphere shared by all present. For their part, the administrative and technical staff and players of Sharjah Football Club expressed their heartfelt gratitude to His Highness for his generous reward and unwavering support, which played a key role in the club's rise to the Asian podium. They appreciated his reception and continuous encouragement, affirming their commitment to His Highness's noble guidance and fatherly advice to represent the UAE with honour on international stages and to continue winning titles. Sharjah FC's first team claimed the AFC Champions League 2 title for the first time in the club's history after defeating Lion City Sailors in the final held last Sunday at Bishan Stadium in Singapore. The match was a heroic football epic, with Sharjah's players delivering their finest performance, scoring the winning goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time. The reception was attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Saud Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Finance Department; Sheikh Khaled bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ports, Customs, and Free Zones Authority; Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Community Development; and a number of senior sports officials. Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Arsenal's Maanum signs new contract
Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum has signed a new contract with the Norway international joined the Gunners from Sweden's Linkoping FC in July 2021 and has gone on to make 150 appearances, scoring 40 goals."I love playing for this club, everything about it – the supporters, the community, playing at Emirates Stadium," Maanum said. "Seeing how the club has developed over the last few years only makes me more excited to continue my journey here."We've had such special moments this season and getting to share those with our supporters has been amazing, I'm looking forward to continuing celebrating with them and giving everything for this team."Renee Slegers added: "I'm delighted that Frida has signed a new contract here with us. She's such an important player in the group and has made a big contribution to what we've achieved as a group during my time as head coach. I know Frida has the ambition and drive to continue striving for improvement as we continue to aim to compete for the highest honours together."
Telegraph
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Secrets of Goodison Park revealed as Everton prepare to say farewell
Football clubs love to position themselves as the heart and soul of their community. For some, it is a dubious claim soaked in superficiality. There is no such artifice at Goodison Park. For passers-by native and new, there is an idyllic wonder at the quaintness of a Premier League venue set among the narrow streets and terraced houses that could have been a set design for Z-Cars, and where the local pub, The Winslow, is literally a hop – or on the most celebrated nights, possibly a stagger – to and from turnstile seven. Everton's great cathedral stands between the 310 yards of Goodison Road separating the Salop Chapel Free Presbyterian Church and that of St Luke the Evangelist, theologians left to ponder which of the three is the more sacred place of worship. Turn the corner, the budding footballers from Gwladys Street Primary and Nursery are a free-kick's distance from the Bullens Road Stand, while the modern upgrades of the Premier League era feel oddly out of sync with the homely, retro feel of an arena that has been a source of inspiration and sanctuary for its congregation since 1892. Goodison Park forever. 💙 #EndOfAnEra — Everton (@Everton) May 17, 2025 'If you know your history,' they chant before each match. Through triumphs and traumas, this place has marinated in nostalgia. On Sunday, Goodison will host its 2,791st and final senior men's league game, an event of such immense consequence for the city that the Museum of Liverpool dedicated a photographic exhibition inviting supporters to capture visual testimony of the farewell season. The images are reassuringly familiar; the scarf sellers maintaining a close but deferential distance to Dixie Dean's statue, and the supporter staring as lovingly at her chippy tea as predecessors in the Park End once did Andy Gray's diving headers. 'One of my favourites is of a fella who is busy painting his house while thousands of fans are walking past on a match day,' says Chris Wardle, who curated the 'Goodbye to Goodison' exhibition. 'That sums up what Goodison is. Life just goes on all around amid this crazy scene of passion.' Wardle had a two-fold ambition when conceiving the presentation; what in 2025 is a contemporary celebration of the match-going experience will for future generations will be a social history of an era which may soon come under that wistful category known as 'bygone'. 'We wanted to tell a story about fan culture,' says Wardle, a season-ticket holder of 17 years. 'The bricks and mortar is what makes Goodison beautiful, but supporters are not just saying goodbye to a stadium. The way we all go to the game will change significantly – the meeting places which have become part of the routine of so many lives every home game. 'There is an essence of Goodison that will be left behind. There are not many other football grounds of such size that are so ingrained into the community. It is one of the last of a special era of football, a 40,000 stadium that is perfect and right in its environment.' Tourists leaving the museum and heading for Liverpool's renowned Central Library can locate a Goodison treasure trove unrivalled at any major football club in the world. The artefacts of the Everton Collection, numbering in excess of 10,000 and continuously expanded, were described by Sotheby's and Christie's as 'the finest and most complete collection of memorabilia relating to one club'. There is renewed hope that the club's new owners, the Friedkin Group, will find the hidden gems the permanent home for public viewing they deserve. Dr David France, the 77-year-old driving force behind the archive and life president of the Everton Shareholders' Association, became the first individual since Bill Shankly to receive Liverpool's Citizen of Honour for services to Merseyside football when he rejected mega-million-pound bids for his collection and effectively gifted it to the city. Among the crown jewels are the minutes of the board meeting in which the stadium name was decided. Leeds-born civil engineer George Goodison, who is credited with improving housing conditions in the Walton area of Liverpool to repel the Victorian scourges of typhus and cholera, was afforded the ultimate honour having already had one of the neighbouring streets named after him. France, whose labour of love began when his mother found a box of Everton souvenirs in her attic in Widnes in 1985, located the 1895 contract that purchased the previously rented Goodison Park land for £8,090, and an 1896 set of published rules for the players who trained at the ground. 'The player shall, if required by the trainer, indulge in the practice of football,' it charmingly asserts. Goodison lays claim to being the oldest purpose-built football stadium in the world (before 1892, other stadia were considered multi-use venues). It was the first Football League Ground to host an FA Cup final in 1894, the first to use goal nets, and pioneered the use of floodlights, while the New York Giants and Chicago White Sox tried in vain to convince Scousers of the merits of baseball in a 1924 exhibition match. Four years earlier, Goodison played a significant, but unfortunate role in exposing the institutionalised discrimination against women's football. After 40,000 fans attended a charity match between the women of the Dick, Kerr Ladies and St Helens Ladies, the Football Association declared 'the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged'. The ban remained for 51 years, adding weighty symbolism to Everton Women's imminent Goodison residency. Far beyond the city, the legend behind the most cherished games and charismatic players and managers will reverberate through the ages. But so much more is being left behind than memories of the Holy Trinity of Alan Ball, Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey, of Pelé and Eusébio extolling Goodison's virtues after playing there in the 1966 World Cup (the semi-final between West Germany and the Soviet Union was also at Goodison), or of the players who won the league and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985. Describing Goodison merely as a football stadium is rather like referring to Stonehenge as a mildly distinctive rockery, or Downing Street as an appealing London terrace. Generations of Evertonians have had their loved ones' remains laid on the hallowed ground, none more poignantly than the most prolific of all strikers. Dixie Dean passed away after attending a Goodison derby in 1980, the stadium ever thus a shrine to his peerless contribution to English football. 'My grandad's ashes were scattered at Goodison. Many family members were, so for many it is a place of commemoration,' says Melanie Prentice, Dixie's granddaughter, who recalls Goodison as her 'playground' whenever the iconic striker returned. 'Goodison is so much more than a football stadium. We'll miss every little bit; the Archibald Leitch design patterns, the wooden seats and even the rickety old bits around the stands. 'People love it because it has a character of its own. But maybe more importantly, Goodison has looked after all of us, players and supporters, for such a long time. Whenever she has been needed most, especially recently, she has been there. It will be hard at the end on Sunday. Very emotional. 'But that sadness is not what it might have been because it means a lot that Goodison is staying part of the club, with it now becoming the home of the women's team. It means it will still always be there for everyone.' The countdown has been long and, for a time, debilitating, to such an extent mixed emotions have quietly snuck into the consciousness of supporters. There is a universal craving for the spectacular new build at Bramley-Moore Dock, but the ache for a futuristic, modern stadium is accompanied by foreboding as former majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri's final promise proved to be not as false as so many of his others. Dave Kelly, chair of the Everton Fan Advisory Board (EFAB) and a season-ticket holder for 50 years, was among those who led the campaign to ensure the club relocated to a fitting Goodison successor, most notably resisting the move to what resembled a dreary, flatpack of a stadium partnering a Tesco superstore in Kirkby 16 years ago. 'The Keep Everton in Our City [KEOIC] chapter has almost been forgotten,' Kelly reflects. 'I seriously believe if the fans did not do what they did, we would be into our seventh year at Kirkby. I'm immensely proud we won the day with the public inquiry to prevent that. 'That was never about Goodison forever. We'd seen how other clubs were moving into new grounds and increased their match-day revenues and needed to move with the times. But I will still be devastated to leave. It's a romantic notion of being part of this big, vast blue family every time we come to Goodison, but it's true. 'I think of Goodison Park in terms of births, deaths and marriage. There is a spiritual connection.' For anyone emotionally attached to Everton, that final whistle is exciting and terrifying. 'When the whistle goes, I fear for the steward asking me to leave for the last time,' says Kelly, who is also the co-founder of the Fans Supporting Foodbanks campaign that has featured prominently at Goodison since 2015. 'A party to begin with and then… I'm not sure if 'wake' is the right word, but it will feel like a bereavement,' says Wardle. 'Not a really sad one because of a tragic loss, but one where you are all happy to be together for the special someone who has had a good run and been a massive part of your life and that of all your mates. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience being there for the final league game, so everyone will savour it.' There is a final space in the museum exhibition, reserved for the most striking image of Sunday's farewell. Tears will be shed on an afternoon of joyous melancholy. It was once said of Everton that they play in a museum. It was meant as withering criticism of an institution that too often felt like it was in the waiting room as others entered the 21st Century. From Monday morning, describing Goodison as such is a heartfelt compliment. 'Goodison oozes character and, like every other cathedral, has God in her corner,' says Dr France, a resident of Houston, Texas, since the early 1980s who still regularly crosses the Atlantic for home games. 'For 66 match-going seasons, she [Goodison Park] has provided an uncommon sense of belonging. Evertonians radiate collective warmth that puts more conventional families to shame. While I'm saddened to leave, we are at the threshold of an exciting era at the waterfront. That said, the Grand Old Lady will live forever in my heart.' Everton's matriarch will adjust to a new purpose, standing proud as a monument to English football at its most authentic. 'We love Goodison but all know we need to move,' says Prentice. 'The new stadium is fantastic but whether it can replicate the atmosphere and feel of Goodison… I hope so.' With that, Everton's beating hearts will relocate to the new ground on Liverpool's docks, as hopeful about the prospect of renewal as those pioneers who laid the first bricks in Walton 133 years ago. The club's soul, however, will reside forever in and around the majesty of Goodison Park. 10 Goodison facts 1. Lays claim to being world's first purpose-built football stadium It's a slightly controversial declaration as there are older grounds than Goodison, many in England around long before 1892. Guinness World Records suggests Sandygate in Sheffield led the way as early as 1804. The key difference is that Goodison was conceived, designed and built first and foremost for a football team, while its predecessors were originally intended to be cricket, cycling or athletics venues as well as hosting football. 2. First league stadium to host an FA Cup Final Long before Wembley's original Twin Towers were erected in 1923, the FA Cup final had no permanent home. Everton hosted the flagship event twice. In 1894, when Second Division side Notts County beat Bolton Wanderers 4-1, and then in 1910 when, after a replay, Newcastle United beat Barnsley in front of 69,000 to win the Cup for the first time. 3. A royal love affair With the Prince of Wales jumping up and down like a superfan at Villa Park this season, the presence of a high-profile Royal at a Premier League stadium is not so rare. But Goodison can boast it started the trend as the first league ground to welcome a reigning monarch. Such was Goodison's reputation, King George V and Queen Mary decided to pay a visit after the grand opening of Liverpool's Gladstone Dock in July 1913. Then King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother, attended in 1938 attracting a crowd of nearly 80,000 for a presentation ceremony to present new colours to Liverpool-based 5th Battalion King's Regiment and Liverpool Scottish (Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders). 4. How it changed the laws of football In the meticulously chronicled Farewell to Goodison book published last year, its author David Prentice unearthed how a 1924 fixture between Everton and Arsenal caused a crisis at the Football Association when, having been awarded a corner in the first minute, winger Sam Chedgzoy started dribbling from the flag. The baffled referee, Henry Griffiths, was informed that the recently updated rules of the game, which were designed to allow goals direct from corners, did not prevent Chedgzoy from passing to himself. The club colluded with the Liverpool Echo, who paid the player to expose the loophole, and the news of the incident was swiftly wired across the country to become national news. The FA recognised the flaw in the rulebook and promptly acted. Since then, corner-takers are prevented from kicking the ball more than once. 5. The ground's most prolific goalscorer No surprises for identifying William Ralph 'Dixie' Dean. The greatest goalscorer in the history of English football struck 241 times at Goodison, a whopping 227 of them in the league. His 63-goal season is unlikely to be bettered, the landmark 60th goal scored on May 5, 1928, in a hat-trick against Arsenal. Dean's final Goodison appearance could not have been more poignant as he passed away in March 1980, having been a spectator at the Merseyside derby. 6. Greatest game There will be a split between the generations on this one. For some, the day Dean secured the goal record for a single season can never be eclipsed. For others, the visit of Bayern Munich in the semi-final of the European Cup Winners' Cup was Goodison at its most glorious and vibrant, the 3-1 win on April 24, 1985, for Howard Kendall's side a peak performance by a magnificent, title-winning side. 'I would swap everything I ever achieved in football for that one,' said goalkeeper Neville Southall. 7. Most successful manager In the shoot-out between Harry Catterick and Kendall, the longevity of the former from 1961 to 1973 edges out his student, who would build on the legacy in the 1980s. Catterick celebrated victory 186 times at Goodison, which includes 153 league matches and 20 FA Cup ties. He won the league title twice, and the FA Cup in 1966. Like Everton legend Dean, Catterick passed away at Goodison having taken his seat in the directors' box to watch his beloved club, collapsing at the climax of an FA Cup tie against Ipswich Town in March 1985. 8. Most defeated opposition Should Sunderland win the championship play-off final, there will be an additional reason for their fans to celebrate beyond the obvious one. Goodison Park is the North East club's kryptonite. Of their 95 Goodison matches, Sunderland have been beaten 61 times, more than any other club. Aston Villa supporters may miss Goodison trips more than most, however. No side have visited the venue more times, Villa recording 115 Goodison fixtures and boasting a fine record, losing just 53 times. 9. Greatest nemesis With apologies to Evertonians, no Goodison history can ignore the significance of Merseyside derbies and the records show that no visitors won more games than Liverpool, with 41 victories, and no opposition player scored more than Ian Rush. He registered 14 goals at Goodison, his last in a Newcastle United shirt. 'They should name part of the stadium after me,' Rush joked to Telegraph Sport before the last Goodison derby this season. That said, some of Everton's finest moments were on derby day, the 4-4 draw in the 1991 FA Cup replay in folklore as the most dramatic of all the neighbours' meetings. 10. How it all began On Wednesday, August 24, 1892, the Goodison turnstiles opened for the first time, but not with a football match. Players were invited to show off their athletic prowess in a series of events including three-legged racing and the high jump. The first football game was a friendly on September 1 against Bolton Wanderers, who were paid £35 for the privilege, with the visitors' Jim Cassidy scoring the first Goodison goal before Everton won 4-1.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Marcus Stewart departs Yeovil after MND diagnosis in 2022
Ex-professional footballer Marcus Stewart has left his role as Yeovil Town FC's head of player development more than two years after he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).Yeovil Town FC said the former Bristol Rovers, Bristol City, Exeter City, Ipswich Town, Sunderland and Yeovil striker remained "a cherished part of our club's history and a much-admired figure within the wider football community".Bristol-born Stewart was diagnosed with MND in September 2022 and has since raised awareness of the condition, completing a 178-mile (286km) march to raise research club added its "very best wishes to Marcus and his family as he continues his fight with dignity and courage". "He will always be welcome at Huish Park," it said in a statement. Stewart played in all top four tiers in England, with 254 goals in 783 games in a career spanning 20 years at eight different scored 19 goals in the Premier League in the 2000-01 season as Ipswich Town finished fifth and qualified for the Uefa Cup. Stewart joined the Glovers in June 2022 as head of player statement continued: "In September 2022, Marcus bravely shared the news of his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), a moment that touched the hearts of supporters across the footballing world. "Despite facing this immense personal challenge, he continued to serve the club with dedication and resilience."
