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After mismanagement by their previous owner saw Bury kicked out of the EFL back in August 2019, fans bought back Gigg Lane in February 2021. Since then, volunteers have been renovating the ground ready for the club’s first league match at its spiritual home. Photographer Jon Super was there to record a momentous day for the club and their fans Continue reading...

Saudi Pro League’s moves for ageing stars echo other leagues – but there is no reason why stars at their peak should not follow Football is far from perfect but it is a thing we love. It has existed in its present form for more than a century and a half. It has its rituals and its routines. It has taken on a cultural significance way beyond what is reasonable. It is a way for parents to commune with children, for exiles to maintain their links to home, a source of pride and identity for areas otherwise left behind. It lubricates the cogs of social interaction. It is everywhere: on televisions, on radios, on phones, in background conversations in offices and pubs and schools. And it is under threat – at least in the form in which we recognise it. Continue reading...

Young winger scored the winner and put in a dazzling display against Denmark on her first start in a World Cup finals On a cool winter Sydney evening that was marred by yet more injury woes for England, Lauren James increased the temperature in the stadium with a dazzling display that announced her emergence on to the global stage. Her early goal stunned Denmark and set Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses on course for a 1-0 win that left them on the verge of progression to the knockout stages of the World Cup. At just 21, James is the future of this England team, and it was only really a question of “when” rather than “if” she was going to make her mark on this tournament. Despite being involved in the senior setup for just under a year, she is, as Leah Williamson so aptly put it, their “cheat code”. On her World Cup debut against Haiti, she had injected life into the Lionesses’ rather stop-start opening performance as a substitute. It was a display that forced Wiegman into a rare change to ...

* Kay Wadsworth’s daughter Kimberly took her own life in 2018 * Open letter pleads with WSL not to take ‘bloodied cash’ A bereaved mother has called on the Women’s Super League to reject deals with bookmaking firms as it seeks to grow its commercial heft. Kay Wadsworth’s daughter, Kimberly, took her own life in 2018 after a period of gambling addiction. In an open letter, Wadsworth asked the WSL not to take “bloodied cash” in the name of growing the game. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Faye Carruthers is joined by Jessy Parker Humphreys, Ceylon Andi Hickman and Júlia Bellas to discuss Ireland’s elimination from the Women’s World Cup, while Group A is wide open following the Philippines’ historic victory against New Zealand. Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today: Ireland surely deserve more than zero points after their performances against Australia and Canada, but tournament football is a cruel game. Continue reading...

* Offer for midfielder thought to be about £35m plus add-ons * Liverpool expected to return for player also wanted by Chelsea Southampton have rejected Liverpool’s opening bid for Roméo Lavia, thought to have been worth about £35m plus add-ons, with the club holding out for a £50m package for the teenage midfielder. Lavia shone despite relegation after joining from Manchester City last summer. 
Liverpool are overhauling their midfield and identified the 19-year-old Belgium midfielder, who also has admirers at Chelsea, as a key target. They are expected to return with a second offer. Continue reading...

After an unconvincing win against Haiti, Sarina Wiegman has a few problems to address before Friday’s match with Denmark There is a Fran Kirby-shaped hole in the No 10 position that Ella Toone is struggling to fill. To be fair to Toone, few could replace the ingenuity and guile of Kirby. Toone is a different style of player, a very, very good one with bags of potential, but more box-to-box. Against Haiti, Toone had most success shifted to the left and struggled to make things happen down the middle. If Sarina Wiegman is not going to change the shape to make the midfield work most effectively with the sum of its parts, then Lauren James is the more natural successor to Kirby. Against Haiti, James coming on as a wide player, in place of Lauren Hemp, felt like a missed opportunity. Yes, Hemp was on a yellow card and perhaps it was a slightly precautionary move but James showed in the pre-tournament friendly against Portugal just how well-suited she is to the number 10 role. Continue read...