List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Former baseball MVP Steve Garvey is joining the race to succeed the late California Sen. Dianne Feinstein

The UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028 has been approved by UEFA’s executive committee after Turkey pulled out of the running. Here, the PA news agency looks at the 10 stadia across five nations which will host the matches in just under five years’ time. ENGLAND Wembley England’s national stadium will host the final – and potentially both semi-finals – having also been the venue for the Euro 96 finale and the decisive England v Italy clash at Euro 2020. The Football Association will be working hard with the authorities to ensure there is no repeat of the chaotic scenes which surrounded that match. Wembley is celebrating its centenary this year, with the original stadium opening in 1923 for the British Empire Exhibition. Etihad Stadium Work is set to begin later this year on increasing the capacity of treble-winning Manchester City’s ground to almost 62,000 by 2025. The club left their former home ground Maine Road and moved into the stadium in 2003. It was built to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games and hosted the 2008 UEFA Cup final, while England’s football and rugby union sides have both staged fixtures there. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Spurs’ home is the largest club stadium in London, with a capacity of over 62,000. Opened in April 2019, the stadium includes a retractable pitch with a synthetic NFL surface underneath. Its 17,500-seat, single-tier South Stand is the largest in the UK and features Europe’s longest bar – The Goal Line. Everton Stadium The Toffees’ new home at Bramley-Moore Dock is scheduled for completion late next year. Developers are working to a capacity of 52,888. St James’ Park St James’ Park, home to Newcastle since the club was formed in 1892, also hosted matches at Euro 96. Newcastle are considering options to develop the stadium which might mean the capacity, currently 52,305, has increased by the time the championship begins in 2028. Villa Park Villa Park hosted three World Cup matches in 1966 and four matches during Euro 96. A go-to ground for FA Cup semi-finals – hosting 55 – the stadium is set to be redeveloped to increase capacity to over 50,000 ahead of the tournament. REPUBLIC OF IRELAND Aviva Stadium The Dublin venue, which holds over 51,000 people and officially opened in 2010, regularly hosts Republic of Ireland football matches and those of the Ireland rugby union team, as well as high-profile Gaelic sports. The stadium, built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, had been part of the original multi-country plans to host Euro 2020 but could not ultimately provide UEFA with the necessary assurances over minimum spectator levels amid the Covid-19 pandemic. NORTHERN IRELAND Casement Park Construction on the site in the Andersonstown area of Belfast is due to get under way next year with completion by 2026. The capacity of the stadium is set to be 34,500. It was opened in 1953 to stage Gaelic games and has since been home to the Antrim Gaelic Athletic Association. SCOTLAND Hampden Park Scotland’s national stadium did host matches at Euro 2020. The Scottish Football Association has also bid to stage the Champions League final in 2026 or 2027 at the stadium, which currently holds just over 50,000. However, developers have put forward proposals to upgrade the stadium and increase capacity to 65,000. A record British crowd of 149,415 saw Scotland beat England 3-1 at Hampden in 1937. WALES Principality Stadium The Cardiff venue has hosted major European football events before, having staged the 2017 Champions League final. Set to be the second-largest venue in the tournament with a capacity of 74,500. Read More Catalans win in Grand Final would ‘make huge noise around the world’ – McNamara A closer look at the UK and Ireland’s host venues for Euro 2028 James Ryan and Mack Hansen injury doubts for Ireland against New Zealand Dawid Malan hits superb hundred as England post 364 for nine against Bangladesh Anna Shackley looks forward after ‘a really nice last couple of months’ Football rumours: Manchester United looking to send Jadon Sancho out on loan

Birmingham chief executive Garry Cook has blamed “misalignment” for the circumstances that led to John Eustace’s sacking but vowed to make the club “a football powerhouse” amid reports Wayne Rooney is set to take charge as boss. Eustace’s departure from St Andrew’s on Monday morning further stoked rumours that former England captain Rooney is due to be appointed as manager following his DC United exit on Sunday. While an update on the new boss is expected in “the coming days”, Cook explained the timing of Eustace’s exit was driven by facilitating the best possible circumstances for his successor. It became clear that there was a misalignment with the leadership of the club. Birmingham City CEO Garry Cook In a statement posted to the club’s official website, Cook wrote: “John had clear ambitions and goals for the season. Unfortunately, following a series of meetings over a number of months, it became clear that there was a misalignment with the leadership of the club. When this happens, the best thing to do is to part company. “The timing of the decision allows the incoming manager sufficient time to evaluate the playing staff ahead of the January and summer transfer windows. “In a short period, the owners, board members and club leadership have overseen the start of a transformation that not even the most optimistic Blues fan would have considered possible. And this is just the beginning.” Birmingham, who sit sixth in the Championship, have made a solid start to the season with five wins, three draws and three losses, including a come-from-behind 3-1 derby win over West Brom on Friday. Eustace led Birmingham to safety last season, a feat Cook acknowledged in a meeting on Monday morning in which he “shared the reasons for the decision to part company”. Cook did not directly discuss the recruitment process for a new boss in his statement, but hinted at ambitions to attract top talent. He added: “The owners and board members are ambitious. They are driven to help make Birmingham City a football powerhouse. It will not happen overnight. It is a step-by-step approach. “We are well aware of what has happened at Blues over the past decade. We believe we have moved on from those dark days giving hope and aspiration to existing and new fans. Our intent is to be judged over what we do in the years to come and be ambitious with the new story that we are writing. “Creating a winning culture in an organisation that has been on its back foot for a number of years is not easy. My executive team are aware that we are aspiring to be world class, but it takes more than words. “Birmingham City Football Club needs world-class professionals across every department, to enhance our performance on and off the pitch. Experienced people who know how to be successful and are driven by winning. We are not going to stop identifying and adding such talent to help us realise our ambition.” Read More Catalans win in Grand Final would ‘make huge noise around the world’ – McNamara A closer look at the UK and Ireland’s host venues for Euro 2028 A closer look at the UK and Ireland’s host venues for Euro 2028 James Ryan and Mack Hansen injury doubts for Ireland against New Zealand Dawid Malan hits superb hundred as England post 364 for nine against Bangladesh Anna Shackley looks forward after ‘a really nice last couple of months’

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The hosts of Euro 2028 will be the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland after a joint bid across the five nations was confirmed by Uefa on Tuesday. Following a meeting of Uefa’s Executive Committee, the UK and Ireland was awarded the 2028 tournament in a rare five-association partnership, The UK and Ireland bid delegation included six football youth ambassadors who support the development and diversity of the game as well as a presentation by the five Football Association leaders and former Wales captain Gareth Bale. Euro 2028 will be the largest major sporting event ever held across all five nations and is set to be a commercial success, delivering record crowd numbers at famous venues. There will be approximately three million tickets available, which is more than any previous European Championship, and with an average stadia capacity of 58,000 more fans than ever will be able to attend matches in person. The FA also estimates that 2.5m fans will take part in Uefa’s fan festivals across the UK and Ireland during the tournament which will have a renewed focus on sustainability. A compact and connected transport plan is being drawn up to ensure that more than 80 per cent of ticket holders are able to travel to matches by public transport and the proposed match schedule aims to reduce and limit emissions for fans attending the games. There will also be a personal carbon footprint tracker for every spectator. Euro 2028 is also predicted to generate socio-economic benefits of up to £2.6bn for the UK and Ireland with the bid partners already investing more than £500m - between 2019 and 2025 - to improve and upgrade grassroots facilities. A further £45m legacy fund will be invested to develop football and create additional benefits as the tournament approaches. However, there are still issues to resolve over the next five years however with agreement still to be reached on who will fund the redevelopment of Casement Park - Northern Ireland’s host stadium. Plans for a 34,000 stadium have been delayed by legal challenges and are further complicated by the lack of a functioning Executive at Stormont. Costs have also risen from an original estimate of £77.5m to more than £100m. England will be involved in hosting a Euros for a third time having hosted alone in Euro 96 and were one of 11 countries involved in staging the continent-wide Euro 2020. All five nations are expected to go through qualification for the tournament, with Uefa reserving two host nation places for any of the teams which do not make it on merit. Read More UK and Ireland confirmed as joint hosts of Euro 2028 UEFA picks UK-Ireland to host soccer's 2028 European Championship. Italy-Turkey to stage Euro 2032 Uefa torn over plans to reinstate Russian youth teams Ukraine urges other nations to boycott playing Russia after Uefa decision Earps thanks fans after England GK jersey sells out in hours Saudi Arabia targets two European clubs ‘similar in size’ to Newcastle

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The UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028 has been formally approved, UEFA has announced. Ten stadia across the five nations will host the matches in five years’ time, with analysts projecting a three billion euro (£2.6bn) boost to the host nation economies on the back of the tournament. The bid was unopposed after Turkey withdrew to focus on a joint bid for the 2032 finals alongside Italy, and it was given the official seal of approval by UEFA’s executive committee on Tuesday morning. Wembley is set to host the final – and potentially both semi-finals – with the other English venues included in April’s final bid submission being the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, Villa Park, St James’ Park and Everton’s new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock. Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Hampden Park in Glasgow, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and a redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast will also host matches. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer welcomed the news, saying: “I’m thrilled we’ve secured UEFA EURO 2028. It will be the biggest sporting event ever jointly hosted in the UK and Ireland. “We will put on a brilliant tournament with fans at its heart. We will warmly welcome fans from across Europe to our islands’ shores and give people memories that will last a lifetime. “On top of that, the tournament is expected to deliver up to £2.6 billion of socio-economic benefit across the host nations, creating jobs and opportunities.” All five nations are expected to go through qualification for the tournament, with UEFA understood to be reserving two host nation places for any of the teams which do not make it on merit. The UK-Ireland bid would have been the overwhelming favourite to host Euro 2028 even if Turkey had remained in the race. Senior UEFA sources have repeatedly stressed the importance of hosting another European Championship in a major market – following on from Euro 2024 in Germany – as essential to boosting UEFA’s finances in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. There will still be issues for the bid team to resolve over the next five years however – with agreement still to be reached on who will fund the redevelopment of Casement Park. Plans for a 34,000 stadium have been delayed by legal challenges and are further complicated by the lack of a functioning Executive at Stormont. Costs have also risen from an original estimate of £77.5million to more than £100m. The GAA is part-funding the project but has not reached an agreement with Stormont over where the remainder will come from. Tuesday’s decision means England will be involved in hosting a Euros for a third time. They hosted alone in Euro 96 and were one of 11 countries involved in staging the continent-wide Euro 2020. The UK and Ireland associations first announced they were focusing on a bid for Euro 2028 in February last year. It had been expected that they would bid for the centenary World Cup in 2030 but Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham admitted at the time there were “many areas of uncertainty” with doing so, leading to the switch in focus. Read More James Ryan and Mack Hansen injury doubts for Ireland against New Zealand Dawid Malan hits superb hundred as England post 364 for nine against Bangladesh Anna Shackley looks forward after ‘a really nice last couple of months’ Football rumours: Manchester United looking to send Jadon Sancho out on loan Last-quarter touchdown seals win for Las Vegas Raiders against Green Bay Packers On this day in 2015: Kevin Sinfield has fairytale finish to rugby league career

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UEFA has decided the future of soccer’s European Championship for the next decade