List of All Articles with Tag 'sports'

Chelsea have won a battle to buy a significant portion of land next door to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth around £80m. The move opens up the possibility of the club staying at their west London ground – Chelsea’s home since 1905 – and redeveloping the current 40,000-seater stadium, rather than finding a new site, as the owners seek to deliver a major upgrade which competes with leading Premier League venues. The club will buy 2.4 acres of the site, which sits between the stadium’s West Stand and Fulham Broadway Tube station, from Stoll, a charity which provides housing for veterans. Stoll’s board of trustees consulted with residents of the building, Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions, before making the decision to accept Chelsea’s bid from among a dozen on the table. Chelsea approached Stoll six years ago while under the ownership of Roman Abramovich as they drew up plans for a new stadium. Those plans fell through when Abramovic was forced to sell the club over his links to Russian president Vladimir Putin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and Stoll put the land up for sale as it sought much-needed funding. New owner Todd Boehly and the Clearlake consortium resurrected Chelsea’s interest this year and the purchase has now been approved, paving the way for a potential expansion of Stamford Bridge which could see the stadium demolished and rebuilt with the pitch rotated 90 degrees to run west to east. The club had originally proposed to buy only a small part of the land (marked in red, below) but negotiated a larger share (blue). However, Chelsea have still not ruled out relocating to a new site. If they do stay at Stamford Bridge, the club would need to either groundshare with neighbours Fulham at Craven Cottage, or move into Wembley or Twickenham while the work was undertaken. Stoll will retain a portion of the land at the southern end where it will retain 20 flats, and a leaseback deal will ensure residents do not have to move out immediately. The charity says it will invest the funds in new housing for veterans. Read More Eden Hazard announces retirement from football Arsenal can profit from chaotic title race thanks to three wildcard teams Burnley vs Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

England star Fran Kirby has been named in the Lionesses squad for the first time in eight months after returning from a knee injury - but Beth Mead misses out despite her own recovery from a ruptured ACL. Kirby and Mead were key players as England won the Euros but both missed out on this summer’s Women’s World Cup because of significant injuries, and were major absentees as the Lionesses were defeated by Spain in the Sydney final. Kirby underwent surgery at the end of last season and made her first start of the campaign in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over West Ham at the weekend - Mead, however, only returned to the pitch on Sunday as a late substitute in Arsenal’s 2-1 comeback win against Aston Villa, where she set up Alessia Russo’s winner. But manager Sarina Wiegman has decided that this month’s double-header against Belgium in the Uefa Nations League has come too soon for the Euros golden boot winner. The Lionesses face Belgium in Leicester on 27 October before the return fixture in Leuven on 31 October. Mead had said after her return to the pitch that she was hoping for a recall and insisted she was “ready” to make the Lionesses squad, but Wiegman said the 28-year-old was “not close” after only just returning to the pitch following nine months out. Wiegman said Mead still needed time to “build” her fitness after such a lengthy lay-off. Elsewhere, Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh returns having missed last month’s win against Scotland and defeat to the Netherlands due to a calf injury. Wiegman has meanwhile handed first senior call-ups to 20-year-old Grace Clinton, who is on loan at Tottenham from Manchester United, as well as 19-year-old Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating. The Lionesses were beaten by the Netherlands last month in Nations League Group A1 and head into the double-header against Belgium third in the standings. England must win the group to have a chance of qualifying for next summer’s Paris Olympics as part of Team GB. England squad for Belgium double-header Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City) Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lucy Parker (Aston Villa), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal) Midfielders: Grace Clinton (Tottenham Hotspur, loan from Manchester United),Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Katie Zelem (Manchester United) Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Jess Park (Manchester City), Alessia Russo (Arsenal) Read More Beth Mead hopes for England recall after returning from ACL injury The sporting weekend in pictures Arsenal vs Aston Villa LIVE: Latest Women's Super League updates Arsenal set to welcome Beth Mead back from injury in clash with Aston Villa New Rangers boss Philippe Clement keen to bring winning mentality back to Ibrox Chelsea unlock space for Stamford Bridge expansion with £80m purchase

During a Senate hearing, NCAA President Charlie Baker shifted the focus of college sports’ need for federal legislation away from regulating how athletes can be compensated for their fame to the looming possibility of the players being deemed employees of their schools

Michigan State linebacker Jordan Hall talks about rolling with the punches to maintain focus amid adversity

The PGA Tour used to have three tournaments as part of its Asia swing

A volleyball shoe startup is bringing attention to colleges' multi-million-dollar contracts with athletic apparel companies and terms that prevent athletes from wearing other brands

Bryce Harper drilling a monster homer on his birthday was epic for Phillies fans

The Pan American Games open Friday in Chile’s capital with more than 100 spots available for next year’s Paris Olympics and the usual contest to see who will finish second behind the United States in the medals chart

When the NBA season begins, it’s pretty easy to anticipate who will take center stage

Two officials involved in Luis Diaz’s wrongly disallowed goal for Liverpool against Tottenham last month will return to Premier League duty this weekend

Nishad Singh, the third member of Sam Bankman-Fried’s inner circle to testify against him, detailed a rocky relationship

Tommy Fury has dismissed KSI’s suggestion that the boxer’s win over him on Saturday was a ‘robbery’. Fury, half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson, was a unanimous-decision winner against YouTube star KSI in Manchester, despite being docked a point for landing illegal punches to the back of his fellow Briton’s head. The result was in fact initially recorded as a majority-decision win for Fury, 24, due to one judge adding up their scorecard incorrectly. After the initial result was announced on Saturday (14 October), KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) declared it a “robbery”, to which Fury has now taken exception. “At the end of the day, he can say what he wants, but hugging and doing star jumps in the ring does not win a fight,” Fury said on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (17 October), referencing KSI’s frequent clinches and style of movement in their fight. “He can go on about how he was robbed, but it was his show [a Misfits event], his officials, his judges. So, are you saying that your own people, that you employed, robbed you? It’s very hard to fight someone who doesn’t want to fight.” The bout marked KSI’s first defeat since the 30-year-old crossed into boxing. Meanwhile, Fury’s victory kept him unbeaten as a professional. In February, Fury outpointed Jake Paul, whose older brother Logan fought on the undercard in Manchester on Saturday. Logan Paul defeated Dillon Danis, a former jiu-jitsu champion and mixed martial artist, via disqualification after Danis attempted a takedown and guillotine choke in the final round. Danis has claimed that he will appeal the result, however, referring to footage that shows Paul’s security entering the ring during the fight – which one security guard also did in the seconds before the referee waved off the contest. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tommy Fury crowned king but relax - Misfits’ bad boxing will not end the sport as we know it Jake Paul announces return to boxing after Tommy Fury’s win over KSI Dillon Danis explains why he will appeal defeat by Logan Paul