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Attaboy! •

Dear England review: The perils of a political football

James Graham’s Dear England, which opened at The National Theatre in June 2023, follows the trials and tribulations of the England men’s football team between 2016 and 2022, amidst a backdrop of Brexit, Covid and identity politics. It’s a promising premise for a play, presenting the state of a nation through the lens of the beautiful game. Despite this, I have always found football’s inability to translate to stage or screen, aside from one or two notable exceptions (The Damned United, Bend It
Engage Hospitality •

Winners and losers of the 2023 NFL Draft

Winners and losers of the 2023 NFL Draft Despite having only 17 games per team, the NFL still manages to remain a major topic of conversation in the US throughout the year, even when there are no games to talk about. It’s a phenomenon that has infiltrated coverage of the Premier League, over the summer months, where fans are arguably more captivated by heated TV debates between ex-pros than live football matches. This kind of hysteria, which has been amplified in recent years by social media
Engage Hospitality •

Which Ashes stars are playing in the IPL?

Which Ashes stars are playing in the IPL? The Ashes are fast approaching and England haven’t won the famous Urn since 2015, including two 4-0 series losses away in Australia. Ben Stoke’s men will be looking for revenge under new[ish] coach Brendon McCullum who led England to an unbeaten 2022 after he took charge that March. The bookmakers can’t split the two sides ahead of the tournament. At this stage, predicting a winner is virtually impossible, but one thing is for sure, the series will be
Engage Hospitality •

How many majors will Rory McIlroy win in 2023?

World Number two Rory McIlroy will be hoping to complete the career Grand Slam at this year’s 87th Masters at Augusta National from April 6-9. The Northern Irishman is bidding to join the likes of Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as winners of golf’s all four majors. His last major victories were in 2014 when he claimed the Open Championship and PGA Championship, but since then it has been a case of near misses for McIlroy at majors. However, the three-time
Engage Hospitality •

What to expect at the MLB in London

Baseball is very much riding along the coattails of the NFL in this country, following a surge in popularity in the UK in recent years. In June, St Louis Cardinals will play the Chicago Cubs at the London Stadium in a two-game series in Stratford. The MLB London series has become a regular fixture on the London sporting calendar since its launch in 2019, when the New York Yankees faced the Boston Red Sox, in the first official MLB game in Europe. Now it’s the turn of the Cardinals and the Cub
Engage Hospitality •

Why 2023 will be a blockbuster year in golf

2022 was a year full of drama in golf, both on and off the course. The three-way tug of war for golf’s biggest stars between the PGA, DP World Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf has divided players and fans alike. It’s the kind of situation more commonly-associated with professional boxing with its litany of sanctioning bodies, but, unlike boxing, it seems there will be no unification with the LIV anytime soon. Among the stars to have joined the LIV tour include several major champions and for
Engage Hospitality •

F1 - what has changed for 2023?

The pinnacle of motor racing is set to return in March, with a cocktail of new cars, drivers and races to look forward to. Last year’s champion Max Verstappen is again the odds-on favourite to take the Driver’s Championship along with his team Red Bull for the Contructor’s Crown. At the time of writing all of the new cars have been revealed ahead of pre-season testing for the 2023 season, where contenders for the title may yet emerge, chiefly in the form of Mercedes and Ferrari. Last year’s t
Engage Hospitality •

England Cricket to see this Summer

Rarely has there been so much optimism surrounding England Test cricket. Following the Ashes debacle down under in 2021/22, England secured eight wins from nine since April last year. The most recent of these victories came against Pakistan in December 2022, as the tourists claimed a series whitewash, winning the final test by eight wickets. It capped off a remarkable year for England in Test cricket, one that saw them defeat New Zealand, India and South Africa. However, it’s not just England’
Engage Hospitality •

Wimbledon 2023 - how will the Brits fare?

British players have already been making tennis headlines in 2023, thanks, in large part, to the heroics of Sir Andy Murray at the Australian Open. The two-time Wimbledon champion spent a total of 14 hours on court before he crashed out in the 3rd round against Roberto Bautista Agut in 4 sets. Murray, who underwent hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, contested back-to-back 5-set matches against 13th seed Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis on his way to the 3rd round, no mean feat for a 35-y
Engage Hospitality •

Why is Boxing Day football so special?

Throw the chaos of the World Cup into the mix, and this year’s festive period is guaranteed to be Box Office! The Premier League returns on Boxing Day, with many star players unseasonably tanned for the winter fixtures ahead following the World Cup in Qatar. By the 26th of December, six weeks will have passed since the previous round of PL matches – it almost feels like we are starting the season all over again. As things stand, Arsenal are leading the way on 37pts, with Man City 5pts behind.
Engage Hospitality •

What makes Monaco so special

Once a year, the world’s second-smallest nation becomes a race track and welcomes the fastest drivers on the planet and a host of celebrities for the most important weekend on the Formula 1 calendar. The first Monaco Grand Prix was held in 1929, and the track hasn’t changed much since. Using the winding streets of Monte Carlo, the public roads are resurfaced each year before the event, with little room for overtaking on race day. The temporary grandstands are installed across the city, alongsi
Engage Hospitality •

England's route to RWC23 glory

As the Autumn Internationals draw to a close, and with it, England’s worst year since 2008, talk of 2023 Rugby World Cup glory may seem a bit premature. However, with England in Pool D and their opponents already revealed, a clear route to the final in Paris can be drawn. Heading into the tournament on the search for some form, England fans now have reason to be optimistic with the pool stages nearly complete and a 100% record still in-tact following wins against Argentina, Japan and Chile. Ba
Attaboy! •

A virtual reality called FIFA, it’s in the game

Read about one man's total immersion into a football simulation game, thanks to an unlikely endorsement from the World Health Organisation. As the U.K. initiated lockdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) backed an initiative entitled #PlayApartTogether. This was in late March, and the scheme urged people to stay indoors and play video games. Ironically, the W.H.O. classified ‘gaming disorder’ or video game addiction as a disease just over a year ago. As
Daily Mail •

Ant and Dec join Newcastle fans at St James' Park

Never mind the murder, think about the money: Newcastle fans don traditional Arab headdress and Saudi Arabian flags at first game after £300m takeover (pity about the result) • Ant and Dec were among the thousands of Newcastle United supporters cheering on the Toon Army • Majority of fans were in high spirits including some who paid tribute to the Premier League's richest owners • Before the 4.30pm kick off against Tottenham, protesters were spotted outside the 52,000 seater stadium Newcastle U
Daily Mail •

Polish hooligans at Wembley 'helped Hungarian thugs fight Met police'

Polish hooligans teamed up with Hungary fans in Wembley last night as they fought against the Metropolitan police during England's World Cup qualifier match. Six people were arrested following the chaos, including one fan accused of racially abusing a Wembley steward, which was said to have sparked the violence. Two more were detained inside the arena on suspicion of affray and assault on an emergency worker. Meanwhile outside or on the concourse, one was arrested for affray, another for bein
Daily Mail •

No conclusion for death of England fan who died celebrating Kane goal

An England fan who collapsed while celebrating Harry Kane's goal against Germany at Euro 2020 was 'fit and well' when he died, an inquest heard today. Tragic Charlie Naughton, 29, had been watching the Three Lions game in a pub with friends and family when he jumped up to celebrate during the game on June 29. The Chelsea fan and bricklayer from Hammersmith fell to the ground and hit his head on the wall. He was taken to hospital but died an hour later in hospital . Witnesses in the pub in Uxb
My London •

Ex footballer Joey Barton pleads not guilty to assaulting wife in London home

Former England international midfielder Joey Barton has pleaded not guilty to assaulting his wife. The Bristol Rovers manager appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court in South West London on Monday morning (July 26) via video link. The charge against Barton, 38, relates to an incident at a home in Kew, South West London, on June 2, in which his wife Georgia suffered a head injury. READ MORE: Hyde Park 'stabbing': Woman wearing a Charlie Hebdo t-shirt 'slashed with a knife' at Speakers Corner
My London •

A bunch of amateurs from Leytonstone won the first ever FA Cup

The England national team is having a Euro 2020 tournament to remember, with fans across the country chanting 'It's Coming Home' as the team breaks through to the semi-finals. The song refers to England being the inventors of football when the English Football Association ( FA ) laid down the rules of the game in 1863. Back then, the game wasn't even professional: in the early 1870s it was a recreational pastime for a small pocket of Victorian society, and way behind more popular sports like c
My London •

Live updates as England beats Ukraine reaching Euro semi-finals

England have reached the final four of Euro 2020 after a resounding victory against Ukraine. Fans across the capital, from Boxpark in Croydon to Trafalgar Square celebrated each goal with beer flying everywhere. Londoners will be desperate to book their next venue for the semi-final, which will be played on Wednesday, July 7 at Wembley against Denmark in front of 60,000 fans. READ MORE: 'I visited the England football mad street where they sing 'It's Coming Home' from 7am during the Euros' T
My London •

'I'm doing it for my two boys and grandson. I want to beat prostate cancer'

Former England footballer Paul Parker has signed up to a first-of-its-kind study in London, aiming to uncover why black men develop prostate cancer at twice the rate of other men. Funded by Prostate Cancer UK in partnership with Movember and based at the Royal Marsden in London, the PROFILE study will look at the genes of men of African and Caribbean descent to see if they can learn to predict prostate cancer risk and find better ways of diagnosing and treating the disease. Billericay-based Pa
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