Baby steps but still progress for netball coverage

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra is a fantastic radio station, bringing a whole range of sports to a British (and world) audience.

And it is good to see it will tonight bring the second in the three-match netball series between England and world number one Australia live to listeners.

As the excellent Sport on the Box blog reports:

BBC Radio 5 live Sports Extra brings full commentary of the series to listeners, marking the first time that the sport – the world’s biggest in terms of women’s participation – has been covered live on UK radio.

The live commentary forms part of BBC Radio 5 live and sports extra’s ongoing commitment to showcase more women’s sport and minority sports.

Katharine Merry will lead the coverage from Bath and London, with Jennie Gow presenting from Birmingham, with expert input from former England International Tracey Neville for all three matches.

5 Live SX had live commentary from the first match in the series on Sunday in Bath – won by England – and will do so again this Saturday for the finale in Birmingham.

But although the games are also being shown on Sky Sports, there is still some way to go until the sport is given the same kind of coverage as in Australia and New Zealand. I was struck when I was there that sports shops stock merchandise for teams in the semi-professional ANZ Championship.

As the chief executive of Welsh netball Mike Fatkin alludes to, it’s all a little bit strange for a sport which is so popular in schools but which has struggled to gain any coverage at international, or even club, level. Is it because it is a predominantly women’s sport? Unfortunately, perhaps that’s it.

Nigel Adkins sacking: laughable

So Nigel Adkins (incidentally always a manager who comes over as a good guy) has been sacked as Southampton manager, after leading the Saints to two successive promotions; from near the bottom of League One to 15th place in the Premier League.

Point proved.

My only explanation for it is that he walked into St Mary’s this morning and his superiors thought he was Lawrie Sanchez, and let him go on the grounds they hadn’t realised they’d employed him. (I might be the only person who can see this.)

Nigel Adkins: sacked by Southampton

Lawrie Sanchez: not sacked by Southampton

 

Nigel Adkins has every reason to be thoroughly disillusioned with football today. Southampton improving – not sure what owners expected.

— Phil McNulty (@philmcnulty) January 18, 2013

Disgraceful sacking of Nigel Adkins , game gas gone !

— Robbie Savage (@RobbieSavage8) January 18, 2013

So disappointed about Adkins. 22nd in LG1 to 15th in PL in 2.5 yrs, lost 2 of last 12, fans support, improving team. That’s not enough? #SMH

— Bianca Westwood (@beewestwood) January 18, 2013

Sorry to see Adkins get the bullet, especially as his team have shown they have what it takes to fight their way out! #panicstrickenchairman

— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) January 18, 2013

Anyone who saw Southampton’s superb fightback against Chelsea on Wednesday night wouldn’t have sacked the manager two days later (Adkins).

— Paul Hayward (@_PaulHayward) January 18, 2013

Nigel Adkins sacking seems harsh to me. This is unfortunately modern day football. #darwinism

— Joseph Barton (@Joey7Barton) January 18, 2013

Rugby World Cup needs to embrace its roots

Not having blogged for a couple of months, I’m a bit late to this story. But the last week has really solidified my opposition to the shortlist of stadiums drawn up by Rugby World Cup 2015 organisers.

Only three rugby-first stadiums are on the list for the first RWC to be hosted by England since 1991: Twickenham, Kingsholm (Gloucester) and the Millennium Stadium.

This rugby ground will not be hosting the Rugby World Cup

In the last seven days I have been fortunate enough to go to Heineken Cup matches at Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton, and Welford Road, Leicester. Both, and particularly the latter, were pretty miffed at having not made the shortlist of 17 (from which 12 will be chosen in the new year).

This football ground (Stadium MK) could host the Rugby World Cup

This rugby ground (Franklin’s Gardens) will not be hosting the Rugby World Cup

London Welsh to appeal RFU’s Premiership promotion verdict

London Welsh will appeal against the decision by the Rugby Football Union to deny them promotion should they triumph in the two-legged Championship play-off final over the Cornish Pirates.

Yesterday the Exiles secured a stunning 37-21 win over the favoured Pirates in the away leg at Mennaye Field. The home leg, to be played at Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium, which Welsh had planned to use had they been granted leave to play in the Aviva Premiership, is next Wednesday evening.

Welsh’s 16-point advantage going into the home leg makes their appeal against the RFU’s decision all the more pertinent. And they have received support from a cross section of rugby players and journalists in their bid to change the RFU’s mind.

• The Daily Telegraph‘s respected rugby writer Brendan Gallagher blames the Premiership sides for forcing the RFU’s hand, calling the decision “gross hypocrisy”. To give a (lengthy) sample:

How dare they criticise London Welsh. Who do Premiership Rugby think they are? Have they completely forgotten recent history? At various times Harlequins and Northampton have rightly been relegated to Division One but prospered massively from the experience and bounced back as model teams.

How dare Premiership Rugby, via the RFU, attempt to deny that to other equally ambitious rugby clubs. How dare they be judge and jury when the only people benefitting is their self-appointed elite. It is so against everything Rugby Union stands for as to be laughable, which they will quickly discover if this London Welsh situation is allowed to go any further.

A natural process of promotion and relegation should always decide who the elite are. Two years ago, Exeter’s promotion was greeted with guffaws around the League, and predictions of their instant relegation and humiliation. Well how wrong were Premiership Rugby on that.

• Gallagher’s Telegraph colleagues Brian Moore and Rupert Bates have both tweeted their support for his article:

How dare Premiership Rugby criticise London Welsh- a fine rant by Brendan Gallagher on Premiership hypocrisy soc.li/IGxzpge

— Brian Moore (@TAFKAbrianmoore) May 24, 2012

The words “hear” and “hear” spring to mind. Read @gallagherbren on London Welsh #rugby story tinyurl.com/c3cgco7

— Rupert Bates (@rupertbates) May 24, 2012

• London Welsh coach Lyn Jones said: “The players feel it’s a negative move for English rugby. That channel to promotion needs to be open at all times for all sides. It’s just a shame the union has complicated that. There’s a big buzz in Oxford about the possibility of Premiership rugby being played there.”
• Welsh international Ryan Jones said:

so @LondonWelshRFC don’t meet the magical RFU criteria for the top flight, shame as I’m sure they’d be a wonderful addition! #itsnotoveryet

— Ryan P Jones (@RyanJonesOnline) May 24, 2012

• Former England captain Will Carling, admittedly not the RFU’s biggest fan, also weighed in:

A very well worded statementlondon-welsh.co.uk/rugby_newsroom…seems to endorse the ‘cartel’ theory of the premiership……#rugby

— Will Carling (@willcarling) May 24, 2012

• Even away from the world of rugby, there was support for London Welsh. Comedian Mark Watson tweeted a response to Brian Moore:

@TAFKAbrianmoore @premrugby Dear Premiership. As a neutral, you absolutely have to let London Welsh go up. Or the whole league looks silly.

— Mark Watson (@watsoncomedian) May 24, 2012

Three cheers to the Premier League for its sports funding

Despite being by far the most popular sport in the UK, football is much-maligned by critics who point to the diving, the waving of imaginary cards and a general lack of respect for officials and bad behaviour of fans. And that is without mentioning recent racism incidents.

So congratulations must go to the Premier League for their part in helping develop grassroots sport away from the football pitch.

Liverpool players surround referee Lee Probert during their side's win over Bolton in August. Photo: Flickr, dannymol

The last Labour government set up a scheme, in partnership with the Premier League, the Youth Sport Trust and Sport England, called ‘Premier League 4 Sport‘ – its somewhat cheesy name not detracting from the tangible benefits it has made to non-mainstream sports in Britain.

Each Premier League club teams up with local table tennis, judo, badminton and volleyball clubs with the intention of widening youngsters’ involvement in sports. The league has announced it will contribute a further £2m to the project, which has far outperformed expectations, allowing children easier access to three more sports – netball, basketball, handball and hockey.

To date, it has been a startling success, with 40,000 children given exposure to these sports, far outstripping targets set at its launch.

On Monday, the Guardian reported the launch of a scheme by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt to invest £1bn over the next five years into grassroots sport, partly a response to the coalition having come under fire from opponents for its abandonment of a Labour-initiated school sports programme.

There is no doubt money is tight and, naturally, spending has to be focused on priority needs.

But the Olympic legacy – after all, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – must not be squandered. And that is why the role of institutions such as the Premier League is so welcome.

Their selflessness in investing in eight other sports should also be applauded.The grants from the Premier League will not only help the nation’s children, but will help breathe life into a variety of non-mainstream sports that so often fail to attract the attention of either the media or potential players.

*For more on the Olympic legacy, check out the Olympic Cardiff blog

Money in sport boosts the attraction of the amateur game

The furore engaged in by fans of Newcastle United – myself including – is perhaps a tenuous link to this blog on grassroots sport.

But it does make me more appreciative of the relative innocence of sport at its purest level.

Newcastle United’s controversial owner Mike Ashley has renamed the 120 year-old stadium, St James’ Park, the Sports Direct Arena. It has provoked outrage – but is sadly inevitable.

Photo: Twitter, @suttonnick

Within a couple of decades, perhaps less, I would not be surprised to see the vast majority of decent-sized English football stadiums carrying a sponsor’s name. The pragmatist within me is aware that fans of top sports teams cannot have it two ways and that money rules completely in professional sport.

That will hardly make it any easier to swallow the name change – indeed all Newcastle fans will continue to refer to this beacon towering over the centre of Toon as St James’ Park.

I am not naïve as to think money does not play a role in grassroots sport, too, but there is a clear predominance of on-the-field concerns.

When fans see stadium names changed on a whim or when they see players refusing to play, they are hardly likely to be endeared to the professional game. The same goes for rugby, cricket and other sports, but football, the most lucrative game in this country, clearly suffers more than others.

The frustration with the treatment of the regular punter, whose interests appear to be secondary to those on various club’s executive boards, is what drives many people to choose to watch grassroots sport.

It is arguably only at that level that the true emotional ‘value’ of sport can still be determined.