Natalie Pirks

1 week ago | bbc.com | Natalie Pirks

That the club battled its way from non-league to the Premier League at a ground that has so often been the butt of jokes is even more of an achievement. "There were quite a few times at Kenilworth Road last season where we were actually sniggering saying, 'isn't this funny, with Pep Guardiola sitting in the dugout across the way'," says Sweet. "But actually, quite a lot of time we were thinking 'I wish we were at Power Court right now'.

Dec 9, 2024 | bbc.com | Frank Keogh |Natalie Pirks

Media caption, Migraines left me unable to train - Gary PallisterBBC Sport senior JournalistBBC sports news correspondentTwo former Premier League players have told the BBC of their health fears after years of heading footballs. Gary Pallister said he experienced sickening migraines during his career, while fellow former England defender Steve Howey has undergone scans which show his brain is in cognitive decline.

Nov 22, 2024 | sports.yahoo.com | Lorraine McKenna |Natalie Pirks

Formula 1 needs to employ stewards on a full-time basis in order to simplify the rules of the sport, says Zak Brown. The McLaren chief executive officer thinks current rules are "overly regulated" and "overly complicated". Brown has suggested paying stewards, who are currently unpaid volunteers, and giving them access to more technology in order to make the right calls on high-profile incidents.

Oct 23, 2024 | bbc.com | Daniel Austin |Natalie Pirks

Judith Gates, whose husband Bill retired from football the day before his 30th birthday due to persistent migraines after playing over 200 times for Middlesbrough, set up the Head Safe Football foundation following confirmation of his CTE diagnosis. "In the last two or three years he could no longer talk, no longer walk, had difficulty swallowing - and so the physical symptoms kicked in alongside the cognitive ones,” Judith says.

Sep 26, 2024 | bbc.com | Natalie Pirks |Tom Grundy

The number of betting adverts during the opening weekend of the Premier League season almost trebled compared to last year, new research says. Researchers analysed Premier League coverage in the UK across TV - including pitchside hoardings and shirt logos - as well as radio and social media. They counted more than 29,000 gambling messages, a 165% increase on the opening weekend a year ago. West Ham's match against Aston Villa contained close to 6,500 gambling messages - about 30 every minute.