This is superb ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Long-read on player payments down English rugby union’s pyramid. A fascinating, often murky subject.

💬 Swirling gossip
💷 £300 per game at level 8
🤝 A £6k transfer fee at level 5
🛏️ ~£10k in cash under a bed
🤠 “More than the Wild West” telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/20…

Xavi Alonso gets covered in beer by some of the Bayer Leverkusen team during his press conference.

No longer Neverkusen.

Bayer Leverkusen are Bundesliga champions.

Scenes after the fourth Bayer Leverkusen goal went in. Calm soon restored - the pitch now covered in the smoke from red flares. This is going to be some party.

Absolutely rocking.

Plenty of ‘Deutscher Meisterschale Leverkusen’ merchandise on sale

Bayer Leverkusen fans in party mode. A win later today against Werder Bremen and they’ll have their first ever Bundesliga title.

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❤️

In the 2023 World Cup, Rachel Daly played in every position along the left,
and up front. Unreal versatility and such a key player for everything England have achieved.

I've fallen down a massive rabbit hole in the Rugby World archive, looking at covers – and there are some absolute crackers.

Here's a thread of a few starting with a flying Johnno in 97 (you can subscribe to the archive here themagazinearchive.com/rugby-world-di…)

These are the current scenes outside of the hotel where Lionel Messi & Inter Miami will be staying in Monterrey.

People have been waiting for over an hour & a half here to welcome the team.

Happy to announce the arrival of cllct.com, the first media entity to cover everything in the memorabilia industry.

Update on Frida Maanum

Frida Maanum has undergone extensive testing at Arsenal. The test results have been reviewed by two leading cardiologists and there are no obvious cardiac causes found from these thorough investigations so far.

⭐️ Insight feature: Motherhood in the WSL #bbcfootball

We spoke exclusively to Villa’s Carla Ward & her daughter Hartley, West Ham’s Katrina Gorry & her daughter Harper, as well as Chelsea’s Melanie Leupolz to discuss the challenges of being a mum. ✍🏻👇🏻

bbc.co.uk/sport/football…

From Kingsholm to Kosovo, England 7s to Iraq, the Premiership player who went to war - and how rugby saved his life.

This is the remarkable story of Andy Dawling, former Saracens academy coach and now kit man, who was pushed to the brink by PTSD. ⬇️

thetimes.co.uk/article/andy-d…