The BBC remains “absolutely committed” to agreeing a deal with FIFA to broadcast the Women’s World Cup, the corporation’s chief content officer has told a parliamentary select committee.
With five weeks to go before the start of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand there is yet to be an agreement put in place between the governing body and any broadcaster for live coverage in the UK.
That has created the risk that matches involving England, bidding to follow last summer’s Euro 2022 success by being crowned world champions for the first time, may not be available to domestic viewers.
The tournament is one of the events that the government stipulates must be made available free to air, but FIFA has accused broadcasters in the bigger European markets of undervaluing live rights and failing to make acceptable bids, leading to the current impasse.
The most recent joint bid by the UK broadcasters is believed to be around £7.7million, roughly eight per cent of the fee paid for the men’s 2022 World Cup when that deal was agreed eight years ago.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino in May called bids made by European broadcasters “a slap in the face of all the great FIFA Women’s World Cup players and indeed of all women worldwide,” and went as far as threatening a blackout in the ‘big five’ European countries.
Addressing the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday, the BBC’s chief content officer Charlotte Moore reiterated the corporation’s determination to reach an agreement, but warned it would not be pressured by FIFA into overpaying.
“We really look at fair value for everything that we do, and the BBC has a strong track record in paying absolutely the right price for things,” said Moore.
“As I say, we’re market-assessing and audience-assessing and looking at the variants for each bid that we put in, and that’s our promise to the audience and to licence fee payers.
“I think we would all share the intention to get these things nailed down because for productions it’s incredibly important, so I think it’s in everybody’s interests to sort these things out.
“But I can’t comment on commercial negotiations that would obviously affect those decisions. We’re absolutely committed.
“We are doing everything we can to make sure that we obtain the rights for as much of women’s sport as we can within the budget and the funding envelope that we have, and we make those decisions across the year.
“We go into negotiations at the right time when those bids come up and we have to go through a system. But we don’t always dictate the speed of that financial situation.”
Sarina Wiegman’s England side begin their campaign against first-time qualifiers Haiti in Brisbane on July 22, with the 2023 edition seeing an expansion to 32 teams for the first time.
That means there will be the same number of games played, 64, as at the men’s World Cup, adding to the frustration at FIFA at how low international bidding had been in comparison.
The figure offered by Italian broadcasters was reportedly just £283,000 next to the £137m that was paid for live rights to the Qatar World Cup.
The time difference means that matches will take place outside what are considered prime viewing hours in Europe, which Moore hinted had been factored into the BBC’s position during negotiations.
“Obviously I can’t discuss commercial negotiations like that in detail, but safe to say that we are big supporters of women’s sport and of course we are always trying to have properly competitive bids to make sure that we can cover as much sport as our budgets will allow,” she added.
“It’s really important that we continue to have those negotiations in the right way, but of course we want to do everything we can, thinking about value for money for our audiences and whether tournaments are live in-peak or whether they’re through the middle of the night and where they’re placed.
“We take a huge amount of care and detail about how we make sure we don’t over-inflate the market but we really help the market grow, so we’re looking at that.”
York’s hopes of springing a major Challenge Cup upset over in-form Leigh on Sunday may appear slight but the Championship club head into the game determined to avenge the memory of a recent history-making mauling.
Amid a positive campaign in 2022 that ended in them securing an end-of-season play-off place, York succumbed to their heaviest-ever defeat against Leigh in August, a 100-4, 17-try reversal which still brings pain to those involved.
The Centurions – now Leopards – were in the midst of a big-spending surge into Super League where their upward trajectory has continued and they head into this weekend’s showdown in third place, two points off the summit after reeling off seven-straight wins.
But Knights prop Ronan Michael, who played in both the three-figure drubbing and also the subsequent 70-10 play-off loss to the same team the following month, is undaunted by Sunday’s quarter-final and believes his side can draw on the hurt to help put things right.
“I feel like that defeat is one that defined me as a player, because you come out of it and you know you never want to be a part of something like that ever again,” Michael told the PA news agency.
“It’s not a case of dusting yourself off and preparing to go again next week. You’ve got to be accountable for what happened. You need to remember it and remember how bad it hurts, because it hurt a lot and it was embarrassing.”
Michael became the first Irish-born Super League player in over a decade when he made a solitary appearance for Huddersfield in 2020 and was a non-playing member of the Giants squad who watched from the stands as Ian Watson’s men came up short in last year’s final against Wigan.
Having completed a permanent switch to the Knights and shrugged off an ankle injury, Michael has been integral to a season of consolidation which has brought the added bonus of being the last non-Super League side left in the prestigious tournament.
Injuries have decimated Andrew Henderson’s squad, contributing to a run of three-straight defeats, and as they prepare to face Adrian Lam’s buoyant outfit they could be forgiven for fearing that another soul-sapping reversal is on the cards.
But the 22-year-old added: “I feel like everyone who experienced it took some ownership and responsibility from that loss. It was one of the worst moments of my career and a reminder of how quickly things can escalate.
“We stopped competing last time and this time we won’t stop competing. We’re a different team now, a tight-knit unit and I know that as long as we do keep competing, we are not going to let ourselves down again.”
Kylian Mbappe says he is “very happy” at Paris St Germain and plans to remain with the club until his contract expires at the end of next season.
The 24-year-old has suddenly become one of the hottest properties on the summer transfer market after it emerged on Monday that he had presented PSG with a formal letter stating he would not activate an extension to his deal.
That means he would be out of contract and able to depart for nothing in 12 months’ time, leaving the French club looking to either negotiate a new contract or accept the highest offer possible this summer.
Real Madrid, who were desperate to sign the player last year and who have recently lost Karim Benzema to Saudi club Al Ittihad, are sure to be interested again, but Mbappe took to Twitter on Tuesday to describe reports he wants to join the Spanish side this summer as “lies”.
And he added: “I have already said that I will continue next season at PSG, where I am very happy.”
The former Monaco forward extended his PSG deal just over a year ago to end Real’s pursuit at that point, but a statement from his management to the AFP news agency on Tuesday says the club were informed on July 15 last year that the player would not activate an option to extend the deal to 2025.
“Kylian Mbappe and his entourage confirm that this matter has not been discussed since over the course of the year, except a fortnight ago to announce the sending of the letter,” the statement read.
“No potential contract extension has been mentioned.”
The statement said Mbappe and his management “regret that the letter was circulated in the media and that these exchanges were made public with the sole aim of damaging their image and the discussions with the club”.
John Gosden is confident Emily Upjohn’s turn of foot can prove a “potent weapon” when she drops back in distance for the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown next month.
Unfortunate to be beaten a head in the Oaks at Epsom last season, the daughter of Sea The Stars made a triumphant return to the Surrey Downs with a brilliant victory in the Coronation Cup.
That win doubled the four-year-old’s Group One tally, having rounded off 2022 with victory on Champions Day at Ascot, and she is now being readied to take on the colts again at Sandown on July 8.
Emily Upjohn is 9-4 with the sponsors for the Eclipse, a race Gosden has previously won with Nathaniel (2012), Golden Horn (2015), Roaring Lion (2018) and Enable (2019).
“The Eclipse is the plan. That is what we said right after the Coronation Cup, that we would go for the Eclipse. We are very happy with her,” said the Clarehaven handler.
“She took the Coronation Cup in her stride and we will now head to the Eclipse. For a big girl she has a tremendous turn of foot, which is a potent weapon.
“She had quite a time off from October before her run at Epsom and she didn’t run a lot last year after it all went a bit strange in the King George, but she seems in great order now.
“Coming back in trip will be alright for her and 10 furlongs at Sandown should suit her fine. We will then hopefully look towards going back over a mile and a half again.”
Gosden said he was surprised by the manner of her performance at Epsom, adding: “She had been working well before the Coronation Cup, but we don’t try to do what she did on the track at home.
“You can travel well in your work on the bridle at home, but I didn’t let her come off the bridle.
“I knew those that rode her felt there was plenty there, but you don’t go asking for it at home and to that extent we were very pleased with the way she quickened at Epsom.
“It looks like it will be a good Eclipse with a good combination of horses coming, but we are very happy with her.”
William Buick has been booked to ride a pair of George Boughey’s top two-year-olds at Royal Ascot next week.
The Newmarket handler is “delighted” the champion jockey will partner Asadna in the Coventry Stakes and Soprano in the Albany Stakes, both of whom are at the forefront of the market for the respective races.
Both worked nicely on the watered Rowley Mile gallop on Tuesday, as the Classic-winning trainer put the finishing touches to his preparations for the five-day meeting, where he is expected to have approximately 20 runners.
“The two-year-olds will probably be leading the charge,” said Boughey. “They are the shortest prices, so I’m not telling anyone anything new.”
Asadna is vying for favouritism with River Tiber for Tuesday’s Coventry Stakes on the back of a scintillating 12-length debut success at Ripon under Buick.
He worked well in a recent racecourse gallop and appears to have thrived since.
“Asadna was very good at Chelmsford in a piece of work the other day. Oisin Murphy rode him there and William rode him this morning and was very happy,” said Boughey.
“He looked very good this morning. He has a super attitude. I think we will watch him walk round the paddock ahead of the Coventry like he is here in the paddock. He would go there with a good chance.”
He went on: “He has just got an amazing temperament. He doesn’t sweat, he doesn’t do anything wrong. He’s a very sound horse. He just loves his work. He is not ‘showy’ in the morning, but when he went to Chelmsford the other day, he worked like a good horse.”
Buick added: “He did it nicely. It was nice ground on the watered gallop and I was very happy with him.
“He did everything I asked of him and his prep for Ascot has gone very well. Today was a good bit of work for him, but he seemed pretty smooth and he was his usual self. He was very impressive when he won and he has very good credentials. I’m looking forward to him.”
Highclere-owned filly Soprano landed a hot five-furlong maiden at Newmarket and had that form franked when runner-up Midnight Affair took the Hilary Needler at Beverley on Saturday.
Partnered by Connor Planas, she worked upsides Asadna and looked on good terms with herself ahead of Friday week’s Albany bid, for which she is currently a general 4-1 second-favourite behind Jabaara.
“They worked well. It was good work together,” said Boughey.
“Soprano was very good at Newmarket. She goes there with a good chance.
“William will ride Asadna as it doesn’t look like Charlie (Appleby) has got anything for the race. William will also ride Soprano in the Albany, which we are delighted about. He has won on both of them.
“William has ridden most of ours for a while now. It is great to have him on the big day, because usually he has to get off, so we are lucky to have him.”
Graceful Thunder, who took a five-furlong Sandown novice on debut, will head to the Queen Mary, following a decent piece of work under Kevin Stott, while Boughey’s juvenile team is completed by Muqtahem, who showed promise on debut before scoring at the second attempt at Pontefract. He breezed nicely under Pat Cosgrave and heads to the Windsor Castle.
“The two-year-olds are still learning,” added Boughey. “We worked six, four of them who will go to Ascot.
“I didn’t find anything out, necessarily. They are just teaching each other as they go along. Asadna, Soprano, Muqtahem, Graceful Thunder, they are all going to their respective races and it was all pretty straightforward work, but they all pleased me.”
The 30-year-old struck twice at the Royal meeting last year, with Missed The Cut taking the Golden Gates Handicap and Inver Park scoring in the Buckingham Palace Stakes.
Boughey admits he faces higher expectations now. “I’d bite your hand off for winner at Royal Ascot,” he added.
“I never thought that I would be a Royal Ascot-winning trainer.
“Since we had two last year, now we have to try to find another one this year – and it is very, very hard.
“We have got a strong team going there, but no one realises quite how hard it is. You need the draw right, you need the ground right. It has been quick ground for the last three weeks and it might go and be soft ground, and all our quick ground horses are kaput and you only have two bullets to fire who want soft ground.
“There is a lot of water to go under the bridge, but I’m very happy with how they are at the moment.
“If one goes in, there will be a big party, anyway.”
Michael Vaughan claims his England side were playing ‘Bazball’ during their memorable Ashes series triumph of 2005.
The current England team have developed into an attacking and entertaining Test unit over the past year under the guidance of coach Brendan McCullum – nicknamed Baz – and captain Ben Stokes.
They head into this summer’s Ashes series, which begins at Edgbaston on Friday, confident of reclaiming the urn from Australia.
Former England skipper Vaughan can see similarities with the way his team approached the contest 18 years ago, remembering particularly the series-changing second Test at Birmingham.
England had been thrashed in the opener at Lord’s but bounced back in exhilarating style.
“I remember having a team meeting on the Tuesday night and I basically gave the players the freedom to go and be really aggressive with the bat,” said Vaughan, who was speaking in a new 10-part original podcast series from Global, Legends of the Ashes, which launches on Thursday.
“We have to be aggressive. I didn’t expect us to get 400 in, I think it was 80 (overs). Very much like the modern England thing, the Ben Stokes (way) – we were playing ‘Bazball’ in 2005 for that first day at Edgbaston.”
The day began in extraordinary fashion as Australia’s inspirational seamer Glenn McGrath injured his ankle when he trod on a stray ball during the warm-up and was forced to miss the game.
England scored 407 with 90 from Marcus Trescothick, 48 from Andrew Strauss and half-centuries from Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.
Vaughan said: “You shouldn’t really celebrate great players being stretchered off at that time, but we were. Particularly Tres. He couldn’t believe his luck!”
Australia fought their way back into the contest but England snatched a tense and dramatic two-run victory in one of the great Test finishes on the fourth morning.
Vaughan said: “I don’t remember much about the celebration other than I’ve obviously seen the celebrations on TV and I’ve no idea why I jumped on Freddie Flintoff, I’ve no idea why I pulled his ears.
“You just do these stupid things when you’ve kind of come to the end of what was nearly four days of great cricket.”
:: Legends of The Ashes is a new 10-part Global Original podcast series launching on Global Player and all major audio platforms from Thursday, June 15.
Moeen Ali admits there is only one captain and one series that would have tempted him to overturn his Test retirement.
Moeen won the last of his 64 England caps almost two years ago and was content with his decision to step away from a format that has exacted a physical and psychological toll on him over the years.
The 35-year-old even rejected a no-strings attached offer to tour Pakistan in December, concluding that he did not have the required motivation to commit to one more leg of a lengthy winter on the road.
But things all changed when England’s first-choice spinner Jack Leach was unexpectedly ruled out for the summer. England skipper Ben Stokes, who spent the best part of two months with Moeen during their time together at Chennai Super Kings in this year’s Indian Premier League, set the wheels in motion for a comeback and little more than a week later Moeen was sitting in his new England whites taking questions at his home ground of Edgbaston.
Asked if there was any other captain he would have returned for, he said: “Probably not, no.
“I’ve obviously spent a lot of time with Stokesy in India…he didn’t mention anything about coming out of retirement, it was just about the Ashes and how he was looking to take the team. But he obviously watched me train out there and thinks I can bowl decently.”
As for his motivation for one last crack at an Australia side who have provided him with some of the most challenging moments in international cricket, Moeen was more keen to focus on the draw of being back involved in one of his sport’s marquee rivalries.
“It’s such a big series…it’s the Ashes, to be part of it would be amazing. It is a free hit. I’m not playing for my spot. There’s no pressure, really. All the things I ever wanted to do in Test cricket I’m going to try to do in these games.”
The pros and cons of the Moeen call-up are clear. On the positive side, none of England’s other slow bowling options such as Will Jacks, Liam Dawson or Rehan Ahmed, come close to his experience or tally of 195 Test wickets.
Yet there are those who see his long absence from red-ball cricket as a potential red flag and who would rather see a promotion for someone currently active in the County Championship.
“It’s a difficult one for me because I never picked myself. I just got the call,” he said.
“Obviously there are players out there that are playing and doing alright, but I think they (England) know me quite well and it’s not just having the character and the person in the changing room that you want. The results do matter, the process, the matches. I’ve got to perform and make some important impacts in the game.”
Moeen offered a remarkably honest assessment of his own style, openly accepting his limitations as a containing bowler and welcoming the freedom he is likely to be given to focus on attack.
“I’ve never been able to hold an end up,” he said. “When I have it’s because I’ve been taking wickets. That’s the only time I’ve been able to build any pressure. Ben and Baz know that.
“I’m sure they know what they are going to get from me – there won’t be a lot of maidens.
“I’d expect them to attack me, 100 per cent, if I was them I’d do the same. I’m not expecting them to defend me and things like that. I’m expecting them to come after me, which could be dangerous because Stokesy likes having the fielders up. It could go for a lot of runs. We’ll see.”
Cadan Murley is willing to temporarily suspend his allegiance to Manchester United as he analyses Erling Haaland for clues on how to enhance his own finishing.
The Gallagher Premiership’s most prolific try scorer of last season sees value in looking to other sports for inspiration and identifies Manchester City marksman Haaland as the most insightful player to watch.
Haaland has set a new record for goals scored in a Premier League season with 52 and Murley, the Harlequins wing hoping to make his England debut this summer, admires his instinct for knowing where the chances will fall.
“I’m a United fan and I wish we had Haaland,” Murley told the PA news agency at the launch of Spabreaks.com’s Men’s Health Week campaign ‘Real Men Relax’.
“It’s hard when he scores against us, but as a sportsman, you’ve got to respect everyone out there and what Haaland has done is unbelievable.
“Whenever he’s needed, he’s always there in the right place at the right time. That’s kind of true of me on the rugby pitch as well – a lot of people say my tries are walk-ins, but you’ve got to be there in the right position.
“Haaland is always lurking. He’s a great finisher and a great footballer, but for me it’s his ability to know where to be that stands out.”
Murley’s 15 touch downs last season – he was also second-highest try scorer behind Max Malins in 2021-22 – have put him in contention for World Cup selection and he could win his first cap during the four warm-up Tests.
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While possessing a nose for the line and surprising power for a 23-year-old who is 5ft 8in and weighs 15st 2lbs, developing familiarity with his team-mates has been just as instrumental to his consistency as a finisher.
He added: “A lot of it comes down to who you are playing with and if you know them well enough. Do you know what they’re going to do?
“For example, I know that Andre Esterhuizen and Alex Dombrandt will probably make gainline and will look for off-loads, so fishing in and around those two is very good.
“And of course Marcus Smith can pull a crossfield kick out of anywhere. He likes me to be in certain positions on the touchline – if he has a couple of looks and there’s space there then I know he’s going to do that.
“Those relationships are really important, but there are also other things that you need to practise day in day out on the training field.
“Mainly I do one on ones. I’m a bit different to other wingers. I don’t have the best feet out there, but I’m also more powerful than some. So I practise grabbing bigger people and practise finishing drills.
“My power has come from when I played back row when I was younger. I was never the biggest so I’ve always had to punch above my weight.”
Revitalised by a mandatory five-week rest period that included 10 days spent in Marbella, Murley has been selected in England’s first training squad of the summer with clear instructions from head coach Steve Borthwick on what is expected.
“Steve has given general instructions to all the back three. He wants us to be aerially dominant, so he’s asked us to always work on the high ball,” he said.
“The way the international game is going, there is a lot more kick chase, but they want that to be done at as high a speed as possible so we’ve been doing lots of sprint repeats.
“Steve also wants us to be physical – the most physical wingers in the world. One on one you expect the attacker to win, but if you can become dominant in defence then that can give your team an edge.”
:: Cadan Murley was speaking as Spabreaks.com, the UK’s leading spa booking and experience agency, launch their Men’s Health Week campaign “Real Men Relax”, to highlight the benefits of spa to men of all trades and backgrounds. For more information, visit www.spabreaks.com
Charlie Appleby took some of his stable stars to Newmarket’s Rowley Mile ahead of Royal Ascot next week, with Prince of Wales’s Stakes favourite Adayar the main attraction.
The son of Frankel comfortably beat subsequent Group One winner Anmaat in the Gordon Richards Stakes on his comeback this season and was partnered by William Buick in a gentle piece of work.
Second in the Champion Stakes last season, Appleby hopes the decision to keep the 2021 Derby winner in training at five is rewarded with a Group One win over 10 furlongs.
“It was a nice, pleasing piece of work. He is there now and we didn’t want to be doing anything too strong with him,” said Appleby.
“You could see his enthusiasm in dragging William to his lead horse there and he went through the line well and had his ears pricked. I think it is a great experience for these horses and we are lucky to be able to do it.
“A week out we just want them to come up and enjoy themselves.
“He goes into the Prince of Wales’s as near-favourite or joint-favourite and deservedly so on what we saw at the Guineas meeting. He has come forward for that first run.
“Hopefully we can get our rewards, more so for him, for staying in training.”
He added on the prospect of an unsettled weather forecast: “We all want decent ground, but the one thing he has up his sleeve is that he can handle soft ground. I wouldn’t say he is better on soft ground by any stretch of the imagination, but he handles it.
“Any of these Group One races are hard to win. If you think you are worried about just Luxembourg or Bay Bridge then more fool you. Whoever turns up you respect them all, but I’m just delighted with how our horse is going into the race.”
Appleby looks like fielding a very strong hand in the opening Queen Anne Stakes with Lockinge winner Modern Games and last year’s Irish Guineas hero Native Trail.
“I was pleased with Native Trail’s first run and he has definitely come forward for his run at Newmarket. As you know he has had wind surgery during the winter, but I was very pleased with that this morning,” said Appleby.
“Like any of those older horses they take a bit of work and you could see the improvement from that first run. He moved well today, he has always got that raspiness but that is him. It doesn’t stop him. I was pleased with the way he hit the line there.
“He will head to the Queen Anne now along with Modern Games, who is back at home as he doesn’t need to do any more himself.
“There is no doubt about it that it was all about Native Trail last season, but they don’t know what price they are. To be fair from our own point of view we don’t worry what price they are. They are two lovely horses to have around.
“One has already done it this year with Modern Games winning a Group One and I’m a strong believer Native Trail won’t be too far behind him in getting his Group One this year.”
Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Yibir, another who went through his paces, is stepping up markedly in trip for the Gold Cup. But Appleby believes his running style gives him a chance of staying the trip.
He said: “Yibir is heading towards the Gold Cup. I’m pleased with him and he showed plenty of enthusiasm today. He has definitely come forward for his run at Newbury.
“We know it is an extra mile on top of his normal trip, but on the back of what we have seen with the likes of Broome and those good older mile-and-a-half horses they can do that.
“Talking to the guys that have ridden in the Gold Cup they will often get the two miles, it is when you go beyond two miles that are obviously extreme distances for Flat horses.
“I would be a bit bold to say he is going to get the two and a half miles, but he has got the right run style and if it is quick ground we know he enjoys that sounder surface.
“William will be able to ride him coming into the race and if he comes good when the bell rings then he will be there as a live player that is for sure.
“These older mile-and-a-half horses don’t get any quicker and the division he is in is a tough division now and we thought going this way might just open up some doors for him going the Gold Cup distance. It is an open division, but he is fit and well and I’m pleased with the way he is going into it.”
England’s Manchester City quintet are due to arrive at St George’s Park on Tuesday evening after days celebrating their treble triumph.
Gareth Southgate’s men are preparing for Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier in Malta and the Old Trafford encounter with North Macedonia on Monday.
The exact availability of City’s players for the doubleheader is unclear given their celebrations following Saturday’s Champions League triumph in Turkey only ended after Monday’s rain-soaked parade.
Jack Grealish was at the heart of the revelry and is due at St George’s Park to link up with England on Tuesday night, as are Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips.
Declan Rice was also given extra time after captaining West Ham to Europa Conference League glory last week and linked up with the squad on Monday morning.
The 24-year-old midfielder was part of a 19-man training group on Tuesday morning, as was uncapped Crystal Palace talent Eberechi Eze.
England Under-21 international Levi Colwill was also involved in the session. The defender has joined Southgate’s squad for training this week following the withdrawal of injured Brighton team-mate Lewis Dunk.
Jude Bellingham watched the start from the sidelines at St George’s Park.
The 19-year-old, who is set to join Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund, has been ruled out of the Malta and North Macedonia matches through injury. However, Bellingham headed to St George’s Park to continue his rehabilitation from a knee issue.
Huddersfield have announced Leigh Bromby has left his role as sporting director.
The 43-year-old led the football strategy at the Sky Bet Championship club for the past four years, having initially joined as an academy coach in 2014 before progressing to academy manager in 2018.
Head of goalkeeping Paul Clements has also departed John Smith’s Stadium as part of a “refresh” for the Terriers.
Huddersfield were in relegation danger for much of last season but went on to survive comfortably following the February appointment of manager Neil Warnock.
Terriers chief executive Jake Edwards told his club’s website: “On behalf of the club, I would like to thank Leigh for his achievements during his long association with Huddersfield Town.
“This change comes as we look towards a fresh start at the club and as we begin to build towards the start of the new season.”
Speaking about Clements, who joined Town in 2015, Edwards added: “Paul can depart with a lot of pride in what he’s achieved here.
“Much like the departure of Leigh Bromby, this change has been made in order to refresh our football department ahead of the new season.”
Inspiral limbered up for her return to action at Royal Ascot next week with a racecourse gallop on Newmarket’s July course on Tuesday morning.
Unbeaten in four juvenile starts, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned filly did not make her three-year-old debut until running out a brilliant winner of the Coronation Stakes 12 months ago and will once again make her reappearance at the Royal meeting, this time in the curtain-raising Queen Anne Stakes.
Following her scintillating success in the Coronation, Inspiral went on to suffer a shock defeat in the Falmouth Stakes before bouncing back to claim a third Group One win in the Prix Jacques le Marois in France.
With last month’s Lockinge at Newbury coming too soon, the Frankel filly has not been seen in finishing down the field in the QEII on Champions Day at Ascot in October, but trainer John Gosden expressed his satisfaction after seeing her pull comfortably clear of her work companion under Frankie Dettori.
“We have been very happy with her recently and she enjoyed her work there. It was nice to get her back on the track,” said the Clarehaven handler.
“A racecourse gallop was part of the plan and it is a big help heading into Royal Ascot without having had a run.
“She has taken her time to come to hand. We had a cold wet spring then we had a lot of cold, dry weather with winds from the north east off the North Sea. A lot of these fillies just haven’t flourished, that is all.”
While Gosden is taking some encouragement from the fact Inspiral proved herself capable of producing a big performance first time out last season, he admits she has more on her plate this time around, with the Breeders’ Cup Mile and Lockinge winner Modern Games among her likely rivals.
He added: “We were hoping to go to the Lockingem but it didn’t quite happen so we will go straight into the Queen Anne. We did it last year going into the Coronation Stakes.
“It does give us confidence going there knowing that we have done this before. It is like all these fillies though – they will tell you when they are ready to run, you don’t tell them.
“Last year we were just taking on three-year-old fillies. This year we are taking on proven older horses like the Breeders’ Cup Mile winner, so it is a much bigger test.
“It would be very exciting if she did win. We just want to get her there in good order and at the moment we would be very pleased with her.”
George Boughey will take his time with Classic-winning filly Cachet, after she proved slow to come to hand this spring.
The daughter of Aclaim gave the Newmarket handler a breakthrough top-level success when landing the Qipco 1000 Guineas last year, but has not been since since finishing fifth to Inspiral in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The Highclere-owned four-year-old will be a hot commodity as a broodmare, and Boughey says she is not ready for a return and will hold her back.
He said: “Cachet looks better than she has all spring. It wasn’t fair to take her straight to Royal Ascot a year off the track, running six furlongs for the first time.
“And I also didn’t think it was fair to run her in a Group Two over a mile, not having been a convincing stayer on the stiff track.
“I haven’t really got a plan at the moment. She’s training away nicely, but at the end of the day, her main target is a mares’ sale at the end of the year.
“She wasn’t right to go to a sale at the end of last year and we will try to have her as busy as she can be into December, but I’m not going to rush her – she’s a very valuable filly and doesn’t really need to prove anything else.”
Narrowly beaten in the French Guineas after her Newmarket effort, the Saffron House handler has not ruled out the possibility she will run again this year before retiring, with all the top mile races under consideration.
Boughey added: “There are lots of races for her, Forets, Sun Chariots, Breeders’ Cups. She might be a fresh horse against horses who have had a busy year.
“I’m very positive we will see her on the track in the next period of time, but I’m not sure when that will be, though.
“She is not quite there yet, but she has worked quite nicely. She has done a couple of bits, but she’s not sparkled yet and we know what she can do, so we’ve given her plenty of time.
“I don’t know why she hasn’t (sparkled). It has been very warm and now she is starting to thrive, but it has been a pretty hard spring for them and she just hasn’t for some reason.
“Emily Upjohn didn’t thrive through the spring and is now flying and a star again. Inspiral didn’t. There are a few of those good fillies that haven’t and it’s been easier for the colts than the fillies.”
Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber is set to leave his role at Carrow Road, the Sky Bet Championship club have announced.
Webber joined Norwich from Huddersfield in April 2017 and oversaw two successful Championship title campaigns under former head coach Daniel Farke.
However, despite replacing Dean Smith with David Wagner during last season, Webber had come in for personal criticism after the Canaries failed to mount another swift promotion back to the Premier League following relegation.
With Webber set to remain in his post and continue working a notice period through a transition, an external recruitment process to appoint a replacement has already started.
Former Norwich manager and player Neil Adams will move into the newly-created position of technical director.
Webber said on the Norwich website: “The support I’ve had from all the board, past and present, throughout my time at the club has been outstanding.
“(Joint majority shareholders) Delia (Smith) and Michael (Wynn Jones) are two of the most special people that I’ve met. They care so much about Norwich City, its staff and supporters.
“I’ve seen so many staff grow and develop, and I can’t thank them enough for their dedication.”
He added: “I look forward to the next chapter and helping as much or as little in this transition over the coming months. The board know they have my unwavering support.
“Thank you to every board and staff member, player and supporter that I’ve met. I wish the club the very best and I look forward to supporting from afar.”
In a statement, joint majority shareholders Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones paid tribute to Webber.
“When Stuart came to our home in early March to inform us he wanted to leave at the end of his contract we were devastated – whilst we obviously respected his decision,” they said.
“In our 28 years of serving this great football club we have never worked with such a talent.
“In terms of unity and mutual support we are a completely different football club to the one he joined in 2017.
“Stuart Webber has been an outstanding servant to this football club and built a strong foundation for the future.
“We are very sad to lose him, owe him much gratitude and want to wish him all the very best for the future.”
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