In recent months, West Ham United fans have witnessed the club’s most intense downfall. The club first moved up into the Premier League in the 1993–94 season, had a bumpy ride to finally reach a consistency in 2012, and have remained in this league since. In this time, the club saw a major victory in the 2023 Europa Conference League, but since this has not made much progress to success. This has lead fans to challenge the stewardship of chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady.

Sullivan and Brady have overseen the club since 2010, but had sold a stake to Daniel Kretinsky, a Czech businessman, in 2021. Despite their long-standing management, fans believe that it has been what they describe as a reign of mismanagement, broken promises, and a failure to push the club to success, leading them to currently stand in the relegation zone of the 2026 Premier League table. Fans have very mixed views on their management, crediting their administration to European success but disapproving of their governance in recent seasons where West Ham have seen major decline.

One major reason fans are disappointed in Sullivan and Brady’s control is their decision to leave Upton Park in 2016 to move to the London Stadium, which was originally built as an athletics venue for the 2012 Olympics. There has been much criticism over this change, as the stadium has a large distance between the stands where the fans are situated and the pitch where the match is taking place. There is also an extremely long walking distance between the stadium and the nearest train station, making transport to games much more difficult, particularly for disabled fans and for getting home after games when crowds form.

An 80 year-old fan, who has requested anonymity, explained that after being a fan their whole life, the move to the new stadium “killed it” for them. They have to walk “what feels like miles” to get to the stadium from the station, then receive a full body search before taking their seat in the stands which are a “very long way from the pitch” In their opinion, the stadium no longer “feels like home” and that the owners “should not get away with killing their club.”

With the stadium having a seasonally cost of £3m from the club, Sullivan and Brady made a promise in 2016 that the change of scenery would not rise prices of tickets for fans, and would bring lots of benefits to the club, including more accessibility seating for disabled fans, a retractable seating solution to cover the Athletics track, and better toilet and catering facilities throughout the stadium. One fan even says that they “basically offered us the earth.” But to this day, these promises have not been fulfilled to the extent they predicted. Many fans have called out these empty promises, with one commenting on social media saying that “they’ve sold us a dream and destroyed the club,” and overall complaints on the lack of atmosphere now that the “crowds are being dwarfed by the large stadium.”

Another fan, who has supported and been a season ticket holder of the club for over 40 years, has expressed that since the move from Upton Park, it has been “the most detached they have ever felt,” coming from “15 years of the boards mismanagement, failed promises, lies and unforgivably moving us from our spiritual home for their individual financial gain.”

He noted how fans from other Premier League teams always taunt our fans for “selling our soul to a soulless bar” and that the club “is perpetually skint” despite the promise that the move to a world class stadium would bring champion league qualifications.

Reportedly, taxpayers are also outraged by the ongoing weekly losses of approximately £1m per week from the stadium, after they paid £323m to convert the athletics arena to a football pitch, as West Ham keep all the money earned from ticket sales and share other income streams from the stadium. Multiple campaigns were set up to evidence the fans’ displeasure with these false expectations, including ‘No More BS,’ where tickets holders pass black balloons around the stands and hold up small red cards that have the slogan written across it at each game as a sign of protest against the ownership, and ‘Stop Exploiting Loyalty,’ which was a protest against the rise in ticket prices and the reduction of concessions that is ultimately driving fans away.

Protests are continuing to occur at matches following the issue of a vote of no confidence in the board from West Ham’s Fan Advisory Board in September 2025, which directly referenced Sullivan and Brady’s stewardship. The first staged protest took place on 20th September 2025 prior to their match against Crystal Palace. Thousands of fans gathered and marched outside the stadium, chanting ‘BS out’ and ‘sack the board’ while carrying large banners and posters. Not long after this, fans staged a boycott of their home game against Brentford to further protest against Sullivan and Brady, reducing the crowds in the stands by approximately 20,000 people, according to the Football Supporters’ Association. They then organised a sit-in protest at the London Stadium, where fans stayed in their seats 40 minutes after the match against Newcastle to show their dissatisfaction with the chairmen. But their most recent protest was during their match against Sunderland, where supporters walked into the stadium 15 minutes after kick-off while holding up red cards with ‘No More BS’ written on them, which is set to continue at every game for the rest of the season, along with the throwing of black balloons. But unfortunately, in a fans opinion, the protests have not affected the club enough as the “owners are still in charge and don’t seem to care as long as they keep feeding their egos.”

West Ham fans’ displeasure with the management from Sullivan and Brady continues to rise with the club’s performance in the Premier League, where they are currently standing in 18th place, putting them in the relegation zone. Fans are hoping that the removal of the current board will improve the players performance, and ultimately push them further up the league and out of the zone where they are at risk of moving down to the Championship.

Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

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For the past decade, the traditional Premier League top six: Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool, have seen consistent strong revenue growth. This is mainly driven by their large fan bases, not just domestically but also internationally, with many of the top six having global appeal. While broadcasting deals have been growing steadily as the Premier League solidifies its position as the premier division in world football, surpassing LaLiga and Serie A. This has allowed these teams to see exceptional growth as broadcasting rights seemingly only ever climb, never dipping or stagnating. On the other hand, many lower league teams in the football pyramid are struggling to stay alive as functional organisations. With the likes of Bury going into total collapse, and the likes of Sheffield Wednesday just recently entering administration due to their inability to pay staff and player wages on time.

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This, therefore, again raises the question around the sustainability of football and how much longer the lower league teams and grassroots football can keep going without the additional help from the large-scale few.

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When you analyse the data surrounding revenue for the Premier League top six over the last ten years. You won’t be surprised to hear they have all seen large-scale growth. This again comes through many different channels of business acumen that they likely invest in on the commercial side of their respective clubs. Which is not something that should be used as a stick to beat them with, as why would a football club not always try to maximise their revenues and allow for a better ability to work around financial fair play (FFP) rules? To help them re-invest in their playing squads every summer. While also boosting their financial footing. At the end of the day, they are run as businesses even though we as fans see them as emotional investments and something way deeper for reasons only one can know and understand for themself.

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Over the last decade, the top six have seen revenue growth ranging from 49.1% to as high as 169%. This would demonstrate a clear ability for them to start redistributing some of that wealth down the pyramid more. Looking to offer a financial stimulus for those clubs who need it. As for some, that could be the difference between them being able to secure new owners and subsequently their future, or having to enter high-interest debt or possibly even going into bankruptcy.

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The reality behind the idea that these set clubs start to budget for a higher new expense could be seen as fanciful in a capitalist climate. As for any business, the idea that the successful should help the less successful wouldn’t pass. However, in the world of sport and in this instance, football. Parity is held in a much higher regard than any typical industry business. For the product of the Premier League to be successful, there needs to be an avoidance of a monopoly and a high level of competitiveness. At the end of the day, people will always watch their team they have a personal connection to, but the league needs to make sure people feel like they want to return and watch games they otherwise might have turned their nose up to and seen as a waste of time. As the Premier League is stronger when the football leagues are stronger.

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The recent 2025 summer transfer window saw large-scale expenditure. Data sourced from Squawka stated that the Premier League spent £3.19 billion, making it the highest expenditure for a transfer window for the Premier League of all time, breaking the record set two years prior. This demonstrates that the level of wealth is clearly there at the top of the football pyramid. Whereas when you look below at the EFL, the chasm between the three leagues and the Premier League is just getting bigger and bigger. With many clubs working on the knife-edge between just being okay and total insolvency.

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With examples of Bury being the total extreme after being expelled from the football league. While teams such as Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County enter administration. While so many other teams sit on a weak financial footing, the question of whether there needs to be a redistribution of wealth is a very important topic to debate and keep in the public consciousness.

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To better understand how fans feel about the issues facing the wider footballing pyramid beyond the EPL. I interviewed a lifelong Reading FC fan, who has supported Reading all his life and understands the struggles they have had over the last decade, with finances and the possibility of them entering administration being on the agenda for a long time now. “The reality is that we need help. We’re not in a good position financially. The losses that keep getting quoted just aren’t sustainable, and I worry that we’ll probably end up entering administration”.

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When it came to the question of whether he thinks the EPL should be paying more into the footballing pyramid, he said, “ Yes, I know that’s probably not a shock, but we need more help to provide us with more time to find investment, otherwise we’re likely just denying the inevitable”.

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The argument for many of the top teams is that they already pay enough. The process of solidarity payments is already intact. This is a share of the Premier League’s domestic broadcasting income, which is then redistributed to the Championship, League One, and League Two. Excluding the teams that receive parachute payments.

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Data from Sportzify for the 2024/25 season states these payments were £5.5 million per club for Championship teams. £1 million per club for League One and £750,000 per club for League Two. Although it may look like the teams with the wealth are already giving a helping hand to the footballing structure. The fact is that if the help was sufficient, then why do so many clubs in the EFL rely on high-interest bank loans and large capital injections from owners just to simply stay alive and function day to day?

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If the Premier League truly cares about the structure of the footballing pyramid in English football, then there needs to be action taken to amend the capital that is being redistributed down the 92-team hierarchy. Football is not just about the bottom line. Football, for some, is everything and the heartbeat of communities and societies. Which, for so many, they simply can’t afford to lose.

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Across the 2024/25 season there were 325 total incidents of discrimination at the grassroots level reported to Kick It Out; the organisation actively campaigns against all forms of discrimination in football and releases an annual report describing the types of discrimination reported to it.

The Oxfordshire FA has around 800 matches played on any given weekend; every match is reported on, from youth football to Sunday league. With 1400 clubs and over 22,000 players across the county. With only £200,000 a year With only 8 full-time staff, they’re like lots of county FAs, heavily reliant on volunteers.

How do county FAs police discrimination when the logistics are so massive?

Jonathan Duckworth, the Chief Executive and HR Director for the Oxfordshire FA, provided his insights about the difficulties faced by county FAs.

He revealed: “95% of football in this country is delivered by County Football Associations for what equates to only 5% of the English national Football Association revenues, and our FA Grant for the year is less than the average weekly wage of a Premier League footballer. With 22,000 players to look after every week that means our FA funding works out at just over £10 per player per year, so scale is a problem, and we are never complacent, as “you don’t know what you don’t know.

“Education and training are key, particularly with the global companies sadly moving away from progressive EDI initiatives as a whole; for the local level, it’s about taking away the barriers around football.

The difficulties of policing discrimination are not just limited to the football pyramid; universities have also struggled to clamp down on the issue. A recent report into the ‘toughness sheet’ at Oxford Brookes University Boat Club uncovered severe systemic issues within the club, including “multiple and varied instances” of sex discrimination and sexual harassment, alongside evidence that revealed a toxic environment characterised by bullying, “personalised profanity”, and three incidents of “racial slurs”.

A poll conducted in October 2024 by Ipsos found that 56% of UK adults view racism as a problem in professional football. Given the spotlight of professional football, the problems are easier to spot under the cameras and lights of the top game, but when most grassroots games consist of one man and his dog for spectators, it makes it a lot harder to police.

This is where another troubling trend is vitally important to highlight: the rise in reports from the youth game. According to Kick It Out’s research, youth football makes up 57% of the grassroots reports; this is a six-year high for the proportion of grassroots youth reports. 17% of reports were where the victim was female; this represents double the number of reports of discrimination towards girls received in 2023/24.

Jonathan Duckworth, the Chief Executive and HR Director for the Oxfordshire FA, provided his insights about the difficulties faced by county FAs in policing discrimination in a recent interview.

Mr Duckworth commented on how youth football represents a large challenge for county FAs, saying: “70% of players in the county are children, and parents are very passionate about their child’s football. We use silent weekends where parents are told not to talk on the side-lines so that players can listen to each other and their coaches, which is all about encouraging players to be bold and seeing they can talk.

“Most commonly you’ll see parents trying to tell the children to do one thing when the coach wants them to do another, so it’s a constant struggle to foster engagement for the parents and allow kids to have fun and enjoy themselves, which is what grassroots football should be all about.”

For four seasons in a row, sexist abuse has risen in all areas of the game, with the grass roots level seeing a 119% increase from 2023/24 to 2024/25. Nearly two-thirds of the sexist reports received this season were questioning or belittling women’s place in the game. Either towards women players (at all levels), fans attending games, officials or members of club staff. However, reports of sexually degrading language have halved, proportionally.

This surge in misogynistic behaviour, particularly the questioning and belittling of women’s presence, suggests that as women gain greater visibility and success in the sport—symbolised by the Lionesses’ repeated final appearances—they are met with a backlash designed to reinforce traditional gender boundaries within the sport.

The 119% jump at the grassroots level is especially alarming, indicating that the prejudice is deeply embedded and active among the participants, with a recent incident where a non-league match was abandoned after allegedly sexist abuse was aimed at a female referee. This is a perfect example of how this type of abuse is found throughout the levels of the game. This, combined with research contended back in September 2024, also by Kick It Out, that more than 50% of female football fans have experienced sexism on match days in England.

The organisation Women in Sport (a charity and campaign group for the development of women’s football) outlined their desired changes to tackle misogyny in sport: they called for all organisations to introduce anti-misogyny policies and training within their organisations. As well as for all government funding for sports organisations to be conditional upon the implementation of these anti-misogyny policies and training, as well as the achievement of 50-50 representation of the sexes on their boards and within the senior executive team. Finally, they urged the UK government to introduce dedicated legislation against misogyny, making actions like threatening rape a criminal offence.

Overall the results of Kick It Out’s statistics lay bare an incredibly important issue that we don’t take seriously: the lack of government funding or support is striking given the emphasis put on the football governance bill by both this current Labour government and the previous Tory governments. The Independent Football Regulator (IFR), created by the Football Governance Act 2025, says its role is to “protect and promote the financial soundness of regulated football clubs”, “protect and promote financial resilience of English football” and “safeguard the heritage of English football”. One begins to wonder whether this might have needed to include measures to support the lower levels of football governance with this issue. Maybe it’s just the government trying to look like it cared about football when it really didn’t, which is surprising given how many MPs receive, er, tickets from football clubs. It’s almost like the owners of these clubs are trying to lobby against more regulation; with the likelihood of them having to fork over millions, they would rather keep it.

Tiki-taka football grew out of Johan Cruyff’s idea of total football, and for years fans and pundits repeated the same belief: if you keep the ball, it is your game to lose. Possession became a tool for dominance, especially in the Premier League, where it was often linked to control and stability. For a long time, this was widely accepted as the correct way to play. In recent seasons, though, that has not always been the case. High-pressing sides, counter-attacking teams and clubs who specialise in set pieces have all shown that you do not need to dominate the ball to get results over a season.

Looking at ten years of Premier League data helps reveal what is really happening beneath the surface. This analysis draws on league-wide trends, Manchester City’s evolving style under Pep Guardiola and the growing influence of set-piece goals under managers like Mikel Arteta. Concepts such as false possession and threat in transition raise a simple question: in today’s Premier League, does keeping the ball still win you games?

That is a Lot of Data

When you look across ten seasons of Premier League data, the relationship between possession and performance does not show the neat, upward trend people expect. The scatter graph makes this clear. Some teams with high average possession sit surprisingly low in points per game, while others who see far less of the ball finish much higher. It becomes obvious that possession alone does not explain who wins matches.

One reason for this is the idea of false possession. Some teams keep the ball for long periods but do very little with it. Late-era Swansea, Russell Martin’s Southampton, Wolves in their current shape and Kompany’s Burnley all posted strong possession numbers on paper, but much of that time came in harmless areas. They struggled to progress into the final third or create genuine threat. It looked like dominance, but it was not, and the league table reflected that.

Russell Martin’s Southampton were a huge talking point in the 2024/25 season. They often held the ball for large periods, but most of it was simply circulating without purpose. One Southampton fan summed it up bluntly: “It has its place, but as a tactic over 90 minutes it is stupid.” She also highlighted how badly the style matched the squad: “We would lose the ball at the back and concede easily. We did not have the players to execute the idea.” In the end, the possession became misleading. It created the illusion of control, but it did not turn into results.

Teams That Changed The System

There are also teams who do the exact opposite and outperform their possession because they are effective in the moments that matter. Leicester’s 2015/16 title season is the clearest example. They finished the year with only 42.6 per cent possession on average, yet won the league. Their compact defending, quick transitions and ruthless finishing allowed them to beat almost everyone they faced. It was not a statistical anomaly. It was simply a different way of playing.

More recently, Liverpool under Klopp and Aston Villa under Emery have shown how dangerous a team can be with far less of the ball. Their threat comes from transition moments rather than long spells of keeping it. They create high-quality chances straight after winning possession, before their opponents can reset. The scatter graph reflects this clearly. Several low-possession teams sit much higher in points per game than their possession numbers suggest they should.

These patterns help explain why the data does not fit the old possession narrative. Some teams keep the ball without threatening, while others threaten constantly without seeing much of it. Possession is no longer the reliable predictor many people assume it is. Modern Premier League football does not follow a single formula, and success comes in different shapes.

The Guardiola Way

Manchester City are the most important team to look at when trying to understand how possession has evolved. Pep Guardiola built his reputation on possession football at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Since arriving in the 2016/17 season, City have been held up as the example of what possession football is supposed to look like. However, their year-on-year numbers show a more interesting story.

City’s average possession peaked early in Guardiola’s tenure at 71 per cent, as shown by the line graph. In later seasons it stayed consistently over the 60 percent margin.

City were often criticised, with fans of the league noting that they “were removing flair” from the game. Jack Grealish is a notable example where supporters complained became “more conservative” in the way he attacked once leaving Aston Villa.

This season there has been a noticeable shift to 56.5 per cent in the most recent season. Despite these dips, City continued to win titles and control matches. This shift tells its own story.

City no longer need overwhelming possession to dictate games. Their control comes from structure, pressing, positioning and their ability to stop counters before they start. It is still a possession-based style, but it is no longer driven by the numbers themselves. Guardiola uses the ball to manage risk and manipulate space rather than to dominate purely through volume.

There are several reasons behind this change. The arrival of Erling Haaland encouraged quicker, more direct patterns of play, simply because he is one of the most lethal finishers the league has ever seen. Creative midfielders of the past such as: David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne have moved on. Even Guardiola’s preference in goalkeepers has shifted. For most of his time at City he prioritised keepers who were comfortable with the ball at their feet, like Ederson. This season he has preferred shot-stoppers such as Donnarumma and James Trafford, which suggests a different approach to control.

If even the club most associated with possession has changed the way it approaches dominance, it is not surprising that possession no longer predicts success across the league. City show that control depends on what a team does in the spaces around possession, not on how long they keep the ball for.

New Ways to Win

*excluding penalties

Possession also carries less weight now because set pieces have become one of the most reliable ways to score. The pie chart shows a clear increase in the share of goals coming from set pieces: numbers dipped in the 2020/21 season to just 19.2 per cent after which was right in the middle of Guardiola’s dominant reign. This year it sits at 25 per cent which is the highest in the last decade. This reflects the spike in set-piece coaching and analytics across the league.

Brentford have built a reputation on rehearsed routines, especially from throw-ins. Arsenal under Mikel Arteta have taken it even further. In 2025 they have become one of the most dangerous set-piece sides in Europe, scoring from corners and wide free-kicks with remarkable consistency. What makes this significant is that Arsenal still keep plenty of the ball. They simply see set pieces as an efficient route to goals.

Brentford use dead balls because they know they will not dominate possession. Arsenal use them to add an extra threat on top of their open-play control. Even the Southampton fan I interviewed noticed this shift, saying, “The way the game is structured around set pieces kills the game.” Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, it reflects a reality. Teams do not need long spells of possession to create their best chances. This is not necessarily a new phenomenon. Looking back there have been clubs like Stoke, Burnley and West Ham that have seen success playing defensively focused football.

Set pieces bypass possession almost completely. They allow teams with less of the ball to generate high-value chances, and in today’s Premier League these moments can be just as important as anything that happens in open play.

So Does Having More Of The Ball Win Games?

In the end, the data points in the same direction as the football itself. Possession still matters, but it does not decide matches on its own. Control now comes from structure, transitions and set-piece quality as much as time on the ball. The Premier League has evolved. Keeping the ball can still help you win, but it is no longer the thing that decides games.

Since 2001, men, on average, have accounted for three-quarters of all suicide deaths in England.

It’s a deeply troubling figure that has been immutable for 25 years, but Championship side Oxford United are starting the ball rolling on change. The club has been consistently working to bring the topic of men’s mental health into parallel with the sport, encouraging these integral open conversations, to quell the 75% statistic.

It’s a platform with an undeniably large following. According to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, 30% of adults reported watching sports live within the last 12 months, with men’s football triumphing over all other sports, being watched by 61% of these individuals. Furthermore, a huge 75% of adults admitted to engaging with live sports on TV in the last 12 months, and men’s football was yet again the most popular sport to watch for 56% of these people.

Even those who aren’t avid football followers are unlikely to avoid it completely. The England men’s Euro final in 2024 was watched on the BBC by a peak of 19.3 million people, and the women’s Euro 2025 victory pulled a peak live audience of 12.2 million viewers.

In general, men are the sport devotees, with a YouGov poll revealing that over a third of men consider themselves to be very interested in sport, in vast contrast to just 9% of women claiming the same. Additionally, 30% of male audiences revealed that they watch sport everyday or several times a week, making football one of the most influential platforms to begin the discussion on men’s mental health.

Clinical Director Ben Wilson of the Baton of Hope project agrees, confirming that football and sport is “one of the biggest glues that holds society together.”

He believes it’s a “real opportunity to use the sport as a platform to talk about suicide.”

The Baton of Hope project was launched in 2023 after Mike McCarthy and Steve Phillip connected through social media over the shared loss of their sons to suicide. The campaign has toured the country, and promotes their Workplace Pledge, to increase suicide awareness and prevention.

In October 2025, Oxford United unified with the Baton of Hope project to host their ‘Can We Talk?’ campaign at a Men’s First Team match-day against Derby County at the Kassam Stadium. Speaking to Ryan Maher, head of OUFC’s media, demonstrated the immense impact of the collaboration for the club, as well as the fans:

“We have been very fortunate to run a number of events through the Can We Talk? Campaign. Our ‘Can We Talk?’ match-day alongside the Baton of Hope project saw 11,500 people engage with the campaign, as we distributed clear signposting and messaging, and offered workshops pre-game to the supporters. This was a fantastic way to engage on mass with a huge number of people and bring attention to the cause and the work that we are doing.”

Oxford United men’s team player Will Vaulks has been a vital ambassador for the project, and an illuminating voice within the discussion around men’s mental health, after losing both of his grandfathers to suicide.

“For me it’s about looking after people’s mental health right at the start, suicide is the end result of poor mental health in my opinion.”

“If I can hopefully show people that talking is alright, you can open up, then it will hopefully make a bit of a difference.”

His ardent work towards the public-health issue culminated with recognition from FIFPRO, and Vaulks was honored with the Player Voice Award in November 2025. For him, the award was a gateway into spreading his message further across the sport:

‘‘It gives me that encouragement and belief that what I’m doing is making a difference, and to keep going at it really. It means that I’ll continue doing it, and push and push and push until everyone hears about suicide prevention.”

It’s a crisis that desperately needs to be heard by everyone. The suicide rate is at its greatest for both men and women in England since the Office for National Statistics began collecting data in 2001. For women, the figure sits at a rate of 5.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2024, and for men the figure is 17.0 in 2024, with the previous year maintaining the highest recorded rate for men’s suicide at 17.1 per 100,000 people.

The total number of suicide deaths in England continue to remain the highest they’ve been since 2001, with figure of 5,717 in 2024, a 1.1% increase from the previous year. Male deaths in 2024 stood at 4,231, which was also a 1% increase from 2023.

Research shows that middle-aged men are more susceptible to suicide, demonstrated as the five age group categories from 35-55 made up over half of all male 2024 suicide deaths in England. 50-54 year old’s contributed to 11.6% of all male deaths, larger than any other age demographic. Whilst it is important to note here that these numbers do not take into account the population density of each age category, the figures remain disturbingly large.

To stunt these rising statistics, Oxford United are addressing all avenues to normalise discussions around men’s mental health. Their retail collaboration with Boys Get Sad Too earlier this November was a huge success, with ‘90% of all online stock sold out within 24 hours of release’.

Speaking in depth with Ryan Maher confirmed the club’s confidence that their work was making a difference:

“I genuinely believe we are creating a safer and understanding environment and culture at Oxford United, from inside the Club, to the supporters. The only data which I have to show that this is making an impact is through the conversations I have had. Since starting the campaign, I have had many more vulnerable conversations with players, staff, supporters and others, which would never have happened previously.

On occasion, I have had supporters speak to Will and I, saying that the message we are conveying has made an impact in their own mental health, or another’s. That gives us so much confidence that what we are doing is making an impact, and I feel we are creating a comfortable environment for all.”

Provisional data by the ONS for 2025 suggests that suicide rates and deaths are expected to rise even further, with their second quarterly data for the year overwhelming previous years. Suicide prevention is a process, and goes beyond figures and statistics, and Oxford United and player Will Vaulks are working from the grassroots to push awareness, push conversation and push change. Vaulks believes in the importance of the individual in the ability to advocate for social transformation:

“It’s on each and every one of us to check in, and ask that all important question: Can we talk?”

Discover for yourself Oxford United’s campaigns and events:

Oxford United Website

Oxford United Instagram

All videos taken by Gemma Rousell.

In light of this, I have decided to zoom in on a crucial quality that all greats should possess; the ability to dominate. I have hand-picked and analysed the most dominant seasons by drivers across the 75-year history of the sport.

Jim Clark, 1963

Widely regarded as one of the most naturally talented drivers of all time, Clark started his career aged 18, competing in regional rallies near his home in Fife. He began racing for Colin Champman’s Lotus team during 1960, quickly becoming the face of the outfit.

Clark’s 1963 season is impossible to ignore when looking at the most dominant seasons in the sport. He found himself on the podium nine times during the ten-race calendar, seven of which being Grand Prix victories.

He averaged a finishing position of 1.3, an enormous difference to that of his teammate Trevor Taylor who only managed four finishes that season, averaging eighth position. Clark ensured that the 1963 was his, leading 77% of all laps and averaging a winning gap of 107.9 seconds to the nearest driver.

With the old points scoring scheme – as well as the ‘drop score’ system, which saw drivers lose their two worst rounds from their total points tally at the end of the year – Clark also scored a maximum points tally of 54.

Of course, Formula One is a vastly different sport nowadays compared to 1963. There are more races per season, more points awarded, the cars are more reliable, the budgets are higher; the list is endless. That’s why the main figure I’m going to focus on – the overarching point – will be the percentage of possible points score per season.

To ensure the validity of the comparison, the percentage of possible points scored will be taken disregarding the ‘drop score’ system of 1963. Therefore, Clark scored 73 out of 90, meaning that he took 81% of possible points that season.

Clark was the first of his kind, and he showcased that natural talent globally during that ’63 season. Alongside the Formula One World Championship, he also won the British Touring Car Championship, the Tasman Series, took the lap record and a podium at the Indy 500, as well as winning multiple stand-alone events featuring F1 cars and drivers.

Schumacher, 2004

I couldn’t write an article about Formula One dominance without mentioning Michael Schumacher, could I? He has been long regarded as one of the best to ever do it, winning seven World Championships and 91 races. He was the pioneer of the sport as it moved into the beginnings of the modern era, with his staple season being 2004.

2004 was Schumacher’s final championship year, and his fifth consecutively with Ferrari. A driver’s car is a significant influence towards their overall dominance, and there is no doubt that the Ferrari was the best car in 2004. However, teammate Rubens Barrichello only managed an average finishing position of 3.1 in comparison to Micheal’s 2.1.

This was one of most dominant seasons of the modern era of Formula One. Reliability was improving year on year, proving crucial to a successful championship campaign. However the metronomic consistency of Schumacher outshone what the car was capable of. He took 12 pole positions (67%) and 13 wins (72%) across the 18 rounds.

Interestingly, Schumacher only lead 61% of laps in 2004. This can be attributed to refuelling regulations, allowing teams to differ from each other’s pit stop strategies, meaning that cars would swap position during the middle portions of races more frequently.

Michael Schumacer swept the 2004 World Championship and claimed 82% of points available to him that season. This was his seventh and final title, and by far and away his most dominant.

Verstappen, 2023

Max Verstappen burst onto the F1 grid aged 17, instantly becoming the youngest driver to start a Grand Prix. He was instantly recognised as a generational talent as he began to set records tumbling; youngest point scorer, youngest podium sitter, youngest race winner and most overtakes in a single season, all within his first two campaigns.

Verstappen was a two-time World Champion with Red Bull Racing going into the 2023 season. He had come off the back of an incredible 2022, winning 15 rounds and clearing the rest of the grid by 146 points, a record-breaking points deficit.

However, 2023 would see him raise the bar even higher. Across the 22 rounds (23 scheduled, Imola being cancelled due to intense floods in Italy) he amassed 575 points, obliterating his freshly set record 12 months prior. His teammate Sergio Perez, who averaged 4.5 position in the races, finished second in the standings with less than half of Verstappen’s points total.

The headlines didn’t stop there. Verstappen scored 19 wins (record) and finished on the podium 21 times (record). He averaged an 11.7 second gap to the closest driver when he won and lead 1,003 laps across the span of the season, which equates to 76%.

He took 95% of points available to him in 2023, partly contributed to the fact that he missed out on the podium only once across the 22-race season. Verstappen showcased ultimate pace and consistency throughout this campaign by displaying the best success rate for any driver across the sports’ entire history.

Decision Time

These three drivers were at the pinnacle of their cohort during their respective eras. Clark was the king of analogue motor racing, in a time where Formula One was unforgiving. Schumacher was the first of the modern age drivers to wipe the floor with his rivals, displaying the perfect driver and team chemistry.

However, the achievements of Max Verstappen in 2023 cannot be overlooked. Finishing on the podium all races bar one during seasons of 22+ races is obscene, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t see dominance alike for a very long time.

Rosalind Canter, a British equestrian currently competing in eventing, made history on Sunday following her win at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials. But her achievement was hardly recognised in the media in comparison to the celebrations of successful football teams or a famous tennis player’s achievements.

On the 8th May 2023 and the 11th May 2025, Canter won The Badminton Horse Trials on her horse Lordships Graffalo, which was closely followed by her win at the Defender Burghley Horse trials for the second year in a row on Sunday 7th September 2025. This makes her one of the only riders in history to complete the Burghley-Badminton-Burghley treble, with the last rider achieving this over 40 years ago. But, she also won this Burghley Horse Trials while being 5 months pregnant with her second child.

However, many equestrians feel that she has not received the praise and celebration in the media that she deserves for such a significant achievement in the equestrian industry.

Football players and teams receive a lot of coverage in the media, having many news articles written about them and what they have won, as well as updates on broadcast news sites and live coverage of their whole matches, just for weekendly premier league matches. However, prestigious equestrian events such as Badminton and Burghley Horse Trials only receive coverage of the highlights of the event, with full live coverage only being accessible on pay-per-view livestreaming sites.

Furthermore, they only receive light coverage in print and online news articles, with the media attention primarily being in equestrian-specific magazines rather than news sites like the BBC, Sky News, and The Guardian that cover a range of sports along with other topics. This feels to equestrians like a form of discrimination against a minor sport that has accomplishments just as significant as popular sports like football.

In addition, equestrian is one of the only sports in the world where men and women (and all other genders) compete against each other in equal terms. Ros Canter, having competed in these events against multiple men, including Max Warburton and Harry Horgan, defies a stereotype that has been stated throughout history that men are better than women at sport.

Therefore, in a society which is trying to promote women’s rights, power, and equality, why is a sport where all genders are equally treated competitively not broadcasted and reported about more often in comparison to a gender-specific sport like football? This would be a perfect opportunity for the media to discuss how this stereotype is false, yet it is a sport which is swept under the rug due to its lack of popularity outside of the equestrian bubble. By increasing the media coverage, the sport could become more popular, which would benefit riders, brands, and the sport’s economic value.

For horse riding, there is no retirement age. This means there are still riders competing at the highest level at the age of 70 years old, such as John Whitaker. Some of these riders have been competing for over 50 years. However, the average retirement age for a footballer is around 35 years old. This further shows how impressive equestrianism is, which is why it should receive more media coverage and praise.

Equestrian is a sport that requires a lot of skill, especially as the rider must not only control how they ride, but must also control how the horse behaves and must manoeuvre them around an arena or a course of jumps in a skilful way. When competing at such a high level, the skill level rises and perfection and precision become more important. This should be something that is praised in the media, as while all sports require different skills, not many people are brave enough to get on a horse, so those who are brave enough, but also push themselves to the maximum level of jumping fences at 1.5 metres high, should be celebrated. It should not be forgotten just because other sports are more popular.

Overall, it is felt that equestrian is a sport which should receive more praise and more coverage in the media, as those competing at the highest levels have proven they can achieve equally competitive goals as more popular sports such as football. For example, Ros Canter’s achievement was even more significant because of the fact that she had won each event twice, one of which while she was pregnant. Horse riding is a minor sport which could become just as popular if it received more media coverage and praise for its immense skill and precision, as well as for the sport’s broad range of competitors of all different ages and genders that all compete on equal terms.

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A $25.3 million dollar industry. 24 global Grand Prix over 10 months. Racing up to speeds of 234mph. There is truly no other sport like Formula 1.

This motorsport turned mega brand has long been renowned as a male dominated industry, with 70% of its fanbase comprising of men, as of 2022. In more recent history, the fan gender gap is now closing, with Netflix documentary series ‘Drive to Survive’ educating and inspiring women to join the F1 fan community. F1 CEO Stefano Domencialli noted that in 2024, female interest in motorsport had increased substantially, alongside new firsts for key team positions being taken up by women, such as HAAS’s Laura Müller becoming the first female race engineer in F1 history for the 2025 season. Its clear women want in on Formula One, but how are educational institutions responding to the interest, and what changes do the industry need to make to create more space for female engineers?

The UK is often regarded as the home of Formula One, with 7 of the 10 current teams on track based in and around Oxfordshire, also known as ‘Motorsport Valley’. Due to this, many UK universities are taking advantage of the graduate job opportunities and have become feeders for Formula One teams. Oxford Brookes University, and the University of Bath are both renowned for their networking connections within the industry, and alongside this, they both offer a Formula Student Team; an extracurricular opportunity to design, build and race an electric race car in competitions across Europe. One woman working in F1 commented: “Formula Student is, hands down, the absolute best work experience.”

Not only is Formula Student a brilliant experience, but it also encourages young women at university to get involved in motorsports and explore a career in it. Oxford Brookes Head of School for Engineering, and Principal Academic Adviser of Oxford Brookes Racing; Gordana Collier, believes it is vital to get girls involved “this is not like a garage where all the guys are doing all the work, and it's all men's things, there are so many different jobs”. Ms Collier recognises the value of female engineers within the team, and for Formula 1 altogether, believing “female engineers are wired differently, so they are bringing some fresh, different ideas. They are also positively affecting the dynamic of group work. So, there are all these things that having extra girls can help change the way the things are done.”

Another factor influencing women in motorsports is ‘Formula One: Drive to Survive’ which premiered in 2019 and has since run for over 7 seasons. It sells itself as an intense, intimate look behind the world of Formula One, following the lives of drivers, team principals and engineers. Drive to Survive (DTS) gave fans an insight many have never seen before. In 2023 the series reached 6.8 million viewers with 46% of those being women between the ages of 18-30, outstripping the sport itself, which recorded at only 30% female viewership. Team Bath Racing Electric (TBRe) Program Manager Abbey Marsden believes “it's so intrinsic to the women in motorsport movement now.”

In the 2024 season alone, female Formula One fan numbers increased up toto 41%, a 11% jump from the previous year. Abbey noted that “(DTS) made it easy to understand what F1 was and how it worked. It gave young women a space to learn all about this sport without, getting bullied for it, as nobody interested in the sport, wanted to teach them.” However, the DTS effect has been much broader in its impact. Speaking to another woman working within F1, she also commented “The sport has opened itself to other partnerships. The drivers have become brands themselves; you can consider them influencers. They all have YouTube channels. They all post what happens behind the scenes.” The series has encouraged the sport to become globally recognised, with, 53% of fans in the US citing ‘Drive to Survive’ as the reason behind their interest in the sport. Since its 2019 premiere, fan race attendance has increased from 4.2 million to a staggering 6.5 million in 2024, garnering even more financial support for the F1 economy.

Although the industry is starting to progress, the fanbase is still holding back, with stigmatisation of female F1 fans online becoming common place. F1 broadcaster, Sky Sports, recently posted a series of interviews of female F1 fans recalling their favourite ‘memorable’ race moment on social media. The online comment section was littered with insults directed at the female fans, with criticisms like “this sport is finished,” “why are they all birds,” “hard watch,” “you just know they started watching F1 6 months ago” and “fan girls 💀”. Abbey reflected on this divide “unfortunately, I think some male fans got uncomfortable with all of these women coming together, and the feminine culturalization of something that is stereotypically and predominantly male.” This tight-knit female community is evident through Instagram accounts like ‘Girls Just Wanna F1’ (with 11.k followers), and ‘dishdoesf1’ (12.1k followers) which foster a community by bringing women and girls together to enjoy the sport.

With both extracurricular opportunities at university, and a fan community forming online, what is still holding women back? Abbey emphasises the disparity between men and women choosing engineering “for the women on our course, it's, a deeply proactive decision that they've made, whereas the 88% of men on my course are here because they were good at maths.” At Oxford Brookes Ms Collier feels similarly, citing the struggle for women to choose engineering as “families, do not advise their daughters to go and be engineers, so we do a lot of work trying to collaborate with schools to educate the children and then educate career advisors.”

In 2018 the overall employee gender split within F1 was 72% male and 28% female: this industry is clearly very largely dominated by men. In an effort to combat this, Formula 1 has been actively evolving over the last 7 years, supported by the ‘Formula 1 Diversity and Inclusion Working Group’ which aims “to work collaboratively to find ways to increase diversity across F1 and the wider motorsport industry”. The gender split in their 2024 Gender Pay Gap Report unveiled a 68% male, and 37% female split, a slight increase from previous years. Abbey is also joining Cadillac F1 in September and believes universities are pushing diversity, but the real issues are still present in the workplace “I did three job interviews, and I was the only woman at all three of them. So, it’s a funny dichotomy that almost half of F1 viewers are women. However, I am still the only one in the room.”

Unconscious bias clearly still exists within motorsports engineering positions, a key example being the 20% average gender pay gap experienced between men and women in motorsports as reported by the F1 Gender Pay Gap Report 2024. Abbey commented on one experience in the workplace, recalling how her male colleague “was given a lot more responsibility, and definitely a lot more praise than I was, or at the very least, the expectation that the quality of his work was always going to be higher than mine”, even though they were both doing the same job.

In the educational sphere, Ms Collier believes part of the solution lies in including male engineers in the conversation “we need to train both boys and girls, because they need to learn how to live (& work) in this environment, together and collaborate.” This point was echoed by Abbey, noting that “you need men to also be engaged, because you can't break the glass ceiling in one direction.” Not only is educating boys important, but it’s also about what stage do educational institutions introduce careers like motorsports engineering to young girls? “It needs to start from primary school,” insists Ms Collier, “our job is we need to really make motorsport not look like a male discipline. That's the only way.” Abbey has the same belief “diversity in motorsport, begins with convincing young women that it's a space for them in the first place.” As young female engineers, it is also vital to set boundaries, and allow yourself to be confident, Abbey jokingly uses the example of “always apply with the confidence of a white man who's not qualified for the job. If they are not fully qualified, they will apply anyway, whereas, stereotypically, women will only apply when they 500% fit the role.”

Universities also need to adapt how they present working in motorsports for women; Abbey commented that “there always seems to be a lot of initiatives to get women into the course, but then once they’re there, it feels like, oh, a box ticked, we’ve got the women now.” After recruiting female students to join the course, universities need to recognise the reality of the diversity gap within the motorsport industry and aptly equip female engineers with the tools to approach any situation. Abbey added “the next step is to not send them off into the workplace with a rose-tinted idea of what it's like, because it is, unfortunately, a lot less forgiving than university portrays it as.”

There is clearly no simple fix for gender bias within motorsports, however the dial is shifting, with leaders of industry actively pushing for diversity. After listening to these inspirational women, it is clear they are proactively discussing solutions to engage girls from a young age and continuing to help them believe there is a space for them within Formula 1.

As a final takeaway for any young women interested in working in motorsports, Abbey offers some invaluable advice. “If you've got an offer from a team or a department, where there's been talk of holding a bias against women, there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying no, because it is not the be all and end all. There is a team (for you). There is a department who will, and who do understand what needs to be done in the industry.”

The U’s are set to be moving to their new ground, once built, which has a proposed location near Kidlington, north of Oxford. However, the proposed stadium is still deep within the planning process.

Will Oxford United fans miss the Kassam Stadium? And what are fans opinions on the proposals for the new stadium?

Last November, I went to the Championship lunchtime kick-off of Oxford United vs Millwall to get fan opinion on the ongoing issues and spoke to U’s expert Jerome Sale of BBC Radio Oxford Sport for his take.

Last Sunday, a world record 56,640 finishers crossed the line having completed all 42 kilometres of the 2025 London Marathon. For most of those runners, whether chasing a world record or skipping round dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, the prestigious race was the culmination of a fitness journey.

A journey that might well have started in their local park.

Just 24 hours before the marathon in the capital got underway, roughly four times as many runners took part in a more relaxed event – Parkrun. Ever since 2004, when Parkrun started with 13 participants in London’s Bushy park, an ever-increasing number of runners have gathered at 9am on Saturday mornings to run five kilometres around their local green space.

In the last two decades, this has evolved into more than 1,300 free weekly Parkruns in the UK, with almost a quarter of a million participants completing either the 5km distance, or the 2km junior course.

In Oxford, where Parkruns are hosted by Cutteslowe and the University Parks, 1,202 runners, joggers and walkers successfully completed 5km last Saturday. The median time was just over 28 minutes, roughly the same amount of time it took London Marathon winner Sabastian Sawe to complete the first 10km of his race.

For Paul Grimsdale, a runner with more than a decade of experience participating and volunteering at Parkruns, the Saturday morning event is playing a key role in bringing potential marathon-runners to the sport.

“I would say that from walking and cycling around Oxford numbers of runners and joggers have certainly risen over the years – and Parkrun has helped encourage this”, he explained.

“More people run, means more Parkruns, means more people are running, and then more Parkruns to accommodate the increased numbers.” It’s a virtuous circle.

For many of these new runners, a 5km jog is just the start. According to fitness-tracker app Strava’s 2024 Year in Sport, the staggering 59% increase in group fitness has been accompanied by 9% more runners completing marathons compared to 2023.

In Paul’s experience, this can lead to performance benefits. “Having someone to either chase, or try and keep ahead certainly helps make me go faster”, he said. “You can see how this helps boost participants times.”

Not only do group workouts last an average of 40% longer than individual ones, but they come with more encouragement and accountability.

In addition to local fitness groups, Parkrun has also created a nation-wide community of runners who travel around the country to complete challenges and make new connections.

Fi, Co-Event Director at University Parks Parkrun, has noticed the effect of this parkrun community on attendances in Oxford.

“We get a huge range of runners from all over the world”, she explained, “Whether that be running clubs, for example, we recently had a local running group, Headington Road Runners, headline our parkrun, or a bus load of parkrunner tourists. We have certainly seen an increase in popularity”.

For some dedicated parkrunners, the University Parks has become a vital stop on their tour around the UK, as they aim to complete the ‘Parkrun alphabet’ – finishing a Parkrun starting with each letter from A to Z.

“As the letter U is rare, we get a lot of tourists who come and visit us as groups”, said Fi, “and then often get to enjoy a beautiful weekend in Oxford afterwards”.

You’ll Never Run Alone

Group running events like Parkrun are not all about the clock. According to Strava, for roughly half of people seeking out running clubs, social connection is the driving factor.

Oxford’s first Parkrun, which takes place in Cutteslowe park, started in 2011 with fewer than 50 runners. It now has almost 500 participants each week, despite competing with the new University Parks event, which was established in 2022 to accommodate the post-pandemic wave of casual runners. For Paul, who has watched this development firsthand, building a sense of community is key.

“My home Parkrun, when I started in 2012, had around 60-80 runners. But now we don’t often get less than 400 and fairly regularly over 500”, he said. “Word of mouth has, I think, contributed to this – i.e. friends and family being more likely to come along.”

Many of these people coming along are lacing up their running shoes for the first time. A study from 2013 found that more than a quarter of those who registered for Parkrun considered themselves ‘non-runners’. Within this group were demographics you may not usually associate with running: more than half were middle-aged or older, just under 50% were overweight and 6.1% had a limiting disability.

These ‘non-runners’ are also the people most likely to report health benefits, and showed the greatest improvement in performance as time went on.

This trend is also something Paul had noticed. “Over the years the tail of the field has grown as lots of people who probably wouldn’t take part in a mass run are very much happier to do so”, he said.

“I am sure knowing there will always be a [dedicated volunteer] tail walker behind you, so essentially you will never be last, encourages slower runners/walkers to come along.”

When injury strikes, having an established community can help stricken runners stay involved with their sport.

“Sadly I have had plenty experience of injury over the years”, explained Paul, “and being involved in volunteering has certainly meant that I have been able to remain very much involved throughout the fairly lengthy periods of not being able to run.”

However, there is one thing that causes running groups to stop and take a breather: hot weather.

Over the summer months, Oxford Parkruns see an average weekly drop of more than 200 finishers compared to the peak times during the winter and spring. Perhaps surprisingly, cold, dark British winters are the most popular times for runners to put on their shorts and head out for a few laps around the park.

“We also see a nice spike in participants around the new year”, explained Fi, “in fact, on our Christmas day parkrun, which is a ‘special event’, we had 643 runners join us!

“When I was a child growing up on Christmas day, if my parents suggested at 9 am we were going for a run rather than sitting, eating chocolate, I would have protested- yet we had so many wonderful people joining us of all ages and backgrounds”.

Friendships that go the distance

For many running club participants, the social connection doesn’t stop once you cross the finish line. A post-workout trip to the café can be just as important as the run itself.

“If you are walking down the street at 10 am on a Saturday, you will see most cafes are often packed with parkrunners enjoying a post-run treat”, said Fi.

“Whilst the number of those to attend the café fluctuates every week, we always get a good squad of people who religiously come along”.

Strava’s data for 2024 showed that 58% of people said that they had made a friend through fitness class, a trend that was particularly pronounced among Gen-Z, two thirds of whom have made friends though group workouts.

For some, social connections forged at group fitness classes went beyond just friendship. Among Gen-Z athletes logging group workouts on Strava, one in five revealed that they had been on a date with somebody they met during a workout.

With young people continuing to make healthier choices around alcohol, running clubs are stepping in to fill the void left by traditional meeting places like nightclubs, which have halved in number since 2013. Early Saturday mornings are becoming the new late Friday nights.

As Fi explains, meeting like-minded people is a central part of the appeal.

“It's not all about the running aspect, it's all about being outdoors, enjoying the fresh air, and being surrounded by people who understand.”

If you’re interested in lacing up your running shoes for the first time, there are resources including Couch to 5k, apps like Runna, or your local Parkrun.

This season Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester spent a combined £314m on transfers to prepare for the Premier league. Yet, all three have had their fate prematurely sealed.

Often renowned as the most revered league in the world, only five of the 12 promoted sides have achieved survival over the last four Premier League seasons. Begging the question – is there an unfair hierarchy in English football?

If we look over into Spain’s La Liga, the spending habits are considerably less despite the league having a similar attraction to the Premier League.

Meanwhile in England, some teams throw a financial Hail Mary within their first season, hoping to boost their chances of survival. However, recently, clubs have adopted using data and ‘smart’ transfers to make a cost-efficient play to beat the drop.

The rewards of the Premier League

According to the 2024/25 Power Rankings from Sports data company, Opta, the Premier League is the highest-quality league in the world, with an average team rating of 87.9/100.

With elite quality comes elite rewards. During the 2023/24 season, Nottingham Forest earned £123.3m in broadcast revenue despite finishing 17th. This payment helped reimburse them on their £190m* transfer spree in the summer.

Football finance expert and Principal Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, Dan Plumley, told Hybrid how the quality gap between the Premier League and the Championship forces teams to overspend during their first season in an attempt to compete.

He further emphasised just how important that injection of funds is for teams who have re-entered the league:

“You're talking about a revenue uplift of about £100 million minimum. So, if you've not been in that league for a while, you're £100 million away from some of those Premier League clubs to start with.”

Meanwhile in La Liga, the 17th placed team last year (Rayo Vallecano) only received €45.4m (£38.9m) from the broadcasting rights to the league. This gap in monetary rewards creates economic disparities between Spain and England, driving a significant fissure in transfer spending habits.

Premier League Heroes

From 2021 - 2024, the nine clubs promoted to the Premier League spent a combined £668m* on new transfers in their first season. That figure reflects the enormous financial pressure new sides face to strengthen their squads in a bid to survive and stay in line for the lucrative broadcast payments.

Football finance expert, Kieran Maguire, highlighted this pressure by saying:

“There's expectations from social media. There's expectation from fans. There's also expectations from the coach, because having pitted their own wits and their reputation, and getting the club promoted, they don't want to be given a squad that even Pep Guardiola would struggle to get a tune out of.”

Despite lofty expectations, promoted teams have managed to successfully meet them. During the 2022/23 season all three of Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest stayed up, however, Fulham caught the most attention. Spending £72.8m*, the least of the three promoted clubs, Fulham experienced an impressive season, finishing in a very respectable 10th.

Star-signing Joao Palhinha, arriving for £23.8m*, provided defensive steel in midfield. However, it was the smart purchase of the energetic midfielder, Andreas Pereria, that bolstered Fulham’s survival hopes. Signing for just £9.1m*, he provided 10 goal contributions (goals + assists) across the campaign, costing £910,000* per-goal.

Five miles west, another London club experienced a cost-effective relegation escape a season prior. Surviving their debut Premier League season in 13th, Brentford spent just £39.9m* on transfers.

Brentford’s financially conscious approach proved to others that newly promoted teams could compete despite not having the same economic backing. Dan Plumley said:

“Other clubs will, and have, looked to follow the Brentford model. It gets spoken about as a really efficient use of data to drive recruitment. How do you compete against some of these other clubs when you can't compete with them financially? Brentford is an example of how you might do that.”

On the opening day of the season, Brentford shocked Arsenal with a 2-0 win, whilst towards the end of the campaign they hammered Chelsea with a 4-1 victory away from home.

Having joined Brentford whilst in the Championship, striker Ivan Toney lead the line with 12 goals. However, Yoanne Wissa was essential to Brentford’s counter-attacking style, operating as second-fiddle to Toney. At just £10.4m*, Wissa provided 8 goal contributions, resulting in a cost of £1.3m* per-goal. Given that goals famously win games, the cheaper they come the better.

Premier League Zeroes

There have been several clubs who struggled to find a foothold in the league despite extensive transfer spending. Last season, Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton all found themselves tumbling back down to the Championship.

Burnley returned to the Premier League after a dominant Championship season under Vincent Kompany, aiming to reinvent themselves with a more possession-based style - far removed from the gritty, resilient identity shaped under Sean Dyche.

Backed with £95m, largely spent on young, overseas talent, their transformation didn’t materialise. Burnley finished 19th, managing just five wins - equating to a cost of £19m per-victory. By contrast, fellow relegated side Luton spent £22.2m, with six wins costing them just £3.7m each.

Furthermore, Burnley’s marquee signing, Swiss forward Zeki Amdouni, failed to deliver. Signing for £15.9m, he only registered five goals and one assist - each goal involvement costing the club £2.6m.

Sheffield United experienced similar woes that same season as they placed bottom, with a swiss-cheese shaped defence which conceded 104 goals. They had previously experienced an iconic 2019/20 season, entering the Premier League and proving all the doubters wrong by rocketing up the league into 9th. Nevertheless, their £57.3m on transfers during 2023 couldn’t help them recreate history.

Dan Plumley highlighted football’s unpredictable nature:

‘There is no figure that you arrive at where if you spend X, you are guaranteed to get Y. It's just not that kind of industry.’

La Liga Comparison

Between 2021 - 2024, La Liga’s nine promoted clubs spent a combined £110.4m*. That’s £557.6m* less on transfers than their Premier League counterparts. Furthermore, only two of those promoted teams were relegated in the same season, compared to five in England

The success of La Liga’s stringent spending was clear in 2021/22, as Rayo Vallecano, Espanyol, and Mallorca all survived comfortably - finishing 12th, 14th, and 16th - after spending just £21.2m* combined. In contrast, Norwich, Watford, and Brentford spent £151.6m*, yet two of those Premier League clubs were relegated that same season.

Part of why Spanish clubs spend significantly less is due to the league's squad cost regulations, which dictate how much a team can spend on players and wages based on their revenue and historical performance.

“You can see it as a hindrance, but you can also see it as saving clubs from themselves, because they're not overstretching and really blowing themselves up financially.” - Dan Plumley

Furthermore, Kieran Maguire stresses that ownership funding in the Premier League is simply more abundant: “There are many wealthy owners of Premier League clubs who are willing to fund the transfer activity. This gives those clubs additional benefits, which you don't see in the smaller Spanish clubs.”

The Football Hierarchy

Premier League clubs outspend their La Liga counterparts not necessarily because of smarter recruitment, but because of the immense financial muscle granted by lucrative broadcasting deals and cash injections from owners. In contrast, La Liga’s squad cost regulations force clubs to operate within stricter financial boundaries, demanding efficiency over extravagance.

Yet, despite the Premier League’s wealth, its openness is illusory. Without meaningful regulation, the top-flight risks cementing a system in which the same teams rise while others inevitably fall short.

As football finance expert Dan Plumley states:

“There’s a bit of a hierarchy in English football, whether we want to accept that or not. And it does depend on the league, it depends on the club, it depends on the owners, it depends on regulation, but there is a ceiling for every club.”

AI-Powered Strategy: The Rise of Machine Intelligence

Formula 1 is often described as a game of chess played at 200mph, where split-second decisions can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Traditionally, those calls have been made by race engineers and strategists armed with data. But increasingly, artificial intelligence is taking on a more prominent role in shaping these race-day tactics.

Teams already use AI to analyse large numbers of data related to weather conditions, tyre wear, fuel efficiency and even competitor behaviour, in order to predict the best strategies in real time. By running thousands of race simulations before and during a Grand Prix, AI can suggest the most optimal moments for pit stops, tyre changes and overtaking opportunities.

However, racing is unpredictable. No simulation can fully account for a sudden rain shower, an unexpected safety car, or how drivers respond under pressure. James Yexley, Esports Social Media Executive for Williams Racing noted that a limitation of the simulator is that ‘it doesn’t give you the full G-force like you’d normally get in a real-world car.’ Whilst AI provides invaluable data, human instinct still plays a crucial role. As Hawkins puts it, ‘AI provides the data, but racing still requires instinct. Drivers and engineers balance AI-driven insights with experience, adapting strategies in real time based on track conditions and race dynamics.’ The technology is advancing rapidly, but for now, the best teams are those that successfully synthesise AI-driven insights with human knowledge and expertise.

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Simulation: The Digital Test Track

Before an F1 car ever hits the tarmac, it has already completed thousands of virtual laps. Simulation technology has become an essential tool for both drivers and engineers, allowing them to refine car setups, test new components and prepare for race weekends without the expense and limitations of physical lap time. Yexley explained that ‘the simulation racing factor of the esports world is sort of emerging into its own market where it's becoming a platform and a pathway into the real world of motorsport.’

Hawkins also went on to say that ‘Simulators are a crucial training tool for real-world drivers as well as sim racers. They allow drivers to learn circuits, refine techniques and test setups before arriving at the track.’

Modern simulators are incredibly sophisticated. Yexley went on to say that ‘from an engineer standpoint, the translation from simulation to real world is practically one to one. The simulations are so accurate, and nowadays the same principles will apply in the real world.’ Advanced physics models ensure that tyre wear, fuel consumption and aerodynamic performance behave just as they would in an actual race. By integrating real-time telemetry data, teams can recreate different weather conditions and track temperatures, making simulations as close to reality as possible.

Beyond car performance, simulators are also being used to enhance driver mental training. Hawkins discussed that ‘Simulators aren’t just about car performance; they’re a mental training ground. We use them with our drivers to sharpen reflexes, improve focus, and build resilience under pressure.’

Looking ahead, simulation technology is expected to become even more immersive, incorporating AI-generated opponents that mimic real-world driver behaviour. This could lead to a new era where simulated races become nearly indistinguishable from actual track sessions.

Virtual Reality: A New Horizon for Drivers and Fans

Whilst AI and simulation are transforming the way teams operate, virtual reality (VR) is poised to redefine the way fans experience Formula 1. VR has the potential to bring fans closer to the action than ever before. For example, future F1 broadcasts could offer fully immersive VR experiences, where viewers can choose to watch from different perspectives such as inside the car, trackside, or even from a drone point of view.

For drivers, VR-enhanced training could further blur the line between virtual and real-world racing. Already, top teams such as Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari McLaren and Aston Martin are integrating VR into their simulation programs, allowing drivers to practice race scenarios in a fully immersive digital environment. As VR technology continues to improve, it could become an even more valuable tool for sharpening reaction times and spatial awareness.

The Future: Can Virtual Ever Replace Reality

As AI, simulation and VR become increasingly powerful, one important question looms over Formula 1: Could these technologies ever replace real-world track time?

Hawkins, a Williams F1 Racing representative states that ‘Simulation is essential in my opinion, but real-world track time will always be irreplaceable. Nothing replicates the physical demands of racing, so I’d say the future lies in balance between virtual and on-track preparation.’

Whilst AI can optimise race strategies and simulations can provide near to perfect training environments, nothing can fully replicate the physical and psychological challenges of real racing. The best drivers don’t just rely on data, they rely on instinct, adaptability and raw skill.

Formula 1 is at a turning point, where human skill and technological advancement are merging like never before. But at its core, F1 remains a human endeavour, one that thrives on the fearlessness of drivers, the innovation of engineers and the unpredictability of the racing itself. As technology continues to push the limits, the challenge will be ensuring that Formula 1 retains the essence of what makes it the pinnacle of motorsport.

Cricket is often seen by some as elitist, the product of a bygone age; a sport played only by toffs and not to be enjoyed by the masses. With ticket prices in England soaring – the cheapest adult ticket for Day 1 of the England vs India Test match at Lord’s this summer being priced at £90 – and cricket matches largely televised behind paywalls, it’s hard to argue against such logic. Especially when the evidence glaringly demonstrates money-orientated decisions being made at the very top of the sport. 

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has certainly done itself no favours in recent months in distancing itself from such rhetoric. Their landmark sale of stakes in franchises of The Hundred to private investors – the eight franchises were estimated to be worth £975 million – has left many pondering the future of the sport. Though some have welcomed the investment, others question whether it’s now money first and cricket second; turnover over inclusivity and experience.

However, anyone reading this who’s been privileged enough to play local club cricket – or, indeed, any form of local sport – will understand that what happen’s at the very top of the sport doesn’t always depict what’s happening at the lower levels. In attempting to answer whether English cricket’s soul has been sold or not – a ridiculously profound puzzle to solve – I became engrossed in cricket’s complex local community. Ahead of the new season, I wondered, is the local cricket club now more important in 2025 than ever before? And what keeps those in this traditional community coming back year after year? 

“That’s a question my wife asks me a lot,” chuckles Dave Bradley, 76, Club President of Martley Cricket Club in Worcestershire. “I’m tempted to say that it feels like a family, it’s very difficult to put your finger on. It’s that feeling of belonging, being part of something. What drives you on I think is trying to be part of something that’s successful.” 

When people think of local cricket, people might think of Edwardian village greens and the sound of leather on willow. But as Dave, known by many as ‘Braders,’  who’s the match-day announcer at Worcestershire’s New road too, tells me, local cricket’s changed a lot, but on the other hand, hardly at all. “When I started, it was a thing for the village on a Sunday afternoon. The whole village would turn out to watch us play cricket. Not so many now, but we could still pick an 11 who were born in the village so we’re pretty much a community club, and a lot of younger players are coming through now.” 

Speaking to a few of my cricketing buddies, asking them what they thought might pop up from those I interviewed, one word they expected sprung up rather a lot: community. They were right. 

“The community is vital,” says Dave. He tells me that it’s not just the local cricket badgers who like to get involved at Martley. “Some of the local farmers or haulage contractors help us out. They’re not particularly interested in cricket, but they want to see the club thrive, and want to see the club in the village.” 

But in a world where people are working more and more, why would anyone want to spend their Saturday or Sunday standing in a field somewhere, watching drop catches galore and some rather dodgy umpiring? What’s so special? 

“I think it’s the camaraderie. It’s turning up on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and playing with your mates and then going for a beer afterwards. I think that’s what really makes it,” says Dave. 

It isn’t just all sun and beers though. As Russell Smith, Club Secretary at Horspath Cricket Club in Oxfordshire, tells me. That’s because it takes a lot of effort to keep local clubs running year to year, it’s the effort of the many not the few. 

“It takes a lot of voluntary work,” he explains. “Without volunteers, clubs at our level just wouldn’t exist, it’s as simple as that.” He continues: “We’re fortunate that we have the support of a lot of volunteers and that's what keeps our club going. But other clubs have probably found themselves in not such good circumstances.” 

The ECB has said that 10% of the money raised from the sales of The Hundred’s eight franchises will go straight into recreational local cricket, into clubs like Horspath. 

“Obviously we do hope that money does feed its way down,” says Russell. But the former journalist says he is, funnily enough, skeptical. “I’ll believe it when I see it. Until we see it, we’ll wait with bated breath on that one.” 

He does hope it trickles down, however, “so they (the ECB) can keep the game thriving and producing the stars of the future, your future Joe Root’s and Ben Stokes’, for example.”

Horspath CC, located in a scenic village just east of Oxford’s city centre, is also trying to become more diverse, and modernise considerably. As Munaza Dogar, 49, Director and Captain of Women’s Cricket at Horspath, explains.

“What’s really nice is that you now have an increasing number of women who sit on the Horspath committee. So there’s a real sense of diversity of thought, diversity of experiences, ages, and backgrounds,” she says.  

She tells me about how the club went about starting the women’s team back in 2019, its core objectives: “It was about having fun and encouraging women who wouldn’t have thought of sports, some of them possibly had never played competitive sport, to come and play with us.” 

So, reader, you may be wondering what the conclusions are from these accounts of club life. Well, it’s that cricket isn’t the snooty, money-orientated sport many would believe. It’s deeper than that. Cricket is a way of life for some people. It’s a home, a family, somewhere to escape the harsh realities of life. Franchises like The Hundred don’t even come close to replicating that feeling for many. Cricket’s soul seems intact – for now.

It’s become a recurrent query of contemporary cricketing acolytes to ponder the condition and health of the sport’s oldest format, Test cricket. In the 21st century, where attention spans are shrinking by the day and instant gratification beats the slow burn of everyday life; where does Test cricket sit in the sport’s hierarchy looking into the future?

Outside of the so-called ‘Big Three’ of England, Australia, and India – who, together, in the ICC proposed finance model (2024-27), make up approximately 52% of world cricket’s revenue share – the oldest format looks in a precarious position. Take the recent low attendance figures at Test matches in Pakistan and South Africa. Or the latter’s decision earlier this year to name a second-string squad for their series against New Zealand - their regular Test players played in their domestic T20 league which was happening concurrently. It’s become all too obvious that the majority of Test playing nations are clinging on for dear life, hoping for a miracle.

Sitting down to talk with Nicholas Brookes, over what must be said was a crackly zoom line, I was greeted by his usual buoyant persona. It was obvious to me that the author and journalist sitting before me, known for An Island’s Eleven: The Story of Sri Lankan Cricket – winner of Wisden’s book of the year 2023 – was someone passionate about the future of Test cricket.

“What’s positive is we’ve seen so many upsets over the past six months. Those have kind of altered the way people think about Test cricket, or [at least] the way people think about the pecking order,” he said.

Brookes continued by recounting the recent Test upsets we’ve seen: Sri Lanka beating New Zealand at home, New Zealand beating India 3-0 away, and Pakistan coming from behind to beat Ben Stokes’ England 2-1 in October. “It opens people’s eyes to the fact that teams can still do well, [even] the teams who aren’t considered the juggernauts [the ‘Big Three’].

Still, however, the author admits that the question of how financially sustainable Test cricket is for nations like the West Indies and Sri Lanka, who both struggled on their tours of England earlier this year, is pertinent.

“It’s a struggle to encourage players to want to commit to playing Test cricket,” he said. “The reality is, being a first-class cricketer in those countries isn’t necessarily a sustainable life choice.”

Anyone who watched Pakistan’s triumphant 2-1 series win over England, or South Africa’s recent win over Sri Lanka, will have noticed the near empty stadiums. Stadiums which once upon a time were less sparse for similar fixtures. Brookes thinks the reason for the mass of empty seats is to do with the “changing tastes of cricket consumers.” He rejects the claim, however, that people aren’t interested in Test cricket anymore. “I do think the love for Test cricket is still there. I’ve certainly spoken to people in India who say, ‘just because the grounds aren’t full, doesn’t mean people aren’t following it.’”

How did we get here, though, into a place where Test match cricket is poorly attended and thought of as unsustainable?

“It’s hard to put your finger on exactly when it happened,” Brookes said, whilst deep in thought. “I think you can’t deny that it’s tied to the rise of franchise cricket.”

Brookes likened the mass of franchise leagues which have sprung up around the world since the birth of the Indian Premier League (IPL), to the dominance of the English Premier League in football. “Franchise cricket is basically domestic Premier League football,” he said. “There’s pretty much a full calendar all year round. I can see why it’s incredibly tempting to become a franchise mercenary. They’re very well recompensed and it’s probably easier to play franchise cricket than slog away for a season in domestic first-class cricket.”

The remedy to all these problems, problems nations who don’t get the lucrative TV deals or advertising money of the ‘Big Three,’ has been one which many a cricketing doctor has tried to prescribe.

“What needs to happen is the big nations need to come together and realise that for Test cricket to have a sustainable long-term future, it can’t just be three or four teams playing it.” He continues: “I’m not sure there is sympathy from the big boards for the little boards, but I think they need to realise that cricket needs the smaller nations.”

Never in Test cricket’s long history, then, has the future looked so bleak – this coming from a sport which has thought it was dying from the moment its first ball was bowled - the ultimate sporting hypochondriac. The future for not just nations outside of the ‘Big Three’, but the trio itself, looks ominous.

“It’s completely alien [the future] to what we’ve been used to,” Brookes said, looking down the camera.

Brookes went back to his comparison with English football. “The likeliest path of travel [for cricket’s future] is more akin to what we see in football now, where the Premier League dominates the calendar and then you have international windows.”

Is there a way of stopping this scenario from taking shape, a way of preventing a dozen or so franchise owners from controlling the whims of every cricketing nation? Brookes thinks the cricketing world needs to put on its creative hat if it is to stop such a scenario.

The author, though, agreed with the recent comments of former England captain, Sir Alastair Cook. Who stated: “I think all international cricket, T20, one day and Test matches, should be put into a table for two years and see how that looks, because then it’s not a Test Championship, it’s a World Championship.” Brookes said, along with, perhaps, a bump in the prize money for the winner, this sort of idea “gives Test cricket a shot in the arm.”

For many Test cricket traditionalists, the emergence of franchise T20 cricket does not anger them. However, its master’s strive for hegemonic control over the cricketing sphere does. Brookes’ message is clear: time is running out to save Test cricket. If more is not done to help those with the weakest shoulders, those with the broadest will crumble too.

Brookes had one final point: “The powers that be can’t simply rest on their laurels and say, ‘everything will turn out okay in the long run.’ They need carrots [on a stick] to make players want to play Test cricket.”

At just 22-years-old Cole Palmer is already starting to give these players a run for their money, even being described as “the best player in the Premier League” at the moment by Sky Sports News.

The 2022/23 season of the Premier League was a particularly embarrassing one for Chelsea football club after spending €611 million on 17 new players. The club only received a total of 44 points, having lost 16 of their 38 matches. But there is only so much you can blame the players with a turnover of four managers across the campaign. Luckily, the squad managed to pull up their socks for the next season and increased their points by an impressive 43.18%, accumulating 63 points.

The undeniable redemption across the two Premier League seasons undoubtedly falls at Cole Palmers feet, the player scored 22 of Chelsea’s 77 goals in the 2023/24 Premier League. Being the only Chelsea player to score more than 10 goals across the league, with Palmer also landmarking the 4,000^th goal scored at Stamford Bridge by the club.

After being signed to the club in 2023 following his transfer from Manchester City for £40 million, the young English player has achieved great success for the club so far, managing to make it the third most goals scored in a Premier League season ever by Chelsea.

Across the two seasons Chelsea manged to advance from 12^th position to 6^th, securing themselves a spot in the Europa conference league. With top players Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku and Moises Caicedo playing for the clubs 2024/25 squad, it looks likely that last season’s success won’t just be a one off.

The above chart acts in great aid displaying just how much Chelsea managed to progress across the seasons, improving almost every single one of their stats by a staggering amount.

Despite Chelsea’s redemption being the talk of the competition other clubs have also achieved great success over the last two seasons. Manchester City and their golden boy Erling Haaland manged to set history in the 2022/23 season after he beat the previous record and scored 36 goals across the season. Despite winning the 2022/23 season with 89 points, they still managed to up the stakes for the next season achieving 91 points making for an overall improvement of 2.25%.

Man City is a force to be reckoned with winning 5 of the last 6 Premier Leagues, there success is undeniable losing only 3 of their 38 matches in the last season, dropping their number of loses by 66.67%, in just one season. These kinds of statistics have us left thinking it would be no surprise for them to win this season.

But this doesn’t mean the team wasn’t put under pressure by any other clubs Pep Guardiola said during a mid-season interview with the Premier League that “If we draw a game, we’re not going to win the Premier League” in relation to how well Arsenal were playing, and how close in points they were.

The chart above displays, the overall points obtained by the 17 clubs which were present in the last two complete Premier League’s. Showcasing which clubs have been front runners across the seasons and allow for an easy comparison and understanding of who's got the advantage for the next.

Throughout the last two campaigns Arsenal have been within inches of first place, being just two points away from taking the top spot from Man City last season. They sat in first place for 248 days of the competition, but as the end of the season loomed Arsenal lost their cool and didn’t win any of their next 4 matches, clearing room for Man City to claim victory once again.

Just because Arsenal came second in the last two seasons doesn’t mean they lacked success or progression; their overall points increased by 5.95% across the last two completed seasons. Although they did lose two more games than the prior year all was made up by decreasing the number of games, they lost by 20%.

Unfortunately, not every club in the league is able to make advancements each season, Brentford’s points decreased by a staggering 33.9% from the 2022/23 to the 2023/24 league. These results do not come as a surprise with the team encountering 18 fitness related absences which all spanned over at least five game periods. As well as the fact that they lost 10 more games than the prior season, the good news however is that they have managed to scrape themselves into their fourth consecutive Premier League and hopefully have better luck with injuries this time around.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank even said to the Premier League that it was the “toughest season” that he had ever faced in his six years of managing the club, but still seems optimistic and happy to commence the 2024/25 season saying “I’m very happy to be at the club. I have got a fantastic job”.

Chelsea 4-4 Man City was voted ‘2023/24’s best match’ of the season by the Premier League, after being stuck mid table throughout the previous season Chelsea and their squad have managed to redeem both themselves and the club.

Oxford City broke free from the relegation zone, putting themselves up to 19^th in the National League North table, now rivalling Warrington at 21 points, having both played 20 matches in the tournament so far.

With the home advantage at the Court Place Farm Football Ground in Oxford with 389 people in attendance, Oxford City managed to dominate the game and win by a landslide, with the pressure of the end of season relegation clearly catching up. With another 28 matches left in the season both teams are fighting to move up the table before it’s too late, with Curzon Ashton sitting firmly in the top spot with 36 points. 

Ross Jenkins and his team managed to concede a goal just seven minutes into the game with forward Corie Andrews smashing the ball from the six-yard box into the bottom left of the goal, bypassing straight through the clutches of Farsley’s keeper Kieran Flavell. 

From that moment on it was wall to wall success for Oxford City playing a balanced game of two goals either side of half time. After Andrews’ success midfielder Josh Ashby put another ball to the back of the net in the 33^rd minute, rolling the ball into the bottom right from outside the penalty box.

After City coasted through the first half of the game, Farsley’s manager Pav Singh made three changes to his squad to try and turn the game around, but it was too late for the Northern team. 

The 56^th minute saw Oxford City’s Zac McEachran battle against Farsley’s Cole Hyde end on the ground, quickly redeemed by Tom Scott who snatched the ball and put it in the bottom left of the goal with ease. 

Oxford City’s Ashby went in for goal number two on the 67^th minute with an attempted cross from the corner of the penalty box but was out of luck this time hitting the post instead.

3 – 0 up with just 20 minutes left, Oxford City’s Zac McEachran decided it wasn’t over yet, after being chased down the pitch by three players he managed to manoeuvre through and crash the ball into the middle of the goal; at this point it was looking an inevitable win for Oxford City who managed to resurge after their three-game losing streak. 

Farsley’s Aaron Pickles decided he could not finish the game before conceding at least one goal for his team; after having the ball crossed to him by teammate Cole Hyde, he managed to perform the perfect header into the far corner of the goal. But being 94 minutes in and already in over-time it was too late to turn the game around.

The win for Oxford City has put them out of their losing slump, while Pav Singh and his team at Farley Celtic fall to 20^th on the league table, on the very brink of being in the relegation zone having now lost their last four games. 

Last month saw the attendance of more than 13,000 runners at Oxford’s annual half marathon, breaking the record since its commencement in 2011. Runners ran 13.1 miles through the historic city, supporting charities with a total of £95,000 raised for charities and organisations. Among the runners included Undergraduates and alumni from various universities including Oxford Brookes who discuss with us the changes in their diet during the lead up to the big day and how that impacted their pathway to success. 

Toby Firkins, student at Oxford Brookes University stated, ‘my diet stayed relatively the same, but I ate more carbs in the days just before the race and the evening primarily’. He also emphasises the power of positive thinking when mentally preparing himself for the big event: “[I imagined] the race was going well and positive talking”.

When asked what he would do differently if competing next year, he said: “If I run next year, I’d probably run a little bit further every week and incorporate longer session runs into my training”

Three key players are set to return to the U’s squad for tomorrow's contested fixture against Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough. 

Des praised the players coming back from international duty, stating the importance they get a few days rest before returning to training. He discussed the difficulty of having three international breaks before the end of the year and the fixture congestion it causes. They are set to play 11 games before Christmas, creating difficulty for Des’ side.

He expressed enthusiasm in the returns of Matthew Phillips, Przemyslaw PIacheta and Cameron Brannagan. They are all set to be in the squad for Saturday's 3pm kick off. Fans of the yellows will hope these additions to the squad will help inject some form into the side that have been slowly falling down the table following a solid start to the season.

After the soft reset of the international break Buckingham showed signs of hope going forward, wanting to: “Get that excitement back from the end of last year and start of this one”.

Buckingham expressed his feelings about hosting a ‘massive team’ and acknowledged that they have a ‘tough test ahead’.

Last week marked a year in charge for the coach. He called the last 12 months a ‘really exciting journey’ and is happy with the work the players have put in over the past year. Looking forward he said there’s still room to ‘get better’.

England went into the series with some confidence: the last time they visited Pakistan, in 2022, they stormed to a 3-0 series win, whitewashing the home side and securing a first series win in Pakistan in 22 years. 

This confidence seemed to be justified, too, when England, largely thanks to Joe Root and Harry Brook, comfortably won the 1st Test in Multan by an innings and 47 runs – a historic record-breaking victory away from home. 

Just like in India earlier this year, however, England let a 1-0 series lead go to waste by failing to adapt to the conditions thrown at them in the subsequent Test matches. 

This 2-1 series loss for Brendan McCullum and Ben Stokes’ England side raises more questions than it answers. But here are my five takeaways from what was, undoubtedly, a brilliantly entertaining series to watch as a cricket fan, regardless of the result for England. 

1. England still can’t play spin.

You’d really have thought that after the dismal end to proceedings in India earlier this year that England might have looked to improve on their ability to play spin - especially knowing a trip to Pakistan was in the diary for later in the year. Stokes and Co. obviously didn’t share the same logic. 

We all know by now that if the pitch is flat, this Bazball England team will punish you. So, it was slightly odd that in Multan for the 1st Test, Pakistan chose to roll out the red carpet as it were by preparing England's idea of heaven. Joe Root and Harry Brook’s record-breaking partnership of 454 runs made sure that Pakistan would not make the same mistake again. 

On the Multan motorway, as I like to call it, England scored 823 runs – in one innings, don’t forget. In the subsequent two Tests, however, when the ball started spinning, the tourists were reduced to just 814 runs across all four innings – quite the difference.

It’s fair to say Noman Ali and Sajid Khan’s introduction in the 2nd Test changed the complexion of the series for good. Over the next two matches, the masterful spinning duo went on to take an astonishing 39 out of the 40 English wickets up for grabs. 

Where Pakistani batsmen played spin in this series with soft hands and patience, England continued down the route of aggression and arrogance. Resulting in one way: English batsmen looking like muppets. 

2. Ben Stokes needs some runs. 

Ben Stokes is one of England’s greatest. His batting this year, however, has not been at its finest, let's be honest. 

The England captain has struggled with injury in 2024, which does need to be taken into account. But his batting performances in India and here in Pakistan, in particular, didn’t make for good viewing. 

Stokes, with bat in hand, has averaged a meagre 18.00 in 14 innings in Asia this year. His overall average so far in 2024, too, is just a worrying 24.66. 

Other than his exciting 70 against India in January and him scoring England’s fastest ever Test match half-century against the West Indies in July, it’s been slim pickings for the skipper of late. 

His dismissal in England’s second innings in Rawalpindi was, perhaps, the icing on the cake: It was an absolute stinker, to say the least. And if we’re being honest, Stokes, looked completely at sea with the bat for the entirety of the series. 

He’ll be looking to reply with runs in New Zealand next month, that’s for sure. 

3. Reusing pitches and patio heaters is the way to go if you want to win, or so it seems.

After doing a better job than most UK councils in creating a ‘road’ for the 1st Test in Multan. Pakistani groundstaff resorted to some very peculiar methods of curating a cricket pitch for the next two Tests. 

Because the pitch used for the 1st Test refused to deteriorate over the 5 days, even in the scorching Multan heat, Pakistani officials decided they’d just simply reuse the pitch for the 2nd Test too, as it was also going to be played at the same venue. The lead-up to the 2nd Test saw the groundstaff doing a lot of watering, and giant fans, the size of which I’ve not seen before on a cricket ground, being used to keep the pitch in match condition. 

Perhaps, though, the most bizarre pictures from the whole series came from the lead-up to the 3rd and final Test in Rawalpindi. Where groundstaff decided to use patio heaters, as well as giant fans, to dry out the pitch ahead of play to create the perfect spinning conditions for Norman and Sajid to work their magic. 

I couldn’t see it working at Lord’s, though. 

4. Gus Atkinson can do it away from home too. 

Gus Atkinson has, in the words of Micah Richards, ‘burst onto the scene’ this year. 

After making his Test debut against the West Indies at Lord’s in July, the 26-year-old has now played 8 Tests in his short career, but he’s already taken 40 wickets at an average of 21.32. 

However, not only has he looked good with the ball in hand, but he’s also not looked too shabby with the bat, either. He scored a magnificent 118 batting at No. 8 at Lord’s against Sri Lanka in August, for example. 

The question was: can he do it in conditions that don't suit English bowlers? 

Well, yes, he can. 

He may have only taken six wickets in three innings, at an average of 27.83, but the Surrey man looked dangerous in conditions that were a fast bowler’s idea of a nightmare. He also looked good with the bat again, too. His partnership of 105 runs with Jamie Smith in the first innings in Rawalpindi demonstrated that. 

With the Ashes in Australia looming in just over a year’s time. Gus Atkinson looks like a player who could have a considerable impact on who the owner of the famous urn is in January 2026.  

5. Harry Brook could become one of England’s greatest. 

Although the pitch for the 1st Test in Multan was flat as a pancake, to put it kindly. Nothing can, nor should, take away from the fact Brook scored a mouthwatering 317 runs in England’s first, and only innings of the game. 

In a 454-run partnership with his hero, Joe Root, Brook looked like a world-beater. He became only the sixth Englishman to score a triple century in history. Only Andy Sandham in 1930, Wally Hammond in 1933, Len Hutton in 1938, John Edrich in 1965, and Graham Gooch in 1990 had done it before him. It’s, perhaps, the pinnacle of his career already. But if he wants to be like his hero, Root, he must have the hunger for more runs. And I think he will. 

Now, whether he’ll ever get close to Root's whopping 12,754 Test runs (and counting), that’s up to the fortune tellers – or gamblers. In a changing cricketing world, however, where less Test cricket is being played, Brook might struggle. The Yorkshireman, though, like Hutton, Boycott, Vaughan, and Root before him, will no doubt take on the county’s great tradition of producing world-class English batsmen into a new era. The future is bright for Brook; he’s England’s future.

England will look to overcome their dramatic loss to Pakistan by travelling to New Zealand next month to play three Tests. New Zealand last week, however, just became the first team since England in 2012 to beat India at home. So, a tough challenge lies ahead for Stokes and Co. as they travel to the other side of the world.