‘It’s important we attract the best’: inside the NWSL’s groundbreaking deal that abolishes the draft
Early on Thursday, the National Women’s Soccer League announced a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with its players’ association. Ratified almost two years ahead of schedule, it’s a landmark deal underscoring the league’s commitment to innovation and player empowerment. Key elements of the agreement include increased salary minimums and a growing salary cap, expanded healthcare options and a groundbreaking shift to a fully free agency model, making the NWSL the first US professional league to abolish the draft.
The timing of this agreement is strategic. With the CBA now extending to 2030 (the former CBA was set to expire in 2026), NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said that the goal of this preemptive return to the negotiatin…
Hazard expresses hamstring fear as Belgium boss Martinez awaits injury news ahead of Euro 2020 quart
Eden Hazard fears he suffered a serious hamstring injury after Belgium eliminated defending champions Portugal in the Euro 2020 last 16 as Roberto Martinez also awaits news on star Kevin De Bruyne.
Belgium ousted Cristiano Ronaldo s Portugal 1-0 en route to the quarter-finals on Sunday but it may have come at a cost, with Hazard and De Bruyne both hobbling off in Seville.
Thorgan Hazard s stunning long-range strike set up a showdown with in-form Italy, however, it was overshadowed by brother Eden Hazard, who clutched his hamstring as he left the field late in the match after De Bruyne succumbed to an ankle problem early in the second half.
Afterwards, Eden Hazard – who has been hampered by injuries since joining Real Madrid in 2019 – told reporters: I hurt my…
Wayne Rooney believes England can go all the way at Euro 2012, adding that teams will not want to play against them in the knockout stages.
After coming back from a two-game suspension, the striker scored what turned out to be the winning goal as Roy Hodgson s men put in a somewhat shaky display against co-hosts Ukraine on Tuesday night.
And the Manchester United man believes that by finishing top of Group D and earning an extra day s rest by playing in the fourth quarter-final on Sunday, the Three Lions are in good stead for the rest of the tournament.
I think we know our qualities and what we re capable of, Rooney told ITV. We ve got together and worked really hard, we ve done a lot of tactical play in training and we re difficult to beat.
I don t th…
Qatar 2022 – 100 days to go: Bremer, Botman, Bourigeaud and the uncapped players desperate for World
The European domestic season is now back up and running, meaning we are officially into a World Cup campaign.
For some players, the main focus over the next few months will be remaining fit with the hope of entering Qatar 2022 in peak condition for their respective nations.
For others, the first part of the 2022-23 season will provide an opportunity to play themselves into contention for a squad place ahead of the biggest tournament of them all.
That includes an array of talented stars who have yet to represent their countries at senior level, but who could be given the chance to showcase their talent on the global stage.
With the big kick-off now just 100 days away, Stats Perform has identified five uncapped players who still have an outside shot of glor…
The new Premier League season is on the horizon and there are plenty of exciting new signings to keep an eye on.
Jack Grealish has moved within the league for a record £100million fee, while a familiar face in Romelu Lukaku is set to return to England s top flight.
Premier League fans can also look forward to watching plenty of new stars, though.
Stats Perform picks out four exciting additions
Jadon Sancho
An England international who has never played in English football, Sancho will garner plenty of attention at Manchester United this season – and rightly so.
Since the start of the 2018-19 season, Sancho has the joint-most goal involvements among English players in Europe s top five leagues, his 78 matched by Three Lions capt…
Nathan Dyer continued his early-season goalscoring form as Swansea City defeated Everton 3-0 in the League Cup third round on Tuesday.
The diminutive winger had netted three Premier League goals in five games coming into this clash at the Liberty Stadium, and he made it four for the campaign with a composed strike in the first half.
Gylfi Sigurdsson then added a second after the interval as he reacted first to Sylvain Distin s wayward header coming back off the crossbar before substitute Marvin Emnes fired in a third with three minutes remaining.
Roberto Martinez, a former player and manager at Swansea, was unable to inspire his Everton side to a second-half comeback as they fell to back-to-back defeats following Sunday s surprise 3-2 home reverse at the hands of…
Justin Fields will start the final tune-up game of the Chicago Bears’ preseason as they head to Nissan Stadium to face off against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.
Tennessee has been one of the most dominant squads during the 2021 NFL preseason but NFL betting lines opened with the Titans installed as 3-point home underdogs for this contest.
Here are our free NFL picks and predictions for the Bears vs. Titans on August 28.
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Welcome to December football. With Thanksgiving in the rearview, the 2021 NFL betting slate officially slides into winter like Tom Brady scrambling for a first down on a broken play.
With three months of results, data, and trends behind us, the Week 13 lines are pretty sharp. But if your modest models and predictive power ratings are coming up short against the spread, try shopping for that perfect spot this holiday season.
We’re talking about NFL spot bets: uncovering value hiding in the schedule. These are our top letdown, look-ahead, and schedule spots for Week 13 betting.
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A quick rundown of the NFL standings sees 14 teams with 2-2 records entering Week 5, including the entire NFC West.
That’s almost half the league splitting their first four games of the 2022 season. Parity seems to be the name of the game, as even those clubs that top the tables are far from invincible.
There are still a number of questions unanswered as football bettors enter October and if things are going to be this tight, we need to find some subtle angles to get the best of the bookies.
Situational betting — AKA spot bets — is another layer of analysis to add to your clubhouse sandwich of capping, weighing how the schedule could impact the outcome when betting NFL Week 5 odds.
Here are my top spot bets: Letdown,…
It’s hard out there for a running back… and maybe even harder to bet on RB NFL player props.
Between the number of injured stars and depleted offensive lines, we’re left with few appealing options for backfield bets — and even fewer instances of the NFL odds offering great values in the RB market.
It’s a wasteland of RB committees and game-script-dependent backs (with ugly game scripts looming this week), but I think I’ve found one back with Week 4 odds to bet on, but otherwise I’m sticking to the pass-catchers to keep delivering as per usual.
After targeting a trio of WR yesterday, today I’ve got two more wideouts (plus one RB for balance) to cash in vs. juicy matchups this week — read on to see why they’re my fav…