Shorts: Lords, EFL, London Marathon

Lord’s has been selected to host the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, marking the venue’s return as a major stage for the women’s game

The tournament is set to begin on 12th June and will include 33 matches across 24 days.

The expanded 12-team competition will take place at seven venues across England and Wales: Lord’s, Old Trafford, Headingley, Edgbaston, the Ageas Bowl, The Oval and Bristol County Ground. Eight teams have already secured qualification, with the remaining four to be decided through a qualifying event in 2025.

England and Wales were awarded hosting rights for the tournament in 2022, with venue selection based on a range of criteria. The tournament will follow a group and knockout stage format, with the full schedule to be released in due course.

The 2026 edition follows a continued rise in global visibility for women’s cricket, with the T20 format proving key to growth and audience engagement. The defending champions are New Zealand.

Richard Gould, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are hugely excited for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, and thrilled to be able to confirm the seven iconic venues that will host the tournament.

“This will be the biggest women’s cricket event ever staged in England and Wales and is undoubtedly an opportunity to take the game to more people than ever before and welcome in new fans – young and old.”

EFL Championship football clubs have approved changes to the division’s Profit & Sustainability (P&S) rules, effective from the 2025/26 season.

The changes, agreed at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), aim to address the transition of clubs between the EFL and the Premier League.

Under the new regulations, all clubs will continue to file an estimated P&S calculation in March covering the current and two preceding seasons. However, from the 2025/26 season, clubs will file their final audited accounts and P&S calculation in the following December with whichever league they are competing in at that time.

A provision allowing the EFL to apply sanctions imposed by the Premier League’s independent Commission has been included, with an equivalent rule included by the Premier League. This aims to ensure consistency in disciplinary processes for clubs moving between the leagues.

Furthermore, the EFL retains the ability to take pre-emptive action if a club forecasts a P&S breach in its March estimate. This could involve requiring the club to agree to a business plan or mandating player sales once the transfer window opens in June.

Discussions are also ongoing among EFL Championship clubs regarding the potential introduction of a Squad Cost Ratio system, similar to the one the Premier League has been trialling, to limit spending on player-related costs to a percentage of an income.

The 2025 TCS London Marathon has set a new world record for the biggest annual one-day fundraising event, with participants raising over £75 million for charities.

This figure surpasses the previous record of £73.5m, which was set at the 2024 edition of the event.

Organisers London Marathon Events expect the total to increase further before the final amount is announced in September, noting that the 2024 total grew significantly in the months following the race.

Enthuse, the official online fundraising partner, reported that £34m has been raised via its platform so far for the 2025 event, marking a 26% year-on-year increase in the first year of its 10-year partnership. A further £41m was donated through JustGiving.

The event, held on Sunday 27th April, also achieved a Guinness World Records title for the most finishers in a marathon, with 56,640 people completing the course.

Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, said, “Thanks to every single person who fundraised and to all those who donated to many charitable causes. As we saw last year, the total will continue to grow as many donations come in after the event weekend.

Aston Villa President of Business Operations, Chris Heck, is set to leave the Premier League club at the end of the 2024/25 season to join LIV Golf.

The US executive will take up the same role at the golf organisation after a two-year tenure at Villa Park.

Heck joined Aston Villa in May 2023, bringing 30 years of sports industry experience, including a nine-year tenure as President of the National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise, the Philadelphia 76ers.

The club have started the search for Heck’s successor, with a new appointment expected ahead of the commencement of the 2025/26 season.

In his new position at LIV Golf, Heck will be responsible for building the organisation’s corporate infrastructure.

Nassef Sawiris, Chairman of AVFC, said, “We would like to thank Chris for his vision and leadership over the last two years. Through strategic partnerships, sponsorships, refurbished hospitality spaces and much more, he has helped establish AVFC as a world-class operation and commercial success. We wish him all the best in all his future endeavours.”

England Rugby has partnered with British Airways, to launch a new sports fund supporting grassroots rugby clubs across the country.

The British Airways Spaces for All Fund is a joint initiative dedicated to supporting community rugby clubs over the next three years.

It marks the airline’s first direct investment in grassroots sport and aims to help local clubs improve their social, event, and outdoor facilities to welcome more people into rugby, with a particular focus on creating environments that are more accessible and inclusive for women and girls.

More than 30 clubs will benefit from the investment over the three-year period. Plymouth Albion RFC and Plymstock Oaks have been selected as the first two recipients. Plymouth Albion RFC will use the funding to renovate a social space for club events and player sessions, while Plymstock Oaks will upgrade facilities adjacent to their main pitch to improve access for players, families, and visitors.

British Airways remains the official airline partner for the England Men’s and Red Roses teams.

Alex Teasdale, Executive Director of Women’s Game at England Rugby, said, “The creation and launch of the British Airways Spaces for All Fund is something that will help community rugby clubs to keep moving the dial and offer enhanced experiences to all of their members.”

British Triathlon has appointed Amy Hall as Director of Community and Sport Development and Gareth May as Director of Commercial and Brand Partnerships.

Amy Hall has been appointed Director of Community and Sport Development following an interim period in the role since March. Gareth May will join in June as Director of Commercial and Brand Partnerships, arriving from Paddle UK.

Hall has worked at British Triathlon for seven years, progressing through roles including Participation Manager, Head of Children and Young People, and most recently, Head of Participation.

May has joined British Triathlon after serving as Business Development and Commercial Manager at Paddle UK, where he led commercial growth and secured multiple brand partnerships. He developed the organisation’s latest four-year commercial strategy and serves as the inaugural Chair of the National Governing Body Commercial Forum.

The appointments come as British Triathlon continues to develop both community engagement and commercial strategy in advance of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and ahead of the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Series.

Ruth Daniels, Chief Executive of British Triathlon, said, “These two new executive roles will bring a new dynamic to the leadership team and the organisation as we continue to build on our existing success as a sport and continue to create a governing body that is fit for the future.”