freedombunker--2019-02-02--Super Bowl-Bound LA Rams Are Building the NFLs Most Expensive Stadium Without Public Money

Super Bowl-Bound L.A. Rams Are Building the NFL’s Most Expensive Stadium, Without Public Money

On Sunday evening, the Los Angeles Rams will battle the New England Patriots for National Football League supremacy—and they'll do in inside a brand new stadium in downtown Atlanta that cost Georgia taxpayers about $600 million to build (plus another $24 million for a useless pedestrian bridge nearby).  But back in Los Angeles, the Rams are demonstrating that it's possible to build a sporting cathedral without soaking the public with nine-figures of subsidies, taxpayer-funded bonds, or other corporate handouts.  The Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park figures to be the crown jewel of the NFL when it opens in 2020. It's already slated to host a Super Bowl, probably the first of many, in February 2022—and it will host part of the 2026 World Cup along with the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Summer Olympics. More than 70,000 spectators will fit inside the ultra-modern glass-enclosed stadium surrounded by a complex that will include a concert hall, shopping center, office buildings, condos, a luxury hotel and a 25 acre park. The entire footprint of the site is three times larger than Disneyland, and with estimated construction costs nearing $5 billion, it's likely to be the most expensive stadium in American history.  Most remarkable of all, it's being privately funded.  Stan Kroenke, the Rams' owner, is financing the project with more than $1.6 billion of his own money and a massive loan from the NFL's other owners. He plans to profit off not just ticket sales and concessions at Rams games, but by renting all that office and retail space. He'll have another major tenant as well: the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers. They will pay just $1 per year in rent, but having two teams share the stadium doubles the number of home games on the schedule—and, presumably, the number of fans spending their money at Kroenke's complex (but make your own joke about the Chargers' lack of fans).  Kevin Demoff, the Rams' chief operating officer, tells The Washington Post that the new stadium in Inglewood "will serve as a great model" for the next era of stadium projects. Roger Noll, a Stanford University economist and longtime critic of public spending on stadiums, tells the Post that the Rams new facility is "a really good deal" when compared to any other stadium built in America during the past three decades.  It's not perfect, of course. Inglewood is allowing Kroenke to pocket some of the sales taxes from purchases made in the stadium complex, a kickback that's worth an estimated $180 million to pay for infrastructure and an internal bus transit system. Also, as Noll points out in the Post story, it's possible that other uses for the nearly 300-acre site might have been more productive. But one of the great things about the stadium being privately funded is that those opportunity costs are borne by Kroenke, his fellow investors, and the NFL—instead of by taxpayers.  Contrast that to what's happening right now at the site of last year's Super Bowl: U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. After hitting taxpayers with a $500 million tab to build a new home for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, public officials are now shelling out another $3 million to pay for upgrades to a stadium that's only two years old.  Minnesota's stadium is also a nice case study in how incentives change when something is paid for by the public or privately. In Los Angeles, Kroenke is willing to share his new football palace with a crosstown rival because it doesn't make much sense to pay billions for a football stadium that will host no more than 12 games (eight in the regular season, two in the preseason, and a maximum of two in the playoffs) per year. Two teams means twice as many opportunities to earn money.  But in Minnesota, the Vikings owners refused to let a new Major League Soccer franchise rent their stadium—going so far as threatening a lawsuit against the city-run stadium authority that put up the $500 million in public money for U.S. Bank Stadium if a soccer team was allowed to share it. Instead, Minnesota taxpayers ended up chipping in to build a new soccer stadium, too.  Is the L.A. Rams' new stadium a sign that team owners have finally decided to stop fleecing taxpayers? Probably not. After all, Kroenke is just a few years removed from trying to arm-twist St. Louis into spending $477 million to build a new stadium for the Rams—he moved the team to Los Angeles when St. Louis (wisely) refused to do so.  But the new Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park will be a shining example for other cities to use as a counterargument when team owners plead poverty and beg for a handout.


freedombunker--2019-04-01--These Three Cities Spent 70 Million on Stadiums to Lure Minor League Baseball Teams They All Struc

These Three Cities Spent $70 Million on Stadiums to Lure Minor League Baseball Teams. They All Struck Out: New at Reason

It was a perfect day for baseball—warm but not too hot, with a light breeze blowing, and clouds blocking out the June sun—when Gov. Christie Whitman, ball in hand, announced that a new stadium was exactly what Camden needed to turn the corner.  "This ballpark will be another step in giving this city, which has seen its share of tough times, a second chance," announced the then-governor of New Jersey, while standing in the shadow of the mighty Ben Franklin Bridge along the banks of the Delaware River.  "I'm very pleased to be here for the groundbreaking of another stadium in what has become a long list of outstanding baseball parks across our state."  Under Whitman's watch, New Jersey embarked on an unprecedented minor league baseball stadium building spree, as the state tried to turn itself into a hotbed for minor league baseball. From 1994 through 2001, seven new minor league teams took root in the state. Some were new franchises, while others relocated from out-of-state. Some played in leagues directly affiliated with Major League Baseball, while others played in independent leagues outside the MLB farm system. All of them played in brand new stadiums largely—and in some cases entirely—funded with public money.  The state's riskiest bets were placed on three franchises in the fledgling Atlantic League. Teams in Atlantic City, Newark, and Camden were gifted new stadiums with generous leases, built on dreams about turning those struggling cities into attractive destinations for visitors and families. But for all the talk of economic growth, second chances, and civic revitalization at the time, the two decades since have provided a stark lesson: baseball stadiums are not the key to rebuilding struggling American cities.  Today, all three Atlantic League teams are long gone. Stadiums that cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars apiece sit empty or have been torn down in pursuit of what civic officials see as the next sure thing in economic development—all while the bonds used to build them are still being paid off. The Atlantic League never turned New Jersey's struggling cities into baseball Meccas, but it continues seeking public largesse elsewhere. Politicians have yet to learn the lesson, writes Eric Boehm.


hitandrun--2019-02-02--Super Bowl-Bound LA Rams Are Building the NFLs Most Expensive Stadium Without Public Money

Super Bowl-Bound L.A. Rams Are Building the NFL's Most Expensive Stadium, Without Public Money


hitandrun--2019-04-01--These Three Cities Spent 70 Million on Stadiums to Lure Minor League Baseball Teams They All Struc


instapundit--2019-09-17--LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY Porn site BangBros just bid 10 million for Miamis NBA stadium to become

LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY:  Porn site BangBros just bid $10 million for Miami’s NBA stadium to become…

LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: Porn site BangBros just bid $10 million for Miami’s NBA stadium to become the ‘BangBros Center.’  InstaPundit is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com


ipolitics--2019-03-18--Lobby Wrap Proposed Halifax CFL team seeking stadium funding

Lobby Wrap: Proposed Halifax CFL team seeking stadium funding

Maritime Football Limited partner Anthony LeBlanc, right, and CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie during a press conference in Halifax on Wednesday. Zane Woodford/StarMetro  The group looking to bring a CFL team to Halifax is seeking federal funding for a new stadium.  Three consultants from Ottawa’s Summa Strategies, including vice-chair and political pundit Tim Powers, registered last week to lobby federally on behalf of Maritime Football Partnership Limited, headed up by former Arizona Coyotes owners Anthony LeBlanc and Gary Drummond, and AMJ Campbell Van Lines president and CEO Bruce Bowser.  David Wallace of Halifax law firm McInnes Cooper is also registered to lobby to seek an evaluation of the team proposal and partnerships with federal, provincial and municipal governments.  The team, to be known as the Atlantic Schooners, is looking to begin play in 2021. After the announcement last fall, the group said it had changed its name to Schooners Sports and Entertainment (SSE), though it was referred to in the lobbyist registry by the original name.  According to media reports, SSE wants to see a 24,000-seat $130-million stadium built in Shannon Park in Dartmouth, located on the eastern shore of the Halifax Harbour. The group said it would be used for other purposes besides professional football, such as concerts and high school sports. SEE is promising to release more details about the proposed stadium to Halifax regional council later this month, reports CTV Atlantic.  Council has already ordered municipal staff to complete a review of the business case for the stadium. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has said that SSE has committed about $60 million toward bringing the team to Halifax, according to 3DownNation.com. In late December, SSE said it had sold more than 6,000 season ticket deposits.  When reached for comment, LeBlanc said in an email that the registrations “speak for themselves” and SSE was “happy to be working with Summa Strategies as we look to bring a CFL expansion franchise to Atlantic Canada.”  In their identical registrations, Powers and Summa colleagues Kristin Wilton and Robin MacLachlan, a notable NDP pundit, say they are targeting in their lobbying efforts MPs, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Canadian Heritage, Health Canada, Infrastructure Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Prime Minister’s Office.  Wallace is registered to focus on Infrastructure Canada and the Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat.  There were 64 new registrations filed with the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying last week, with the federal budget set to be tabled on Tuesday.  The aforementioned Maritime Football Partnership Ltd. led the way in most mentions, with four lobbyists from two companies registering to lobby on its behalf. Tied for second with two registrations each: One Feather (Rothwell Group), Compass Minerals International (Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers), Equal Voice (Impact Public Affairs), Printers Plus (Edelman) and Stradigi (Edelman).  By lobbyist, Darcy Walsh won the week with six new registrations. Jeremy Wittet of Edelman and Kait LaForce of Ensight each had three followed by a group at two each: Kristin Wilton (Summa), Kyle Larkin and Madison Simmons (Impact Public Affairs) and Stephen Daffron. By government relations company, Edelman had 11 new registrations last week, Impact Public Affairs had eight and Summa Strategies had four.  The same week Richardson International Ltd. had canola shipments blocked by China, Tyler Bjornson from T. Bjornson & Associates Consulting Inc. registered on behalf of the company to arrange meetings with stakeholders about China and bilateral trade issues.  The Canadian Federation of Agriculture registered board member Lisa Ashworth, a dairy farmer from New Brunswick.  Madison Simmons of Impact Public Affairs registered for the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association to lobby for a parliamentary review of the mandate of Farm Credit Canada.  Kait LaForce of Ensight Canada registered for the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute to arrange meetings about CAPI’s research in the agri-food sector. Last year, the institute received $5,000 from the Ontario government.  Greek Mountain Cheese has asked Christiane Busque of Gestion Christiane Busque to lobby on its behalf for funding from the Dairy Processing Investment Fund. Greek Mountain is a subsidiary of a New Jersey based company.  Paul Conlin of Conlin Bedard LLP has registered for Central Wire Industries Ltd. to lobby Finance Canada on its behalf about “Canada’s safeguard measure against steel products.”  Felix Wong of Public Affairs Advisors is now lobbying for Amazon Corporate LLC about the ongoing Copyright Act review.  Evan Legate of Longview Communications has registered to lobby for Total E+P Canada Ltd. on C-69, the bill that changes environmental assessment process for resource projects.  Gatlin Smeijers and John Georgakopoulos of Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP registered to lobby for Compass Minerals International Inc. about voluntary participation and the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act.  Tidewater Midstream and Infrastructure wants financial support to build rail capacity to move Alberta oil. They hired Conal Slobodin of StrategyCorp to lobby on their behalf.  Darrick Araneda of Stosic & Associates is now registered for Allergan Inc. to talk to Health Canada about “a potential drug shortage” but doesn’t name the drug in question. Allergan makes Botox and lots of other generic drugs.  The Northern Ontario School of Medicine, run jointly by Laurentian and Lakehead universities, has tapped Daniel Kelter and Nancy Cruz from the Capital Hill Group with lobbying the federal government on its behalf.  Kristin Wilton of Summa has also registered to lobby for the Paramedic Association of Canada to arrange meetings about community paramedicine, paramedic mental health and Heavy Urban Search and Rescue.  Alain Pilon and Leo Duguay from The Rothwell Group have registered to lobby for One Feather about electronic renewal of Indian status cards and electronic voting and the First Nations Elections Act.  SSi Micro has tapped Kyle Larkin of Impact Public Affairs to lobby on their behalf for funding to help build communications infrastructure in the north.  David Angus of the Capital Hill Group has registered to lobby on behalf of Spark Innovation Educational Centre Inc. to help them find government funding. Spark Innovation is a Niagara Falls-based technology incubator.  After many quiet weeks, everybody filed their reports last week, which are due on the 15th of the following month. There were 2,505 reports to sift through over that span, the overwhelming majority are for communications that took place in February. There is a handful dating from 2018, a few from January and another 60-plus from March.  SNC-Lavalin reported eight communications dating from Feb. 4, 7, and 27.. They were all by in-house staff.  The company lobbied Liberal MPs Paul Lefebvre, Kim Rudd and David [sic] Maloney (Maloney is identified in the registry as an MP but it’s probably a typo and supposed to be Liberal MP James Maloney); Janice Charette, Canadian High Commissioner to the U.K. and former clerk of the Privy Council; Shawn Tupper, associate deputy minister at Natural Resources and Paul Halucha, the assistant secretary to the Cabinet who works in the Privy Council Office (PCO).  None of the MPs lobbied sit on the House justice committee that is probing the controversy the company is implicated in.  Other newsworthy client organizations include Facebook with five communications to PCO about elections; six communications for Google to Canadian Heritage, the Prime Minister’s Office and PCO about broadcasting, science and technology and elections. Two Amazon entities recorded 14 communications.  Most active client organizations, based on last week’s filings:  Most lobbied subjects, based on the first two subjects listed on each filing:


ipolitics--2019-04-03--CFL commish mum on whether Halifax stadium requires federal funds

Canadian Football League commissioner Randy Ambrosie says it’s “not for me to comment on” whether an expected $130-million stadium for an expansion team in Halifax would be reliant on funding from the federal government, just weeks after the group behind the team hired consultants to lobby the government to help it pay for their venue.  The Atlantic Schooners hope to hit the still-prospective field as the CFL’s 10th team as early as 2021. Just weeks ago, Maritime Football Partnership Ltd., which is now known as Schooners Sports and Entertainment, hired three lobbyists to discuss “federal financial support” for the stadium, as well as to seek funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to potentially bring a major sporting event to the region.  They also hired a member of a Halifax law firm to lobby the government to seek an evaluation of the team proposal and partnerships with all three levels of governments.  **[READ MORE:[Lobby Wrap: Proposed Halifax CFL team seeking stadium funding](https://ipolitics.ca/2019/03/18/lobby-wrap-proposed-halifax-cfl-team- seeking-stadium-funding/)]**  The stadium’s original concept was originally reported to cost up to $190 million, but has shrunk to a more modest $130-million plan.  Ambrosie told iPolitics on Wednesday that he didn’t have a “detailed understanding” of the discussions between Schooners Sports and the federal government.  “Those conversations are really between Schooner Sports and Entertainment and the levels of government and not for me to comment on or be involved in,” Ambrosie said.  Over the weekend, Schooners Sports announced it had signed a letter-of-intent with the Canada Lands Co. that outlined the parameters of a deal that would see its team’s home built on an up-to 20 acre plot of Dartmouth’s Shannon Park. Part of this agreement, which Canada Lands explained in a [press release](https://en.clc.ca/post/652) posted online Tuesday, is that the venue be a “community stadium.”  In the same weekend announcement, Schooners Sports said it had agreed to partner with Sport Nova Scotia, which would plan to use the facility more than 300 days a year. It would be made available to local schools, community groups and for after-school and weekend activities, according to Schooners Sports. Schooners Sports founding partner Anthony Leblanc, who previously owned the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, [suggested in a statement](https://press.cfl.ca /schooners-sports-and-entertainment-partner-with-sport-nova-scotia-with-plan- to-develop-a-multi-use-community-sports-and-entertainment-hub-at-shannon-park) that local amateur and recreational sport organizations would access the facility for free.  “The message that they’ve been talking about is that this isn’t a facility for pro sports, it’s a facility for the community, and I think that’s been their great point of emphasis,” Ambrosie said. “We’d like to use it for pro sports and have the Atlantic Schooners play there, but I think the real point of emphasis is getting the community involved.”  Counting pre-season, regular season, playoff and a potential Grey Cup game, the Schooners would only use the stadium a maximum of 12 days per year, Ambrosie said.  Asked about potential criticism over a professional sports stadium receiving taxpayer funds, Ambrosie insisted that in return a Grey Cup would provide a sizable economic impact.  Edmonton Economic Development projected that this year’s Grey Cup would have added $64 million in revenue, while the CFL has suggested previously that the game is worth upward of $100 million to a region.  ### More from iPolitics


mercurynews--2019-01-07--Santa Clara Expect heavy traffic around Levis Stadium

Santa Clara: Expect heavy traffic around Levi’s Stadium

SANTA CLARA — Motorists driving on city streets and freeways around Levi’s Stadium may want to find alternate routes for their Monday commutes.  The college football championship game between Alabama and Clemson is scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m., and Santa Clara police are warning of increased traffic on major streets and freeways leading to and from the stadium, including Highways 101 and 237, Interstate 880, Lawrence Expressway, Great America Parkway and San Tomas Expressway.  Police estimate traffic will increase beginning around 10 a.m.  Tasman Drive is closed from Convention Center Drive to Centennial / Marie P DeBartolo Way.  Santa Clara police estimate 70,000 people will attend the game.  For more information regarding transportation issues and alternatives surrounding the game, visit the city of Santa Clara [website](http://santaclaraca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/38496/95?backlist=%2Fgovernment%2Fdepartments %2Fpolice-department).


mercurynews--2019-01-26--At FanFest 2019 Oakland As build excitement for new season new stadium

At FanFest 2019, Oakland A’s build excitement for new season, new stadium

Click here if you are having trouble viewing the slideshow on a mobile device.  OAKLAND — Standing among Oakland A’s players, coaches and retired legends Saturday morning, team president Dave Kaval called on the faithful before him at the team’s annual FanFest to look beyond the stage where he was standing near the west edge of Jack London Square.  “We are just a stone’s throw away from our future home right behind us at Howard Terminal,” Kaval said to cheers and applause from fans. “How amazing is that going to be for Oakland?”  As always, this year’s FanFest was a chance for A’s fans to get autographs, marvel at World Series trophies and snap selfies with Stomper. But while the event served to build excitement for the coming season — and the hope that the A’s can continue their rise in the American League West to playoff contenders — it seemed aimed just as much at generating support for the proposed waterfront stadium the team hopes to call home by 2023.  Though they have seen other stadium ideas fall through, fans on Saturday seemed to be buying in.  “It’s going to bring a newer generation in,” Frank Torres, 18, of Fairfield said of the Howard Terminal stadium plan. “It’s going to mean big things for the city of Oakland.”  Suzanne Lee, a 48-year-old who lives in Oakland’s Chinatown, did not like the idea the A’s pursued last year to build a stadium near her home and Laney College — too much traffic and too many people too close to her home, she said. Since that plan fizzled, she likes the proposal for a Howard Terminal stadium much better, Lee said.  “It sounds like it’s a more sure thing, compared to past rumors,” she said.  Patrick Sing, a 32-year-old A’s fan from Alameda, knows there are still plenty of questions about the Howard Terminal plan, from its environmental impact to how the area would handle game-day crowds. He’s skeptical about the gondola system that team officials envision whisking fans from BART to the new stadium, over train tracks and Interstate 880. Still, Sing said, he puts the odds of this stadium getting built at “greater than 50 percent.”  Others were less optimistic.  “Until they put a shovel in the ground, I don’t believe anything,” said Walter Whitt, 56, of Rodeo.  “All of us here, we want commitment — we want to make sure that they’re going to be here,” Whitt added. He said he hasn’t seen that yet.  Whitt, who has been going to A’s games since the glory days of the early 1970s, feels the same way about the team’s chances on the field this year.  After finishing last in the AL West for three seasons, the A’s stormed through their 2018 campaign, winning 97 games and snagging a postseason Wild Card berth. But that run came to an abrupt end with a loss to the New York Yankees in the one-game playoff. And this off-season has seen its share of upheaval, from the acrimonious and still-unresolved end of the A’s radio deal to the news that two-sport phenom Kyler Murray, whom the team drafted ninth overall last year, declared for the NFL draft.  Whitt wants the team to be more aggressive in free agency — pick up some starting pitching, a catcher, maybe a veteran to be a clubhouse leader, “and I think we’ll be on to something,” he said.  Jesus Luzardo looking to erase bad taste with A’s this spring Million-dollar idea or pie in the sky? Study says A’s gondola system would bring big benefits A’s announce special events for 2019; the 5 you don’t want to miss Standing in line to view the A’s championship hardware, Carlos Perez saw it differently. The Oakland 33-year-old, who takes in about 30 games each year from the Coliseum’s left-field bleachers, said the A’s are a team on the rise.  “They’re going on the right path,” Perez said. “They’re a winning team now, so I just hope it stays that way.”


mercurynews--2019-01-27--Rams Chargers 5 billion stadium is bigger than Disneyland It might be perfect for LA

Rams, Chargers’ $5 billion stadium is bigger than Disneyland. It might be perfect for LA

INGLEWOOD  – Before off-track betting gutted the allure of Hollywood Park Racetrack, and before Los Angeles’ Staples Center coaxed the Lakers and Kings away from The Forum, Inglewood was known as the City of Champions.  Today, from a window of his ninth-floor office, Mayor James T. Butts Jr., sees his city rising again after hard times and double-digit unemployment further damaged Inglewood’s psyche following the loss of its identity as a sports mecca. The future is taking shape in the concrete pillars and sloped canopy roof of a transformative new stadium that will serve as home to the Super Bowl-bound Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers when the world’s most expensive sports complex opens in 2020.  “The city’s brand has changed,” Butts said with a broad smile in a recent interview. “We’ve gone from being known for high crime, poverty and failing infrastructure to the next big thing.”  The development of a new stadium comes at a fortuitous time for the NFL as it seeks to reclaim a foothold in the country’s second-largest media market after a 22-year absence. That goal will only be buoyed by the emergence of the high-scoring Rams, who play the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, as one of the league’s most dynamic young teams in just the third season since their return to Los Angeles.  Moreover, after decades in which taxpayers shouldered much of the cost of new sports arenas, the privately funded stadium is being closely watched as a potential new model for first-rate NFL venues built without public subsidies. To succeed, the development’s proponents say, the stadiums of tomorrow can’t exist as stand-alone buildings used for just 10 or 20 NFL home games a year; they must be flexible, multipurpose facilities embedded in complex commercial developments that attract customers and events year-round.  “If you’re going to build a stadium in a city, it has to play a larger role than the NFL. It has to bring people together in a meaningful way – both on Sunday and on every other day of the week, both in the fall and every other season. That’s the driver,” said Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ chief operating officer. “If you’re looking at a stadium project, everybody now is trying to figure out how you make it the epicenter of day-to-day life. Hopefully, this project will serve as a great model for that.”  At a cost estimated at more than $5 billion, the development – its formal name is the LA Stadium & Entertainment District at Hollywood Park – includes a 70,240-seat stadium and 6,000-seat performance center under one roof that will anchor a 298-acre complex of office buildings, shops, restaurants, residential units, hotels and parks. It’s 3 1/2 the size of Disneyland and twice as big as Vatican City.  It is the vision of Rams owner E. Stanley Kroenke, a Missouri-born billionaire developer and sports mogul, who took to heart NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s insistence that any new stadium built for pro football’s return to Los Angeles must be iconic and serve as home to two teams. In addition to the Rams, who moved back from St. Louis in 2016, the city is also the new home of the Chargers, who used to play in San Diego.  But even in a copycat league like the NFL, it’s far from clear that Kroenke’s new-era model can be replicated. Its staggering expense is the primary barrier.  Though the Kroenke organization won’t confirm the cost or provide details of its privately funded financing plan, NFL owners in March agreed to raise their debt waiver to accommodate the Los Angeles project. That will help cover the cost of the stadium and essential infrastructure such as utilities, parking lots and roads, according to a person familiar with the multiyear plan.  The surrounding multiuse development, which includes a 250,000 square-feet West Coast headquarters for NFL Media and the NFL Network, will be constructed in stages and drive the total project’s cost well over $5 billion.  Beyond the loan, Kroenke is investing $1.6 billion of personal equity – an unprecedented investment among NFL owners, who have a rich tradition of building stadiums with other people’s money. (Even among fellow NFL owners, Kroenke’s wealth is notable, valued at $8.5 billion by Forbes magazine. His wife, Walmart heiress Ann Walton Kroenke, has her own fortune, valued at $6.6 billion, although it is his money that’s backing the Los Angeles development).  The sale of seat licenses, which has become a significant source of NFL stadium funding over the past 20 years, will also defray construction costs. Both the Rams and Chargers require the purchase of stadium seat licenses, or SSLs, in addition to the regular ticket price. The Rams’ SSL prices are slightly more than the Chargers’, ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 per seat, depending on location and amenities. SSLs for club seats, which come with additional privileges, run $15,00 to $100,000. In a first, however, both teams will refund the full price of the SSLs after 50 years.  Pricing the seat licenses is challenging, Demoff acknowledged, but necessary in the calculus of financing a multibillion-dollar stadium that isn’t built on the backs of taxpayers or on the backs of fans.  “In a market like Los Angles, people will always pay for the Lakers’ sideline seat or behind-the-dugout seats at Dodger games. There’s always going to be those people who will pay a great amount for the best in a market like this,” he said. “But for those fans who have been with us for three or four decades, we need to make sure their voice is heard, too. And priced into the building, as well.”  Additional funding will come from stadium naming rights and sponsorships of other facets of the project, such as a futuristic, suspended dual-sided video board called the “Oculus” that will span the length of the field.  The NFL, as it does with every new stadium in the league, will extend its standard loan – in this case $200 million per team – toward the new venue’s construction costs.  Stanford University economist Roger Noll, who has written extensively about publicly subsidized sports venues, gives the Los Angeles’s NFL project high marks for its reliance on private financing, in-town location, surrounding mixed-use development and ready access to four major freeways.  “This is a really good deal [from a public-policy standpoint] compared to virtually any football stadium that has been built in the last 30 years,” Noll said, adding a caveat about potential lost revenue from developments that might otherwise have been constructed on the 298-acre site.  But until Kroenke joined forces in 2015 with Stockbridge Capital, which owned most of the Hollywood Park land, the site had sat fallow, with the economic downturn in 2008 stalling previous development plans. According to Butts, who in 2014 had negotiated a major renovation of The Forum, the community embraced the idea of anchoring the site with an NFL stadium and entertainment complex, as well as the skilled jobs and apprenticeships it has created (30 percent are dedicated to local residents).  When completed, it will more than double the cost of the next-most expensive NFL stadium – the $1.8 billion Las Vegas stadium being built for the relocating Oakland Raiders and also due to open in 2020. Noll characterizes its heavily subsidized funding as one of worst deals in sports history, with Las Vegas and Clark County handing the Raiders a $750 million subsidy, and the state of Nevada committing $200 million to upgrade freeways to reach the site.  Just behind the Las Vegas stadium in terms of cost are New York’s MetLife, home of the Giants and Jets – it was privately funded but built on land owned by the state of New Jersey – and Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, host of this year’s Super Bowl. Each cost $1.6 billion. The Falcons’ home is owned by the state of Georgia and was constructed with help from roughly $600 million in public funds.  Just a decade ago, it seemed the Dallas Cowboys had set a spending mark that wouldn’t be topped when they opened AT&T Stadium at a cost of $1.3 billion, with the City of Arlington helping team owner Jerry Jones finance the project with tax hikes and bonds.  If the Los Angeles stadium indeed represents a new model, it may not be replicable. It’s doubtful a project so grand would work in markets outside New York or Los Angeles. In addition to hosting the 2022 Super Bowl, the stadium, whose capacity can be stretched to 100,000 for mega-events, will host the 2023 college football championship, the 2028 Olympics’ Opening and Closing ceremonies and is vying to host 2026 World Cup matches.  Moreover, the project is uniquely tied to Kroenke’s vision of where global sports and entertainment are heading and his zeal to be at the forefront. In addition to the Rams, Kroenke is the primary owner of London’s Arsenal soccer club. He owned the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and NHL’s Colorado Avalanche before placing them in a family trust.  “This project is really a confluence of Mr. Kroenke’s core competencies in [real estate] business, sports and entertainment,” said Jason Gannon, managing director of the LA Stadium & Entertainment District.  The stadium is roughly 60 percent complete, and on a recent day 3,500 workers were busy despite a rare bout of rain in Southern California.  Inside the complex of trailers that serve as the nerve center, a large countdown clock ticked down the remaining days, hours and minutes until completion. Architects, engineers, carpenters and land-use managers were at computer terminals, reflective vests and hard hats nearby, coordinating workflow on the 17,000 line-item tasks that remain.  Inside one of the large conference rooms, surrounded by full-color renderings and detailed elevations of the stadium, Demoff and Gannon discussed the vision behind the project.  “We started with, ‘How do we do something that has never been done?’ ” Demoff said. ” ‘How do we do something that’s completely unique within Southern California, that would change people’s view of sports and entertainment districts?’ ”  The Rams wanted a roof, yet they didn’t want a dome or a structure that retracted. They also weren’t wild about walls, instead envisioning fans sitting outside, feeling the ocean breeze as they watched football.  This posed a design challenge for the architect, Dallas-based HKS. The solution was an NFL stadium tailored to the Southern Californian lifestyle like a bespoke suit: the first indoor-outdoor stadium.  “If you go to a home, a business, a hotel or restaurant in Southern California, that indoor-outdoor feeling is embedded in the experience. It’s done in a beautiful way; there is never a hard edge,” said Mark Williams, who heads the sports and entertainment division at HKS. “That’s in the DNA of every Southern Californian, but nobody had ever done that on a large scale, let alone an NFL stadium.”  The landscaping will reflect that, bleeding from the outdoor to the indoor. And the canopy-style roof was treated like a piece of sculpture as much as utilitarian structure. Its tapered, sloping shape was modeled and refined over multiple iterations, in concert with data on wind flow and the sun’s movement. From Kroenke’s perspective, the roof needed to serve as the stadium’s “fifth dimension” – immediately identifiable and impressive from the airplane windows of the 40 million travelers who land at LAX each year.  To comply with Federal Aviation Administration height limits, given its proximity to the airport, the stadium had to be sunken in the ground – 100 feet down. That means its sixth tier of the seating bowl (of eight total) will sit at ground level, so most fans will walk down to their seats, as if to a sunken living room. The remaining aboveground portion of the stadium, then, feels almost organic – not like a massive concrete, steel and structure imposed on the landscape.  “If you were going to try to bring football back to the Los Angeles area after being gone 20 years, you couldn’t just count on there being a lot of fans who wanted NFL football. They could watch on TV on Sunday, play fantasy football or go to local bars,” Demoff said. “It had to be a game-changer in terms not only of the NFL fan experience but, truly, the Los Angeles lifestyle experience.”


mercurynews--2019-04-18--Stock report Utahs stadium gift USCs roster upgrade UCLAs rough stretch and the Big 12s contr

Stock report: Utah’s stadium gift, USC’s roster upgrade, UCLA’s rough stretch and the Big 12’s contrasting dance with ESPN

_An assessment of Pac-12 news, quasi-news and (occasional) non-news …_  **Rising: Utah football.**  Oregon has Phil Knight. Stanford has John Arrillaga. UCLA has Casey Wasserman and Mo Ostin. Arizona has Cole and Jeannie Davis.  And Utah has the family of Ken Garff.  The Utes have done well to contend in the Pac-12 with a stadium in need of renovation, but that wasn’t a realistic long-term existence.  Upgrading Rice-Eccles Stadium was essential. Former athletic director Chris Hill knew it, current athletic director Mark Harlan knows it, and Kyle Whittingham sure as heck knows it.  But Utah being Utah, fiscal sanity was required for the $80 million endeavor to unfold sooner than later. That took the form of a capital plan by which private donations had to account for approximately 45 percent of the funding.  In other words, the Utes needed $35 million in donations to get clearance for the remaining $45 million, which will come from bonded debt (and other sources).  Garff, who owed dozens of car dealerships, passed away two decades ago. His family came forward recently to pledge $17.5 million to the Rice-Eccles project, ensuring the Utes would hit their private funding goal.  (It’s the largest gift in the history of Utah athletics.)  The project will unfold between the 2020-21 seasons and include a small capacity increase, more premium seats, new lockerrooms, new concourses — everything required to 1) help recruiting 2) improve the fan experience and 3) generate new revenue streams (via the premium seats).  The development in Salt Lake City is critical not only for the Utes but the entire Pac-12. Each athletic department must pull its weight (relative to resources) in order for the conference to thrive.  Looking across the South, we see USC renovating the Coliseum, UCLA opening a slew of facilities on campus, Arizona State renovating Sun Devil Stadium, Arizona unveiling an indoor practice facility and Colorado just a few years removed from opening its new football complex.  It’s all exactly what the conference needs, and yet the process never ends.  **Rising: USC basketball.**  The Trojans had a resoundingly disappointing season, particularly given their talent relative to several teams that finished above them in the standings.  ![Up arrow](https://i1.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12 /up-arrow.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C9999px)  But coach Andy Enfield has an impressive incoming class, and it got even better this week with the addition of Akron wing Daniel Utomi.  Add Utomi’s arrival to those of transfer Quinton Adlesh (Columbia) and the heralded freshman class — the group includes two 5-star big men — and a case could be made for USC as a conference title contender.  In fact, the roster itself makes the Trojans a clear-cut contender.  Whether the reality matches the potential in 2020 depends on matters not so easily quantified: consistency of effort, chemistry, and attention to detail, especially late in games.  If those issues fall into place … and if the Trojans don’t encounter additional damage from the federal corruption scandal … then USC should not only compete for the conference title but qualify for March Madness with a real chance to reach the Sweet 16.  And that, as much as anything, is what the Pac-12 desperately needs: More programs playing on the second weekend of the NCAAs.  * * *  **Neutral: Pac-12 leadership.**  Last week, the Big 12 doubled down on its relationship with ESPN, agreeing to a lengthy partnership that includes more money, more football championship games on ESPN and a barrage of content on ESPN+, the not-so-new, highly- successful streaming service. (Basically, the Big 12 is getting its own streaming network.)  In so doing, the Big 12 veered right where the Pac-12 had veered left.  The latter, you might recall, rejected an offer from ESPN that would have tied the conference and the Pac-12 Networks to the Worldwide Leader into the 2030s. (And it stands to reason that an ESPN+ element would have been included in the offer.)  The contrasts couldn’t be more stark: The Big 12 is all in with ESPN; the Pac-12 is remaining independent, leaving its future to media market forces.  The Hotline has no idea whether the Pac-12 made the right move; nobody does. Hence, the neutral rating on this item.  But it was interesting to read Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby’s comments [to CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/new-rights-deal- gets-big-12-as-close-as-possible-to-its-own-network-with-football-title-games- on-espn/):  “ESPN is the best bet for technology and management for the future.”  Based on what we know today, a college sports world that doesn’t have ESPN front and center is difficult to envision.  * * *  **Falling: Pac-12 basketball**  The popular explanation for the substandard performance in 2019 was the bevy of young rosters, which, in theory, would become experienced rosters next season and power a conference-wide rebound.   ![Down arrow](https://i2.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12 /down-arrow.jpg?w=620&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C9999px)  But the crucial spring window has not been kind to the Pac-12. Thus far, the overwhelming majority of players with NBA Draft-level ability have not committed to returning to school.  They’re either halfway into the draft or going-going-gone.  Luguentz Dort, Kris Wilkes, Jaylen Hands, Kevin Porter, KZ Okpala, Payton Pritchard, Louis King, Kenny Wooten, Bol Bol, Tres Tinkle, Jaylen Hands and C.J. Elleby — all 12 have declared.  (All 12 have the option to return, even if they’ve hired an agent, but many are likely to remain in the draft.)  From this vantage point, only three key players haven’t revealed their intentions or are planning to return: Colorado’s Tyler Bey and McKinley Wright, and UCLA’s Moses Brown.  (Brown is likely to declare, according to Bruins coach Mick Cronin. The CU sophomores don’t appear to be going anywhere.)  The end result … the framework for 2020 … won’t be fixed until late May.  The early returns, however, are suboptimal.  In this era of college basketball, every conference is young every year. There’s no option but to make the best of that existence.  **Falling: UCLA.**  The pay-for-admissions scandal … the subsequent report that UCLA knew of the scam years ago … the coaching search loaded with leaks, rumors, stumbles and terrible optics … it’s not what the Bruins need, what the conference needs from one of its highest-profile institutions or what athletic director Dan Guerrero needs for his legacy.  Whether Guerrero remains on the job for nine months (until his contract expires) or a few more years (via an extension), the longest-tenured AD in the conference is deep into the legacy-shaping phase of his career.  And it’s a complicated legacy, with success moving in lockstep with distance.  Fans with a deep emotional investment in the football and men’s basketball programs have a lower opinion of Guerrero than those with a more holistic view of UCLA athletics.  Guerrero has whiffed on some important hires in the sports where whiffs reverberate for years.  But over the sweep of Guerrero’s tenure, UCLA has been a model department on compliance and budget matters. Guerrero himself has an impressive AD tree and has taken leadership roles nationally and regionally (to the extent that athletic directors have been granted policy-making authority in the conference).  All in all, his reputation is exponentially stronger outside the UCLA fan base than it is within. These past few weeks, however, have not been kind.  * * *  **Why we need your support:** Like so many other providers of local journalism across the country, the Hotline’s parent website, mercurynews.com, recently moved to a subscription model. A few Hotline stories will remain free each month ( **as will the newsletter** ), but for access to all content, you’ll need to subscribe. The good news for Hotline faithful: I’ve secured a discount: 12 cents per day for 12 months. [Click here to subscribe](https://checkout.mercurynews.com/BasicPac12). And thanks for your loyalty.  * * *  _*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to[pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com](mailto:pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com) or call 408-920-5716_  _*** Follow me on Twitter: @[WilnerHotline](https://twitter.com/WilnerHotline)_  _*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference._


mercurynews--2019-06-19--Letter Will new As stadium be impacted by sea-level rise

Letter: Will new A’s stadium be impacted by sea-level rise?

Oakland’s City Council considers a new A’s stadium right on the edge of the shore.  Meanwhile, the sea level may rise from 5 to 15 feet in the next 25 years due to global climate change.  Letter: Freedom to choose religious beliefs may disappear in time Letter: EBMUD should find other ways to raise the resources Letter: America’s future at risk till we become well-informed Letter: Trump has now broadcast invitation for interference Does the council plan on converting the baseball field to a SeaWorld-type aquarium?  Submit your letter to the editor via this form   Read more Letters to the Editor


nationalreview--2019-06-20--iBallparki How Baseball Stadiums Became Beautiful Again

<i>Ballpark</i>: How Baseball Stadiums Became Beautiful Again

Ballpark: Baseball in the American City, by Paul Goldberger (Knopf, 384 pp., $35)  Memorial Stadium in Baltimore wasn’t much of a ballpark. I didn’t know that when I went there for my first major-league baseball game as a kid in the late 1970s and while walking up to our seats caught a glimpse through a tunnel of the field, the greenest, most perfect grass I’d ever seen, a color I didn’t know existed. (This was long before the advent of high-def TV.)  The lush field at the center of an enclosure of concrete and steel provides one of the themes of Paul Goldberger’s new book. For him, the ballpark is the garden in the city, the rus in urbe, a sports combination of the Jeffersonian agrarian tradition and the Hamiltonian emphasis on cities and industry.  A former architecture writer for the New York Times and The New Yorker, Goldberger calls the ballpark “one of the greatest of all American building types” and argues that, “as much as the town square, the street, the park, and the plaza, the baseball park is a key part of American public space.”  Goldberger relates the history of baseball through its physical facilities and the business, real-estate, and design considerations that created them. You couldn’t do this with any other major sport. It’s rare that a football stadium or basketball or hockey arena becomes memorable in its own right. The experience of baseball, in contrast, is caught up in its surroundings.  Even watching a game on TV played at the Trop in Tampa Bay, the SkyDome in Toronto, the Coliseum in Oakland, or the New Comiskey (ridiculously called “Guaranteed Rate Field”) is less appealing than at a place with some character.  Ballpark is a lovely book that is oversized but still manageable to hold and read, and it has enough drawings and photographs to illustrate Goldberger’s points about each park. He catalogues the journey from ballparks shoehorned into city streets, to the wrong turn into monochromatic dual-use forms, before an unexpected, triumphant return to the traditional.  Ballparks are one of the few public aspects of American life — it’s hard to think of other examples, frankly — that have gotten more beautiful rather than less.  Goldberger argues, correctly, that despite our association of baseball with rural America, as captured in the classic movie Field of Dreams, the game is more connected to the city.  The first ballpark was built in Brooklyn in 1862 and called “Union Grounds.” (Amazingly enough, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” not yet the national anthem, was played before the first game.) New York and Brooklyn, then separate cities, had the greatest number of teams.  The second version of the South End Grounds in Boston, built in 1888, was the most ambitious of the 19th-century parks, with conical towers and other pinnacles atop a recognizably modern double-deck grandstand. Like many of the wooden ballparks of this era, it burned down. The fire started in the right-field bleachers during a game and ended up destroying 200 buildings in Roxbury.  Baseball was split at the outset between the impulses to appeal to the working man and to the more respectable, middle-class sort. In St. Louis, a tavern owner named Chris von der Ahe realized that fans from a nearby ballpark provided a flow of customers and took it over, rebuilding it as Sportsman’s Park. Not subtle, he placed a beer garden within the field of play. (On these grounds alone, I hazard to say my longtime friend and NR colleague Kevin Longstreet, a fellow Yankee die-hard, would consider Sportsman’s one of the great ballparks.)  On the other end of the spectrum, Albert Spalding rebuilt Lakefront Park in Chicago in 1883 with private boxes furnished with upholstered chairs and tended by waiters, a forerunner of the luxury box.  The 20th century brought the age of steel, brick, and concrete, and what Goldberger refers to as “the Golden Age” in 1912–14. It gave us Crosley Field, where the Reds played until 1970, with an upward slope known as the “terrace” in left field; Tiger Stadium, quirky and cozy (a flagpole was in the field of play in deep center); and especially the “jewel boxes” of Fenway, Wrigley, and Ebbets.  They had in common idiosyncrasies owing to where and how they were built, and an extraordinary intimacy. Some of their signature features didn’t come until later. The famous Green Monster and the “Dartmouth Green” paint of the interior of Fenway arrived with renovations. Wrigley didn’t get its iconic ivy walls until the 1930s. (An experiment in planting trees in the bleachers failed.)  Subsequent decades brought a flight from cities, and from eccentricity. Cleveland previewed what was to come in the 1930s with its publicly funded, gargantuan, usually half-empty, symmetrical, multi-sport Municipal Stadium. The bleachers were so distant that no one ever hit a home run into them. So inhospitable was the stadium to baseball that for more than a decade the Indians split time between their prior little bandbox of a home, League Park, and the “Mistake by the Lake.”  The truly dreadful, indistinguishable concrete donuts, like other lamentable trends in American life, were a product of the 1960s. If the stadiums looked like cookie-cutter public-works projects, it’s because they often were.  The turning point, of course, was Camden Yards in Baltimore.  Originally conceived as another multi-sport suburban facility, it instead decisively moved baseball beyond such hybrids. A momentous decision at the outset was to keep an old Baltimore & Ohio Railroad warehouse intact at the site of the new park. The nostalgic feel of the brick warehouse usefully pointed backward.  Camden Yards has a red-brick exterior and exposed steel supports inside, eschewing the concrete of the donuts. It limits foul territory to make ground-level seats closer, and the stands are arranged asymmetrically to avoid a deadening sameness. Advertising on the outfield walls — for the first time since Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia closed in 1970 — recalls classic parks. And the stands frame a view of the Baltimore skyline, anchoring the park in the city.  It’s easy to forget what a revelation Camden Yards was now that its retro style has become a design cliché. Its influence left a stamp on the best of the new parks: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, which, outside of Fenway and Wrigley, might be the most charming place to watch a game in the country; Oracle Park in San Francisco, which is everything its execrable forebear, Candlestick, wasn’t; T-Mobile Park in Seattle, which is enchanting despite a retractable roof.  I agree with almost all of Paul Goldberger’s judgments, although I think he neglects the importance of noise. Not the blaring announcements and nonstop blasting of music in contemporary stadiums (get off my lawn!), but the roar of the crowd. What the Metrodome and Kingdome lacked in suitability for baseball, they could make up with crazed crowd noise, an indispensable part of sports excitement.  This is one of my beefs with the new Yankee Stadium. I appreciate the amenities and the larger, more functional spaces. The halls of the old Yankee Stadium could feel like a crowded subway platform. But the new stadium disperses sound, so the manic energy of the old place — you sometimes could feel the upper deck rock — is a thing of memory.  While I’m at it, one more complaint. I also remember from my inaugural visit to Memorial Stadium a foul ball landing very close to us in the upper deck. (I still recall my stomach dropping as I watched the laces of the ball spin toward us.) Balls don’t reach upper decks anymore. I’d readily trade some obstructed views from pillars and posts to reduce the distance of the seats upstairs.  In that, I may be alone. But I’m one of millions who appreciate, and have benefited from, the return to beauty so ably chronicled in this book.  This article appears as “Fields of Beauty” in the July 8, 2019, print edition of National Review.


newyorkpost--2019-11-09--Yankee Stadium hosting college football’s other unbeaten teams

Tuscaloosa and Minneapolis aren’t the only places hosting a battle of unbeatens.  While it’s not Alabama and LSU or Penn State and Minnesota, the clash in The Bronx has plenty of meaning.  That’s where undefeated Princeton will meet undefeated Dartmouth in an Ivy League showdown that will likely decide the conference crown. Both Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams arrive with matching 7-0 records. Both are 4-0 in the league. And the last loss for each program came to the other.  Tenth-ranked Princeton has won 17 consecutive games, dating back to a loss to Dartmouth to close the 2017 season. No. 13 Dartmouth, in turn, hasn’t lost since falling to Princeton last season, winning its past nine games.  To commemorate the 150th anniversary of college football, the game is being played at the Stadium. Rutgers and Princeton played the first ever college football game on Nov. 6, 1869.  Considering the two teams are both explosive offensively and elite defensively, it has all the makings of a thrilling game. Princeton is seventh in the FCS in scoring (38.6) and third in defense (13.7). Dartmouth is 13th in points scored (37.1) and first in defense (10.1). Adding to the dynamic, the two coaches, Bob Surace of Princeton and Buddy Teevens of Dartmouth, are alumni of their respective schools and have very different baseball rooting interests. Surace loves the Yankees, while Teevens is a Red Sox fan.  “Anyone who is a Yankees hater won’t like this, but they do represent excellence,” Surace said on his First in Football Podcast this week. “They have all the World Series titles, and here you have two teams that over a long span have represented excellence. It’s a great venue for that.”


newyorkpost--2019-12-14--Fire breaks out at under-construction Texas Rangers stadium

The $1.2 billion stadium being built for the Texas Rangers caught fire Saturday.  The two-alarm blaze was quickly put out, but not before it sent a huge plume of black smoke over the city of Arlington, Texas.  The flames at the still-under-construction Globe Life Field, ironically being named for an insurance company, started at about 2:30 p.m. and were out in about a half-hour. The Arlington Fire Department tweeted the fire was contained in the upper sections of the stadium.  There were no injuries reported, the department said, and the cause is under investigation.  Video posted online showed construction workers watching the flames from above.  The ballpark is slated to open March 31 with a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.


oann--2019-09-30--Athletics Organizers blame late starts and boycott for empty stadium

Athletics: Organizers blame late starts and boycott for empty stadium

DOHA (Reuters) – The embarrassingly low attendance at the world athletics championships was blamed on late start times and a boycott of the country by other nations in the region by the event’s organizers on Monday.  Athletes, pundits and global television audiences have widely criticized the poor turnout at the air-conditioned Khalifa Stadium over the first three days of competition.  The 48,000-capacity venue was barely half full for the men’s 100 meters final on Saturday.  On Sunday, when the women’s 100 meters headlined the action, it was almost completely empty and pole vault bronze medalist Ekaterini Stefanidi said it was the smallest crowd she had competed in front of this year, including at the Greek national championship.  The absence of cheering fans meant the United States team who won the inaugural 4×400 meters mixed relay title on Sunday opted not to run a lap of honor and disappeared straight down the exit tunnel.  The public have also been absent from the road races, held near the waterfront.  However, there were considerably more fans in the stadium on Monday, including a noisy contingent of Ethiopian supporters, for a program which included the men’s 5000 meters and 400 meters hurdles finals.  There were also several groups of fans, each wearing identical shirts, dotted around the stadium which appeared to be slightly over half full.  The local organizing committee (LOC) said in a statement that attendances on Friday and Saturday were “solid” but were “down on our expectations” on Sunday, which they said “coincided with the start of the working week in Qatar”.  “The challenge we face with a competition schedule that is geared to support global TV viewership is that some finals are not starting until the late evening,” it said.  “This impacts on the number of spectators remaining until the end of the session.”  The LOC also suggested that local audiences were more interested in middle-distance races than sprint events and said it was “confident with our additional communications (that) we will see more attendees for longer periods”.  It then mentioned the boycott imposed on Qatar by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Egypt, who accuse the Gulf state of supporting terrorism, which it denies.  “Our vision was for a first world championships in the Middle East. An IAAF World Athletics Championships that would welcome the world and connect to new fans. Despite facing unique challenges as hosts, in terms of the political (boycott), that ambition remains,” it said.  The four boycotting nations have, however, sent athletes to Doha, and Bahrain won bronze in the 4×400 mixed relay.  “It is disappointing,” said Stefanidi. “I was all for bringing the event to new areas, different environments like the Middle East too because we needed to promote the sport.”  “I actually did notice the stadium wasn’t full but it’s part of athletics,” the Jamaican said after Sunday’s race. “Doha got the rights to host the championship, you just have to give and take. I just wanted to put on a good performance focus, I tried not to focus on the crowd.”  Justin Gatlin, silver medalist in the men’s 100 meters on Saturday, took a similar view, saying: “When we are on the track, I think it doesn’t matter whether there are 100 people watching or 100,000 people watching. We want to be able to put on a great show.”  The LOC said the athletes competing at the Khalifa Stadium have “relished the experience”.  “The controlled temperature conditions on the track have been ideal and fitting for world-class performances and will remain so,” it said.


skynewsus--2019-06-28--Londons former Olympic Stadium to host US baseball teams

London's former Olympic Stadium to host US baseball teams

It's the home of a Premier League football club and hosted the best athletes in the world during the 2012 Olympic Games.  Now the London Stadium has been transformed into a baseball ground as two of the sport's biggest clubs prepare for a historic series in the capital.  The venue, where West Ham play their home games, is hosting two matches between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox this Saturday and Sunday.  It will be the first time Major League Baseball (MLB) has ventured into Europe for regular season games, having previously played in Mexico, Japan, Australia, and Puerto Rico.  England and Manchester City footballer Raheem Sterling met some of the players at the stadium as they got used to their new surroundings on Friday.  The Duke of Sussex is due to attend the series in support of the Invictus Games Foundation, with former competitors from both the USA and UK set to take part as the ceremonial first pitch is thrown.  The Yankees currently top the American League West division, with reigning World Series champions Boston in third place.  Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes said: "It's one of the biggest rivalries that we have going over to play the first games in Europe. At the end of the day, though, it is a business trip.  "Those are two big games for us, given where we are in the standings and where they are."  More than 141,900 square feet of artificial turf has been installed on top of the grass surface at the London Stadium to create the diamond shaped baseball field.  Four hundred metres of fencing have been installed, while a batter's eye - the screen placed in the line of sight of a baseball batter - batting cages, dugouts and temporary clubhouses have also been built.  Clay for the pitcher's mound and home plate area and 345 tonnes of dirt for the infield diamond have been shipped from the US, while the fence padding for the field's perimeter has been brought in from Canada.  The transformation began on 6 June and was completed on Tuesday.  Once the series is completed, it is expected to take five days to return the ground to its normal state, in preparation for the new Premier League season, which begins on 9 August.  The MLB games in London follow the success of other American sports in the UK including NFL matches at Wembley Stadium and NBA basketball at the O2 Arena.


sputnik--2019-04-04--Cringeworthy Opening Ceremony for 1Bln Stadium Mocked by UK Football Fans

'Cringeworthy' Opening Ceremony for £1Bln Stadium Mocked by UK Football Fans

Tottenham Hotspur — known as the Spurs — posted a world-record net profit of £113 million on Thursday, 4 April, only hours after hosting their first home game at their fancy new stadium.  Spurs opened their state-of-the-art stadium, which can hold up to 62,000 people, on Wednesday, 3 April with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace under the floodlights.  South Korean striker Son Heung-min scored the first ever goal at the stadium, followed by another by Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen.  Gary Lineker, who scored 67 goals in 107 appearances for Spurs between 1989 and 1992, tweeted about Tottenham being the only team in the country who had never lost a home match.  But social media was in uproar about the over-the-top opening ceremony before the game, which was more in keeping with the start of an Olympic Games.  Twitter users — many of them fans of the club's arch-rivals Arsenal — mocked the decision to use opera tenor Wynne Evans, who is better known as the star of a cheesy TV ad by insurance comparison site Go Compare.  Several Arsenal fans also tweeted about the club's new slogan — To Dare Is To Do — which is scrawled all over the new stadium.  Tottenham's old ground, White Hart Lane, was knocked down in 2017. It dated back to 1899 but had a capacity of only 36,000.  The new stadium — which is as yet unnamed because the club are currently negotiating the naming rights — is in a deprived area of north London, with high knife crime.


sputnik--2019-05-03--Naughty Arabs World Cup 2022 Venue Dubbed Vagina Stadium Causes Furor on SM

'Naughty Arabs': World Cup 2022 Venue Dubbed 'Vagina Stadium' Causes Furor on SM

Described as a "significant step on the road to 2022" FIFA World Cup hosted by Qatar, the stadium's "innovative and futuristic design" was praised by Thani Khalifa Al Zarraa, the SC's Al Wakrah Stadium Project Manager.  "We hope thousands of football fans across the country will join us for this landmark occasion as we celebrate the progress we have made to-date and look forward to 2022 with renewed excitement," he added.  However, when images of the venue surfaced online, it got branded by some commentators as the "vagina stadium" due to its particular shape.  The venue, featuring a 92-metre retractable roof and a cooling technology, can be used all-year-around, according to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, responsible for the delivery of the required World Cup infrastructure in Qatar. The players and the spectators will be able to enjoy the temperature of 18-20°C during the games, said the Committee.


birminghammail--2019-04-07--How the FA Cup could lead to Europa League football for Wolves

Wolves are preparing to lock horns with Watford in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, which could provide a route into the Europa League.  The winner of today’s clash will face off against quadruple-chasing Manchester City, which will certainly not be an easy test, but FA Cup glory offers a further incentive to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.  Should Wolves win the FA Cup, Nuno’s side will advance into next season’s Europa League group stages, clinching the spot that is usually occupied by the sixth-placed side in the Premier League.  Whoever finishes sixth would then have to start their season in July during the early qualifying stages in the continental competition, while it would also mean that seventh place in the Premier League would not be handed a route into European competition.  However, this spot would only be sealed by Wolves if they win the competition as the runners-up of the FA Cup do not earn qualification to the Europa League - so it would be seventh-place earning the spot if Pep Guardiola’s side lift the trophy.  Both Wolves and Watford could still reach the Europa League through a seventh-placed finish, as they are battling in the Premier League for the spot, but this would mean an extremely early start next season - which could lead to problems later in the campaign.  Wolves have not played European football in over three decades, with their last involvement in continental competitions coming in the UEFA Cup back in 1980-81.


birminghammail--2019-06-02--Summer 2019 football schedule with Man United Arsenal and Liverpool stars in tournament action

Summer 2019 football schedule with Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool stars in tournament action

The 2019/20 season is finished with Liverpool taking the Champions League trophy after defeating Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.  The Reds' victory marked the end of a memorable campaign and with no World Cup or European Championships, fans will be looking for their next football fix.  Here’s the full lowdown on where you can watch football this summer:  It’s a tournament that has previously acted as a stepping stone for a number of superstars including Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba and Harry Kane.  And now a fresh batch of youngsters are taking part in the 24-nation competition.  England aren’t involved in Poland, leaving France as the outright favourites.  Where can I watch it?  The games are available on FreeSports - Freeview HD channel 64, Sky channel 422, Virgin 553, FreeSat 252, TalkTalk 64 and BT Vision channel 64.  It’s the prestigious event that England are trying to win once again.  They won the title a year ago but will need a quick recovery after losing the opening game in France against Japan.  Manager Paul Simpson has picked a strong squad with a number of the nation’s best young prospects seeking to impress in the competition.  Teams from France, Brazil and Portugal will likely provide fierce competition for the title.  Where can I watch it?  The games are available on FreeSports - Freeview HD channel 64, Sky channel 422, Virgin 553, FreeSat 252, TalkTalk 64 and BT Vision channel 64.  Fast approaching, too, is the UEFA Nations League Finals which involves the four group winners of the top-ranked League A.  As well as England and hosts Portugal, Switzerland, and the Netherlands will compete to be the first ever winner.  Regardless of whether England win or lose their opening game against the Netherlands, they will still have one more fixture to contest — be it a final or a third-place playoff.  The draw for the competition took place back in December in Dublin. The fixtures are as follows.  Where can I watch it?  If you’re unable to make it out to Portugal, fear not, because the finals are being broadcast on British TV. Sky Sports have the rights to broadcast the final four.  Excitement is already building for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, where 24 countries from around the world are competing for the biggest prize in the game - including England and Scotland, who lock horns in the group stages.  Host nation France open the tournament in Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes stadium on Friday June 7 against South Korea, with kick-off at 20:00 BST.  France are joined in Group A by South Korea, Norway and Nigeria, while Germany, China, Spain and South Africa compete in Group B.  Group C consists of Australia, Italy, Brazil and Jamaica, while England are in Group D alongside Scotland, Argentina and Japan.  Finally, Group E is made up of Canada, Cameroon, New Zealand and the Netherlands, with Group F sees defending champions the United States clash with Thailand, Chile and Sweden.  The BBC will show coverage of the Women’s World Cup, which will be available on TV, radio, the Red Button and online. However, not every match will be shown on the flagship channels.  The opening game of the tournament, the clash between England and Scotland along with the final will all be shown on BBC One.  South America’s finest, along with invitees Qatar and Japan, will battle for the Copa America title and there will be a host of household names on show - including global superstars Messi and Neymar.  Plenty of players from the Premier League, and even the Football League, are also on show, giving fans plenty to keep tabs on.  Where can I watch it?  The 2019 Copa America will be broadcast live on Premier Sports 1 and 2 throughout the tournament.  Sky and Virgin Media customers can add the channels to their existing packages for just £9.99 per month.  An annual pass is available for Sky subscribers including a discount on the 12-month deal.  The online streaming service Premier Player can also be bought independently regardless of your current TV provider so you can soak up all the action online.  This is the 15th edition of the biennial international championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region overseen by Concacaf.  This summer’s edition is in the United States, with Costa Rica and Jamaica also hosting two games in the first round of matches in Groups B and C.  It will begin on June 15 with the group stages and conclude on July 7, with games played across 17 different venues in 16 host cities.  The winner of the Concacaf Gold Cup will play against the United States, who are defending champions of the 2017 edition, in the 2019 Concacaf Cup – a one-match play-off fixture to decide the qualifying country to participate in the 2021 Confederations Cup.  Where can I watch it?  The games are available on FreeSports - Freeview HD channel 64, Sky channel 422, Virgin 553, FreeSat 252, TalkTalk 64 and BT Vision channel 64.  Some of the best young talents from British football will be on display at this event.  In total there are 12 nations competing, including defending champions Germany, and a spot in the Olympics Football tournament next summer is also up for grabs for the four best sides in the competition - so there is plenty to play for.  England are the only home nation and will fly the flag for the British Isles on their own and are joined by some of the biggest nations on the continent, including hosts Italy, Spain, Germany and France.  Croatia and Belgium will be making only their third appearance, while Romania make their second appearance after a 20-year wait and Austria are the competition’s only debutants.  Where can I watch in the UK?  Sky Sports has the rights to the coverage.  Forget the old-style winter tournament that caused so many problems to English clubs in the past.  The AFCON is back with a start date approved to help assist players and the domestic clubs they represent.  On top of that, the tournament has been expanded from 16 teams to 24 and will provide an opportunity for fans to watch the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Riyad Mahrez in action.  A host of recognisable names have qualified, including the likes of Senegal, Ghana, Egypt and the Ivory Coast, while some other less-established names are making an appearance as Burundi, Madagascar and Mauritania prepare to debut.  Where can I watch it?  Eurosport have the broadcasting rights for the African Cup of Nations

newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk (Gregg Evans, Aidan McCartney)


dailyheraldchicago--2019-12-02--Warren High celebrates football, swimming success

It may not have been the hardware they set out to bring home, but there was still plenty of reason to cheer Monday when the captains of the Warren Township High School football hoisted their second place state trophy for their classmates Monday at a school rally celebrating the most successful season in school history.  The team finished the 2019 season with a 13-1 record, its only blemish a hard-fought 12-0 loss to Lincoln-Way East on Saturday night in the 8A state championship game in DeKalb.  The Blue Devils dominated their competition before the loss, winning games by an average 32 points while holding opponents to just 40 points all season.  The rally held Monday at Warren's Almond Road campus also celebrated the success of freshman swimmer Keegan Knott, who won four medals last month at the state swimming meet.


eveningstandard--2019-01-19--Bournemouth vs West Ham LIVE Premier League football as it happened

Bournemouth vs West Ham LIVE: Premier League football as it happened

West Ham struggled in the absence of unsettled forward Marko Arnautovic as Callum Wilson underlined his value to Bournemouth by setting them on course to victory at the Vitality Stadium  Austria international Arnautovic, who has been heavily linked with a big-money move to China, was left out of the Hammers' squad for the trip to Dorset.  Cherries top scorer Wilson has himself been subject to January transfer rumours and he returned from a two-game injury absence in style by smashing home early in the first half before Joshua King sealed a 2-0 win in stoppage time.  Wilson's thunderous strike was his 10th Premier League goal of the season and is likely to fuel further speculation of him moving to Chelsea or replacing Arnautovic at the London Stadium.  It also helped end Bournemouth's five-match winless run in all competitions and secure just a third victory from their last 13 top-flight games.  Follow all the goals with Standard Sport!  Can't see the blog? Click here for the desktop version.  The match will not be available to watch live in the UK.  But you can follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog.  There have been just 12 meetings between these two sides over the years with the Hammers winning five of those.  Bournemouth have three wins, including the last meeting between these two in east London back in August.


eveningstandard--2019-01-19--Man Utd vs Brighton LIVE Premier League football as it happened

Man Utd vs Brighton LIVE: Premier League football as it happened

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's record-breaking start to life in the Manchester United dugout continued as Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford struck against Brighton to secure a seventh straight win in all competitions.  On a day when Old Trafford stood to remember Sir Matt Busby ahead of the 25th anniversary of his death on Sunday, the caretaker manager broke another of the Scot's long-standing United records.  In the process of claiming a seventh successive victory in the hotseat, Solskjaer became the first Red Devils boss to win their first six league games, with Pogba's penalty and a Rashford stunner helping see off Chris Hughton's Brighton 2-1.  This victorious streak sees United's 1999 treble hero go level with Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola in the Premier League record books, and further justifies the club's decision to parachute him in to replace Jose Mourinho a month ago.  Relive the action with James Robson at Old Trafford!  Can't see the blog? Click here for the desktop version.  Solskjaer has been credited with dramatically improving United's attack in a few short weeks, but the Norwegian has also been working to shore up a leaky defence - and he has been rewarded with three clean sheets in a row.  Brighton have only scored 24 goals this season, but have conceded just 30 - that's two fewer than United, and the last time the Seagulls conceded three or more was at the start of November against Everton.  While Solskjaer will want to attack from the off, he would probably swap a goal or two for a clean sheet ahead of some huge games in February.  The match will not be televised live in the UK, but you can follow all the action on Standard Sport's LIVE blog with James Robson at Old Trafford.  Highlights will be shown on BBC's Match of the Day on Saturday night.  The two sides have met three times in the Premier League, with Brighton - somewhat surprisingly - having the better record.  United won their first Premier League meeting 1-0 at Old Trafford in November 2017, but the Seagulls won the return fixture 1-0 at the Amex last May before shocking Mourinho earlier this season with a 3-2 home win in August.


eveningstandard--2019-01-20--Huddersfield vs Man City LIVE Premier League football as it happened

Huddersfield vs Man City LIVE: Premier League football as it happened

Manchester City had no problems keeping the pressure on Liverpool in the Premier League title race on Sunday, beating last-placed Huddersfield 3-0 to trim the gap to the leaders to four points.  A deflected 18th-minute strike from Danilo was added to in the second half by wingers Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane as City eased to a fifth straight win in all competitions.  The afternoon began ominously for Huddersfield, with a parting message on the stadium's big screen by former manager David Wagner — who left his position on Monday — failing to reach fans because the sound didn't work.  Things didn't work any better on the field as the team, coached on a temporary basis by Mark Hudson, stayed 10 points adrift of safety and heading for a return to the second tier.  Follow all the action with Standard Sport!  Can't see the blog? Click here for the desktop version.  With Man City in a truly unforgiving mood in front of goal you fear for Huddersfield.  The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV with a day pass on offer for £7.99. Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app.  You can also follow the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog.


eveningstandard--2019-01-24--Deloitteaposs Football Money League Real Madrid knock Man Utd off top spot as Tottenham make top

Deloitte's Football Money League: Real Madrid knock Man Utd off top spot as Tottenham make top 10

Manchester United have been knocked off their perch at the top of Deloitte's annual Football Money League by Real Madrid but Tottenham's rise means England's 'big six' make the top 10 for the first time.  Now in its 22nd year, the Deloitte list ranks clubs by how much money they earn from broadcasting, commercial deals and match-day revenues during the 2017/18 season.  After two years in first place, United slipped to third behind Real and their Spanish rivals Barcelona, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs completing the top 10.  Real, buoyed by their third consecutive Champions League win, generated a record 750.9million euros (£674.6million), retaking the Money League title for the 12th time but the first since 2014/15.  All the British clubs were slightly affected by a three per cent year-on-year decline in the value of sterling against the euro but the real reasons for United's fall from first were below-par contributions from the Champions League broadcast pot and the remarkable growth in the Spanish duo's commercial income.  That does not mean, though, that United or the rest of the Premier League are on their uppers - far from it.  While revenues at Old Trafford grew by only two per cent, they still earned £590million last season and the latest forecasts suggest they should surge past £615million this season.  Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs, making the top 10 for only the second time, all enjoyed healthy increases in their turnover, while Liverpool's run to the Champions League saw their revenue increase by a massive £90.6million, largely thanks to £222.6million in broadcast earnings.  While the extended stay at the national stadium is starting to annoy fans, the Wembley effect helped Spurs increase their matchday revenues by £26.5million.  Arsenal saw their income fall by nearly £30million and they fell from sixth to ninth in the table, a slide that illustrates the importance of Champions League TV money to every big club's bottom line.  Further down the table, Everton and West Ham hold on to their 17th and 20th placings, respectively, but Leicester and Southampton dropped out of the top 20 to 22nd and 23rd. Newcastle, however, climbed to 19th, giving the Premier League nine teams in the top 20, one fewer than last year.  As well as Leicester and Southampton, Crystal Palace (24th) and Brighton (29th) are in the top 30 - a significant achievement for the latter considering they earned just over £1million in 1996/97, when they were fighting against relegation from the English Football League, but brought in £139.4million last season.  Taken together, the top 20 earning clubs, who all come from one of Europe's 'big five' leagues, earned £7.4billion, up six per cent on last year, and Real, Barca and United earned almost as much as the entire top 20 reported in 2000.  Outside of England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the only clubs to make the top 30 were Russia's Zenit St Petersburg (25th), Turkish side Besiktas (26th) and Portugal's Benfica (30th).  Broadcast revenue remained the largest individual income stream for the top clubs, accounting for 43 per cent of total revenue, but as pointed out by UEFA's Club Licensing Benchmark Report last week, a noticeable trend is the growth of commercial income, including the lucrative business of pre-season friendlies.  In a statement, the report's author Dan Jones, a partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: "European football remains a bull market, with annual revenue growth of almost 450 million euros (£390million) in this year's Football Money League.  "At the top, we have seen Real Madrid shatter records, becoming the first club to break the three-quarters of a billion euro mark and claim a record twelfth Money League title in the process.  "Most of our top 10 are through to the last 16 of the Champions League and forecasting further revenue growth, meaning their relative performances in UEFA's flagship competition this season could have a noticeable impact on our rankings next year."  Looking ahead, Deloitte's Sam Boor sounded a note of caution when he said last year's slightly disappointing domestic TV rights auction for 2019-22 means Premier League clubs "will be unable to rely on explosive growth in broadcast distributions as a source of future growth, as has been the case in recent years".  This, Boor believes, will put on "an even greater emphasis among these clubs on generating their own growth in the coming season, and in particular the optimisation of commercial revenue, which has been a key area for differentiating growth across most of Europe's leading clubs in recent years".


eveningstandard--2019-01-27--Crystal Palace vs Tottenham LIVE FA Cup football as it happened - Spurs knocked out

Crystal Palace vs Tottenham LIVE: FA Cup football as it happened - Spurs knocked out

Tottenham have been eliminated from two cup competitions in four days after losing 2-0 at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday.  A penalty shootout saw Chelsea reach the EFL Cup final at Tottenham's expense on Thursday night, and another cup exit will prompt fresh concerns over Spurs' trophy drought.  Palace took a ninth-minute lead when Jeff Schlupp's shot was saved by Paulo Gazzaniga but he could only push the ball into the path of Connor Wickham, and the injury-plagued converted off his thigh on his first appearance for 792 days.  The home side extended their advantage after Kyle Walker-Peters handled in the penalty area with Wickham lurking.  Former Spurs winger Andros Townsend slammed the resulting spot-kick straight down the middle.  Spurs tried in vain to fight back into the match in the second half, but lacked quality and fight to leave the Premier League title and Champions League as their only remaining trophy opportunities this season.  Can't see the blog? Click here for the desktop version.  Spurs made seven changes - Fernando Llorente was handed another start in attack while Georges-Kevin Nkoudou was named in their starting XI for the first time since January 2017.  Ben Davies and Moussa Sissoko missed out through injury.  Connor Wickham started up front for Crystal Palace but there were no places in the squad for new signings Lucas Perri or Bakary Sako.


eveningstandard--2019-02-06--Arsenal aposdeserveapos Champions League football insists Lucas Torreira

Arsenal 'deserve' Champions League football, insists Lucas Torreira

Arsenal "deserve" to be playing Champions League football, according to Gunners midfielder Lucas Torreira.  The Gunners, who have failed to qualify for Europe's premier club competition for the past two seasons, are currently off the pace in the battle for a top-four Premier League finish.  Unai Emery's side sit sixth on the back of Sunday's 3-1 loss at champions Manchester City, a point below Manchester United and three behind fourth-placed Chelsea.  Uruguay midfielder Torreira admits his team must improve their recent form, which has seen them collect only 10 points from the last 21 available, if they are to achieve their primary objective.  "Just a few weeks ago, (Manchester) United were obviously behind us but it's happened and it's something we have to deal with," the 22-year-old told Sky Sports News.  "We obviously don't want that form to happen again. As players, you always need to be fighting for an objective when you walk out onto the pitch and for us that means qualifying for the Champions League.  "We know it's not going to be easy, that's for sure, because we are up against some great teams such as Chelsea and Manchester United but we need to try and stand firm as a team and as a group and battle in every game.  "The squad is focused on qualifying for the Champions League because a big club like Arsenal deserves to be playing in that competition."


eveningstandard--2019-02-09--Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid result LaLiga football as it happened - LIVE

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid result: LaLiga football as it happened - LIVE!

More players than you might imagine have been on the books of both Madrid clubs in recent years.  Current Atletico full-backs Filipe Luis and Juanfran and midfielder Saul Niguez all spent time at the Bernabeu as youngsters, while back-up goalkeeper Antonio Adan had four years in the Real Madrid senior squad. Going the other way was current Real Sociedad defender Theo Hernandez, who made a memorable move from Atletico to Real in summer 2017.  But here are five players who made a really big impression on both sides of the derby divide, leading to mixed emotions throughout the city.  Morata’s arrival at Atletico de Madrid from Chelsea on an 18-month loan deal has caused plenty of debate, with the new signing being keen to talk about his boyhood as a rojiblanco fan and time in Atletico’s youth ranks as a youngster.  Los Blancos fans will of course remember that Morata made his senior debut for their side, scoring 25 goals in 63 LaLiga Santander appearances, and winning 10 trophies with the Bernabeu outfit including the 2011/12 and 2016/17 titles.  During that time, Morata played twice in LaLiga for Real against Atletico, without finding the net, with one win for each side. The 26-year-old has declined to reveal whether he will celebrate if he scores a first derby goal at the Wanda Metropolitano this weekend.  Real Madrid coach Santi Solari has made his love of the Bernabeu side very clear since taking over on the bench from Julen Lopetegui last October, although it mustn’t be forgotten that the former Argentina international played his first LaLiga season across the city at Atletico.  Solari arrived at Atleti from River Plate in January 1999 and scored six goals in 36 LaLiga games during 18 months wearing the rojiblanco colours. After joining cross-city rivals Real in 2000, the versatile left-sided midfielder scored 10 goals and provided seven assists in 130 games, winning seven trophies including LaLiga Santander titles in 2000/01 and 2002/03, before leaving for Inter Milan in summer 2005.  The Argentine has an enviable unbeaten record in LaLiga derbies… on both sides of the divide. Three games with Atletico featured two victories and a goal in a 1-1 draw. He then won all four games with Real, scoring twice against his former club.  Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also knows what it is like on both sides of the derby divide. During his three seasons at Atletico, Courtois played 111 league games, keeping an impressive 56 clean sheets and winning the LaLiga Santander title alongside Filipe Luis and Juanfran in 2013/14. The Belgium international played in six LaLiga derbies, being sent off in his first meeting with Madrid at the Bernabeu in November 2011.  Similar to Morata, Courtois proclaimed himself a boyhood fan of his new team on arrival last summer, with photos to prove it. The 26-year-old kept a clean sheet when the teams met in the first derby of the season, October's 0-0 draw at the Bernabeu.  Former Mexico international Hugo Sanchez is another Latin American who played his first LaLiga seasons with Atletico, before going on to more fame and fortune across the city at Real. Sanchez was a regular in an Atletico shirt between 1981 and 1985, then spent seven years at the Bernabeu, winning LaLiga titles in each of his first five seasons with Los Blancos. He remains the only player to have won LaLiga’s ‘pichichi’ topscorer award while playing at both clubs.  The powerful centre-forward scored twice in an Atletico shirt against Real, including one in a famous 4-0 victory at the Bernabeu in 84/85. After the switch, he found the net twice in nine more derbies. Later in his career he spent the 1992/93 season at a third Madrid club, Rayo Vallecano.  Like Morata, Raul started out in Atletico’s youth system and came to prominence at Real, although in his case there was no chance of an emotional return later in his career. Forever associated with the Bernabeu club, Raul is Madrid’s all-time record LaLiga appearance holder, with 550 games between 1994 and 2010. A six-time LaLiga Santander winner, his 228 goals in the competition was also a club record until passed by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2015.  Raul’s first LaLiga goal came in a 4-2 derby win when he was still just 17. A total of 27 games against Atletico brought 11 goals, seven assists and just two defeats over 16 years. The Madrid native is now back at the Bernabeu as a youth team coach.


eveningstandard--2019-02-10--Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona LIVE LaLiga football as it happened

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona LIVE: LaLiga football as it happened

Barcelona missed the opportunity to extend their lead at the summit of La Liga after being held to a goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao.  Marc-Andre ter Stegen pulled off a string of stunning saves to keep the Basques at bay but a toothless performance at the other end of the pitch ensured a stalemate played out at San Mames.  After beating neighbours Atletico Madrid to move into second place on Saturday, Real Madrid now sit just six points behind their arch-rivals.  Barcelona would have fallen behind after just 17 minutes if it were not for the heroics of ter Stegen in goal.  Markel Susaeta’s curled effort from the edge of the box looked to be destined for the top corner only to be brilliantly palmed away by the German goalkeeper.  Lionel Messi, back in the starting XI after his recent injury, thought he had given his side the lead, beating goalkeeper Iago Herrerín with a sumptuous lob from 30 yards out after pouncing on a poor clearance.  His effort bounced off the top of the bar, however, denying him his 30th goal of the season in all competitions.  Ter Stegen was again Barcelona’s saviour in the second-half, demonstrating outstanding reflexes to keep out Inaki Williams’ blasted effort from six yards out in the final 10 minutes.  Barcelona felt they should have been awarded a penalty deep into injury time after Nelson Semedo went down inside the box but the hosts survived a VAR review to claim a hugely deserved point.


eveningstandard--2019-02-12--Man Utd vs PSG channel How to watch Champions League football tonight - live stream online and TV i

Man Utd vs PSG channel: How to watch Champions League football tonight - live stream online and TV info

In the competition where he enjoyed his finest moment as a Man Utd player, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s managerial honeymoon came to an abrupt end.  Against a PSG side missing Neymar and Edinson Cavani, Solskjaer lost two of his own dynamic front three before the start of the second half, and then watched as strikes from Fresnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe earned PSG a 2-0 win and left United needing another memorable European comeback -  and they will have to do it without Paul Pogba, who was sent off in the second half.  Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard returned to the United line-up, having been rested in the stroll against Fulham on Saturday, with Eric Bailly’s inclusion ahead of Phil Jones at centre half designed to counter the pace of Mbappe.  Early on, there was all the intensity about United that we have come to expect from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, but little of the quality on the ball, with Rashford’s deflected cross forcing Gianluigi Buffon into his only meaningful save of the first half.  PSG’s profligacy in front of goal twice denied VAR its first airing on debut night in the Champions League, with Mbappe and Angel Di Maria both missing when one-on-one from offside positions.  Instead, the on-field official, Daniele Orsato took centre stage, dishing out before the break, though Ashley Young’s naughty late shove to send Di Maria hurtling into a painful collision with the railings went unpunished, with the Englishman already in the book.  That card had come when he was forced to haul Mbappe down, the 20-year-old for the most part isolated, but on two occasions displaying an electric a 50-yard burst and a clean pair of heels.  Having gifted him the chance to face PSG without two of their best players because of injury, the footballing gods turned on Solskjaer, as Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial both went down late in the first half.  Martial made it to the interval before being replaced by Juan Mata, while Lingard didn’t even get that far, making way for Alexis Sanchez in stoppage time.  The changes cost United some of their rhythm and impetus at the start of the second half, but they could not be blamed for Nemanja Matic’s baffling decision to let Kimpembe run free to open the scoring.  The Frenchman had had a torrid first half, being harried in possession, and perhaps lucky to escape a second yellow, but he galloped in at the back post unmarked to volley Di Maria’s corner past De Gea for a huge away goal.  And things got worse less than ten minutes later, as Mbappe gave both Lindelof and Bailly a ten yard head start and still got between the pair to slide Di Maria’s perfectly-weighted cross home.  United were on the ropes, PSG not nearly as bothered by the threat of Sanchez and Mata as they had been Martial and, in particular, Lingard.  Mbappe should’ve made it three, but could only dink straight at De Gea after a poor touch forced him wide, before the Spaniard had to tip over from Bernat.  United weathered the storm, and in doing so, probably just about kept themselves in the tie. Indeed, the fact that Solskjaer withdrew Rashford, rather than a more defensive player when throwing Romelu Lukaku into the mix late on, suggest he things 2-0 is a reversible deficit.  But they did little here, barely creating a chance against the colossal Thiago Silva, and Marquinhos, man-of-the-match and ludicrously comfortable in midfield, to suggest they will find a way through in Paris, where there will be no homecoming for Pogba, sent off late on for a horrible high challenge Dani Alves.  Can't see the Man Utd 0 PSG 2 blog? Click here to access our desktop page.