Huge congratulations to Hugh Cooney, one of our final year BSc Sport & Exercise Management students, who has been named as one of four Development Players for the forthcoming Guinness Men’s Six Nations. Ireland opens its 2025 Championship against England at the Aviva Stadium on

I left Comoros today, my 178th country. Now I’m back in Nairobi after 20 years, en route to Uganda to help plan a new UCD Volunteers Oversees GAA project. Before that, this was a strong contender for the maddest Bank Holiday weekend ever: 🇪🇬🇹🇿🇰🇲🇺🇬

Imagine how out of touch you need to be to assume the problem here is the scoreline and not the extortionate ticket prices. Goals are not guaranteed. A 0-0 can be a great point, hard earned - with a clean sheet. Football clubs need to stop exploiting fan loyalty.

The shift from paper to mobile match tickets was inevitable, but it’s sad to see stubs become relics of the past. Ticket collections hold so many memories and stories. After completing The 92 again Bromley FC this is all 113 English Football League clubs this century - bar one.

I dread seeing Hillsborough posts from outsiders - it’s usually tragedy taunts/jokes. But this post and the replies are well worth reading. Respectful fans of so many clubs recalling countless matches that nearly became disasters. It happened to us, but it could have been you.

The Football Collective conference is coming to Belfast. It will be hosted by Ulster University Thursday 27th and Friday 28th November 2025. The venue is the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park. See you there. Further details will be posted here thefootballcollective.com/2025-belfast

A sad end to a tough season in the Danish Superliga. The highs of promotion followed by the lows of relegation After two seasons I have left my role as Head of Research at Aalborg. Excited for a new venture in September Wishing everyone at AaB and others departing every success

It’s sad that he’s left, but I wish him well for the future. He gave his all for #LFC - He got the league title, and the parade. “It’s not so important what people think when you come in. It’s much more important what people think when you leave.” All the best, Johnny Heitinga

The new book has just arrived published by Palgrave Macmillan in the SDG Series. Sport, Development and Peace: Critical Global Challenges. Contexts and projects spanning six continents. A stellar cast of scholars from 🇦🇺🇨🇦🇫🇷🇮🇪🇿🇦🇨🇭🇬🇧🇺🇸🇿🇲 Available here: link.springer.com/book/10.1007/9…

North of the Arctic Circle - at 68°North 🇳🇴 A journey around Norway’s Lofoten Islands. Snow in July, sunshine at midnight. Whale watching on ferries, whale eating in restaurants. Driving from Å to Bodø, in search of an iconic football ground.

Diaz wants to leave and will do so a champion and a hero. £69m for a 28yr-old with 2yrs on his contract, bought for £37m. Ekitike cost £79m and is 23 (just). Wirtz will wear the no.7 well. Now, about the no.9… #LFC Spending earnings and building from strength. #FSGOutStanding