Archive for the ‘Sport’ Category

St Helens Rugby League Club has been given the green light to build their new stadium after the Government Office for the North West decided not to send the scheme to public enquiry.

The new 18,000 capacity stadium will be built on the derelict United Glass site along with a Tesco Extra store. The new ground is expected to be complete by the beginning of 2011. The site of the existing stadium on Knowsley Road will be used for residential housing.

Saints’ chairman Eamonn McManus said, ‘This is excellent news for the club and its supporters. We are now looking at an identifiable timeframe and have avoided the onerous costs of a central government call in. This is another important hurdle out of the way and we look forward to the work and challenges ahead. In particular, I would like to thank the fans for their magnificent support for the project. The future of the club and of the town is looking very healthy indeed.’

Preparatory work on Liverpool FC’s new stadium at Stanley Park has commenced. Contractors Laing O’Rourke began enabling works on Monday under a licence granted by Liverpool City Council. No major construction will commence until a lease agreement between the two parties has been finalised.

Co-chairman George Gillett said, ‘This is a significant milestone for the club and I am delighted that the design received full planning consent and that we are now on site. We have been working very hard over the last six months to move the details of the design along but this is the first tangible evidence for fans that a new LFC stadium will be built.’

Providing all goes to plan, the new stadium is expected to open in time for the start of the 2011/12 football season.

Morecambe FC have delayed the opening of their new stadium at Westgate until July 2010. A statement on the club’s official website states ‘It was previously anticipated that all planning, legal and sales agreements would be completed by July 2008. However, the process has taken slightly longer than anticipated and all agreements are now scheduled to be completed by the end of September 2008. This delay therefore gives insufficient time to enable completion of the new stadium in time for the 2009/10 season. The Board remains confident that all approvals will be granted by the end of September and that work on the stadium will commence in May 2009 and will be ready for the start of the 2010/11 season.’

Plans for Everton’s new stadium in Kirkby were approved by Knowsley Borough Council’s planning committee yesterday. The scheme includes a 50,000 capacity stadium, a Tesco superstore, 50 shops, and a hotel. Because of the size of the project it will be referred to the Government Office North West, where a decision will be made whether to approve the plans or call for a public inquiry.

Former Manchester United striker Mark Hughes has been appointed as the new manager of Manchester City. He replaces Sven-Goran Eriksson, sacked by City owner Thaksin Shinawatra earlier this week.

Blackburn Rovers have given their former manager their best wishes. Club chairman John Williams said, ‘We have enjoyed a first class, mutually beneficial relationship with Mark. He leaves the club in a strong position with three consecutive top ten finishes and an excellent squad of players. In turn, we have helped Mark to establish himself as one of the most sought after young British managers in the business, having previously had no club management experience. We wish him well. We would have liked him to stay on, but he made it clear he wanted a fresh challenge.’

Former Bolton Wanderers manager ‘Big’ Sam Allardyce is the bookmakers’ favourite to take over at Ewood Park.

Bolton and District Civic Trust have unveiled a plaque to mark the birthplace of England footballer Alan Ball. The plaque, at a house on Brookhouse Avenue in Farnworth, has been funded by his former clubs.

At leaving school Ball had trials with Bolton Wanderers, but manager Bill Riding decided he was too small to be offered a professional deal. Despite this he went onto play for Blackpool, Everton, Arsenal, and England, appearing for the national side in the 1966 World Cup Final.

Alan Ball died in April last year after suffering a heart attack while attempting to put out a garden fire.

Manchester-based boxer Ricky Hatton will defend his IBO Light Welterweight title against Mexican Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24 2008. Tickets for the fight, dubbed the Homecoming, go on sale on March 14 at 10 am. Those unable to buy tickets will be able to watch the fight live on Sky Box Office.

Former world number one tennis player Martina Hingis will play in the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament in June. She will be part of the Legends event and will play her matches between June 13 and 15. Other former greats appearing include Goran Ivanisevic, Pat Cash, and Henri Leconte. The tournament will be held June 10 to 15 2008 at Calderstones Park in Liverpool.

Morecambe FC has submitted plans for a new 7,000 capacity stadium. The complex, in the Westgate area of the town, will also include a training pitch, community sports areas, and a 40-room hotel.

Bury Football Club have named former Gigg Lane favourite Alan Knill as their new manager. Knill made 144 appearances for Bury as a central defender between 1989 and 1993. He joins the club from Chesterfield FC, where he held the post of assistant manager since being sacked as Rotherham manager in March 2007.