Female football was set to boom following the success of last year's FIFA Women's World Cup in France. More than a billion viewers tuned in worldwide to the tournament. But then the coronavirus struck. Ivana Davidovic hears from Chelsea defender Anita Asante on the injustice of England's Women's Super League being cancelled while their male counterparts in the Premier League are returning to play. While in Colombia, all but one team has stopped paying its players, forcing some to rely on food parcels. Football writer Suzy Wrack considers whether the sponsorship model in the USA is the one to follow with the National Women's Soccer League being the first American league to return post-lockdown. And Tatjana Haenni, former director of women's football at FIFA, calls for world football's governing body to finally deliver on their promise of equality. PHOTO: Catalina Usme, Getty Images
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Premier League clubs face £1bn revenue drop
Premier League clubs are likely to see revenue fall by £1bn in their 2019-20 accounts because of the coronavirus pandemic, predicts Deloitte.
Top Stories
Premier League clubs face £1bn revenue drop
Premier League clubs are likely to see revenue fall by £1bn in their 2019-20 accounts because of the coronavirus pandemic, predicts Deloitte.
'Threat of clubs going bust not gone away'
The threat of clubs going bust because of the financial impact of Covid-19 has not gone away, says Football League chairman Rick Parry.
League One & Two seasons ended early
The League One and League Two seasons are both ended early after a formal vote by clubs on Tuesday.
Minimum seven live games a week on BBC Radio 5 live
A minimum of seven games will be broadcast live every week on BBC Radio 5 live when the Premier League returns later this month.
Amazon make Premier League games free
Amazon Prime will make its four Premier League games free to air when the season restarts.
F1 season to start with eight races in Europe
The 2020 Formula 1 season will start in Austria on 5 July, the first of a run of eight races in Europe.
Existing salary cap level to remain
Super League clubs vote unanimously to retain the existing salary cap regulations in rugby league’s top tier.
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Premier League clubs face £1bn revenue drop
Premier League clubs are likely to see revenue fall by £1bn in their 2019-20 accounts because of the coronavirus pandemic, predicts Deloitte.
'Threat of clubs going bust not gone away'
The threat of clubs going bust because of the financial impact of Covid-19 has not gone away, says Football League chairman Rick Parry.
League One & Two seasons ended early
The League One and League Two seasons are both ended early after a formal vote by clubs on Tuesday.
Minimum seven live games a week on BBC Radio 5 live
A minimum of seven games will be broadcast live every week on BBC Radio 5 live when the Premier League returns later this month.
Amazon make Premier League games free
Amazon Prime will make its four Premier League games free to air when the season restarts.
F1 season to start with eight races in Europe
The 2020 Formula 1 season will start in Austria on 5 July, the first of a run of eight races in Europe.
Existing salary cap level to remain
Super League clubs vote unanimously to retain the existing salary cap regulations in rugby league’s top tier.
'Threat of clubs going bust not gone away'
The threat of clubs going bust because of the financial impact of Covid-19 has not gone away, says Football League chairman Rick Parry.
League One & Two seasons ended early
The League One and League Two seasons are both ended early after a formal vote by clubs on Tuesday.
Minimum seven live games a week on BBC Radio 5 live
A minimum of seven games will be broadcast live every week on BBC Radio 5 live when the Premier League returns later this month.
Latest Updates
Sport bosses warn of huge financial losses due to virus
Sport bosses warned of huge financial losses due to the coronavirus pandemic when they appeared before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee of MPs.
English Football League chairman Rick Parry warned clubs could face a £200m hole by September while the English and Wales Cricket Board chief Tom Harrison said it could cost the body £380m.
Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney added cancelling England's Autumn Tests, against New Zealand, Tonga, Argentina and Australia, could cost £107m.
Parry also warned that the "lawyers are going to get wealthy" if the Premier League tried to stop three teams being promoted and relegated as part of plans to bring the season to a close.
Sport England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said his organisation's Community Emergency Fund for grassroots clubs hit by effects of the Covid-19 outbreak was oversubscribed.
"We would expect 4,000 applications in a year - over the last five weeks we have had 7,500 applications," he told the DCMS committee.
Barcelona are to give a sponsor naming rights to the Nou Camp for the first time and donate all the revenue to fighting coronavirus.
Read more
Justin Harper
BBC News
Sportswear giant Nike says online sales have helped cushion blow of widespread store closures during virus.
Read more
Sooraj Shah
Technology of Business reporter
Sports like NFL and rugby are taking head injuries much more seriously and employing technology to help.
Read moreWomen in sports: Changing the game
India has won 13 Olympic medals since the Sydney 2000 Olympics, and women account for five of them. In contrast, all 13 medals claimed by India pre-Sydney belong to men, signifying a change in paradigm in the nation's sporting landscape. But several challenges remain. In a country with a skewed sex ratio, gender discrimination, and striking disparities in opportunities for boys versus girls, it has taken sheer grit and guts for many of our sportswomen to come out shining and force a mindset change. Now, as the BBC launches its first-ever Indian Sportswoman of the Year award, WorklifeIndia asks how Indian women in sports can break barriers and change the game. Presenter: Devina Gupta Contributors: Anju Bobby George, former athlete and chairperson, Athletes’ Commission; Manisha Malhotra, former Olympic tennis player, head of sports excellence & scouting, JSW Sports; Vandana Vijay, TV editor, BBC Indian Languages
Justin Harper
BBC News
The company turning unused sports shirts and aeroplane seat leather into merchandise.
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The absence of Champions League football is largely responsible for the club bringing in less money.
Read moreChinese Grand Prix postponed due to coronavirus
The Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
The FIA, Formula 1's governing body, has accepted a request from Chinese organisers to postpone the Shanghai race, due to take place on 19 April.
In a statement, it added all parties would take the "appropriate amount of time" to discuss potential new dates.
The decision has been made to "ensure the health and safety" of drivers, staff and fans.
"The FIA F1 community looks forward to racing in China as soon as possible and wishes everyone in the country the best during this difficult time." the FIA said in a statement.
William Hill signs US sport betting deal with CBS
Bookmaker William Hill has signed a major sports betting deal in the US with media group CBS Sports.
It makes the FTSE 250 firm the "Official Sports Book and Wagering Data Provider" across all CBS Sports platforms.
That includes the opportunity to advertise to the 42 million people who visit the CBS sport website each month.
Bookmakers in the UK have been under increasing pressure in recent months, with a crackdown of fixed odds betting machines, and an upcoming ban on credit card betting.
Hence the desire by British operators to gain a foothold in the US market.
CBS Sports Digital offerings include SportsLine, a dedicated subscription platform for game picks and predictions that has seen strong subscriber growth in recent years; CBSSports.com; 24/7 streaming network CBS Sports HQ, which features the nightly SportsLine show focused on sports betting and delivered triple-digit viewership growth in 2019; CBS Sports Fantasy; CBS Sports apps; and 247Sports.
