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      Iconic EFL club saved from extinction just weeks before they were set to fold forever

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      NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH side Torquay United look to have been saved from extinction by a consortium of fans.It comes just weeks before the club was set to fold after going into administration.Torquay are set to be saved from extinction by a consortium of fansCredit: GettyThe Byrn Consortium have agreed a deal to buy the club, subject to creditor approvalCredit: RexA statement from the administrators of Torquay revealed the Bryn Consortium had been named as the preferred bidder after a sale agreement was reached between the two parties.The group consists of Gulls fans Michael Westcott, Mark Bowes-Cavanagh, Tom Allen, Rob Hawes and Simon Robinson and is subject to creditor approval.It comes following failed talks with a previous preferred bidder. A statement shared on Torquay’s website said: “A sale agreement for Torquay United AFC Limited has been reached with The Bryn Consortium of Michael Westcott, Mark Bowes-Cavanagh, Tom Allen, Rob Hawes and Simon Robinson, subject to creditor approval.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”The proposed company voluntary arrangement would see all tax debts and trade creditors paid in full within six months.”Under the terms of the agreement, Torquay United AFC Limited would continue to operate the football club with the new owner becoming the controlling shareholder.”Former owner Clarke Osborne announced in February that he and his partners could no longer fund the club after failing to find a buyer.Torquay, who were in League Two as recently as 2014, were formally put into administration in April after Osborne’s loans to the club rose to £5.28million.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSThe Gulls were deducted ten points by the National League in March – dropping them from 12th to 17th in the table – before being docked an additional point for fielding a suspended player.They finished the season in 18th place – their lowest ever finish in the football pyramid, but crucially avoided dropping into the seventh tier by seven points.Huge changes being made to English football schedule next seasonOn the deal, joint administrator and partner at Begbies Traynor’s Exeter office, Scott Kippax, said: “This proposal is the best possible outcome for creditors, the club, and the fans. “We are delighted to have reached the point of a conditional sale agreement, which would see all tax debts and trade creditors settled in full in a relatively short period of time. “It is good news for the long-term future of the club, and we are pleased to be able to present such a favourable proposal to creditors.”Bryn Consortium lead Wescott added: “We are delighted to have provided a positive outcome for all creditors and provided a future for our beloved football club.  “There is much work to be done in the coming days and weeks, and we will issue a series of updates to supporters next week on the preparations and plans for the forthcoming season.”Torquay United Supporters Trust (TUST) welcomed the move, saying in a statement: “TUST is delighted that the Bryn Consortium are the new custodians of Torquay United, heralding a new era for the long-term future of our football club.”Nick Brodrick of TUST added: “Like the club statement says, there is obviously going to be a lot of work now. There has been a lot of work but it is going to intensify as we go through the next few weeks.”Despite not being part of the club’s ownership structure, TUST played a role in the change of ownership and will hold a meeting with the Bryn Consortium on Monday to formalise their involvement.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe club have not released its retained player list and are yet to decide on their manager for next season, with Aaron Downes in interim charge after Gary Johnson left in February.The Bryn Consortium will be the fourth group to have owned the Gulls since 2007.Who are these famous footballers? More

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      EFL club granted permission to build new 16,000-seater stadium on 250-YEAR deal.. with shock plan for current ground

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      OXFORD UNITED have been granted permission to build a new 16,000-seater ground on a staggering 250-year deal.According to BBC Radio Oxford Sport, the U’s and Oxfordshire County Council have signed the legally binding agreement on a lease at Triangle site near Kidlington.Oxford United have been granted permission to build a new 16,000-seater stadiumCredit: XThe club, though, must honour pledges to the community on social, environmental and economic benefits. And the agreement currently hinges on planning permission being granted by Cherwell District Council.This comes after recent news suggesting Oxford’s current ground the Kassam Stadium will become a driving school for kids.Parts of the Kassam are set to be transformed into a realistic road for learner drivers to practice on.Read More on FootballYoung Driver will change a section of the club’s car park into a road equipped with roundabouts, junctions as well as traffic signs.It will also include areas for prospective drivers – some of whom will be as young as 10 – to practice on their manoeuvres.And the EFL club is now set to be on the move within the next few years.An excerpt of a club statement read last month: “Our focus is on securing the long-term future of Oxford United and delivering on our commitments to the Oxfordshire community.Most read in EFLBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS”The Heads of Terms being agreed is another step towards that ambition.”We’re delighted Oxfordshire County Council has also given an undertaking to sign the remaining key legal and partnership agreements this week.EFL fans in hysterics as ‘absolutely golden’ Neil Warnock returns to live TV with brutal dig at his former players “This shows the club has met the council’s criteria and addressed their strategic priorities.”Who are these famous footballers? More

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      Norwich defender Shane Duffy arrested and charged with drink-driving after two-vehicle smash

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      NORWICH star Shane Duffy has been charged with drink driving.The former Premier League star is due to appear before magistrates in Norwich in July.Shane Duffy is due to appear in court charged with drink drivingCredit: AlamyDuffy, 32, was arrested in Hethersett, near Norwich, late on Monday after a collision involving two vehicles.A spokesperson for Norfolk Police said: “Police were called to Queen’s Road, Hethersett, 21:05, on Monday May 6, following reports of a two-vehicle collision.”Emergency services attended the scene and a man, aged in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving. He was taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning.”No one was injured.”READ MORE IN FOOTBALLDuffy has responded through a spokesperson who said: “[Duffy has been] charged with driving whilst unfit through drink, having provided an evidential breath sample of 102mcg.”A Norwich City spokesman said: “Norwich City Football Club is aware of an incident involving one of its first-team players.”The club is in the process of considering the matter internally in accordance with its own disciplinary procedure.”Duffy is due to play for Norwich against Leeds United in the Championship play-offs, with the first leg on Sunday.Most read in EFLThe Republic of Ireland star has featured in 36 league games for the Canaries this season.He signed for the club last season after a short-lived spell at Fulham where he made just seven appearances. More

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      Superfan Ed Sheeran belts out iconic Ipswich chant alongside players at ‘beautiful’ Premier League promotion party

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      ED SHEERAN was joined by Ipswich players as the Tractor Boys continued their celebrations after reaching the Premier League.Kieran McKenna’s team secured back-to-back promotions on the final day of the Championship season, avoiding the play-offs.After performing in Miami and appearing at the Met Gala, Ed Sheeran invited the Ipswich players to a night outCredit: X/EDSHEERANThe singer was surrounded by Ipswich players as they sang about “Super Kieran McKenna”Conor Chaplin (left) demanded to be given the mic at the end of the videoCredit: X/EDSHEERANIn the video, Sheeran plays his guitar as the players join him in singing songs such as “We’ve got Super Kieran McKenna.”Everyone continues to jump up and dance, celebrating this momentous occasion.Sheeran, who is the club’s shirt sponsor, has prominently shown his support to his boyhood club throughout the season.In October, he joined the celebrations in the changing room after a huge win against Hull City.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLThe singer was unable to watch the final-day victory at Portman Road because he was scheduled to perform at the Miami Grand Prix.But that did not stop him from joining in the celebrations when he returned back home.The official Ed Sheeran account posted on X: “Ed and Ipswich Town players last night…😅”Celebrating their Premier League promotion 💙🍾.”Most read in ChampionshipCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSKieran McKenna had arrived at Portman Road in December 2021 with the club in mid-table but managed to turn things round to gain automatic promotion.And despite expectations of a relegation scrap this season, the club repeated their success and secured promotion to the Premier League.Ed Sheeran has been seen at Portman Road on a number of occasions but was unable to come to the final game of the seasonCredit: REUTERSIpswich celebrated their promotion with an open-top bus paradeCredit: REUTERSWho are these famous footballers? More

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      Inside Ipswich’s multi-million pound Premier League plan with ‘non-negotiable changes’ and ‘hell of a lot to do’

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      IPSWICH TOWN are set to splash out “several million pounds” after earning Premier League promotion.The Suffolk side were automatically promoted to the top flight after securing 96 points in a remarkable 90-goal Championship campaign.Ipswich’s Kayden Jackson led the celebrations after his club earned back-to-back promotionsCredit: RexBut the club are set to spend millions in order to host Prem football next yearCredit: PAVAR will need to be installed at Portman Road ahead of it’s return to the PremCredit: Getty Images – GettyIt will be the first time in 22 years that the Tractor Boys will be in the top tier after Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Huddersfield, who were relegated to League One.But chief executive Mark Ashton said there was “a hell of a lot of work to do” to ensure the club’s facilities met league standards.He said a planning application for a “big build” at the Playford Road training ground was to be submitted imminently.It followed Premier League officials visiting the club in January and handing over a list of work that would need to be done if Kieran McKenna’s side were promoted.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSRegulations show all top-flight teams need to have installed goal-line technology in order to compete.They must also facilitate the installation of equipment that would enable the use of video assistant refereeing.Ashton told BBC Radio Suffolk: “There’s several million pounds worth of works to do.”That’s going to mean some quite big infrastructure changes at Portman Road over the summer.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThe 52-year-old said builders had already been on site at Playford Road to plan the impending improvements.He added: It’s going to see some changes, it’s things we have to do that are non-negotiable from the Premier League.EXCLUSIVE: Kieran McKenna addresses his Ipswich future, what he learned from Jose Mourinho and wanting Premier League football”Once I’ve had time to breathe, I’ll talk to the fans so they know what’s going on.”But Ipswich’s promotion will bring millions to the area.Terry Baxter, who represents local businesses in Ipswich Central Business Improvement District, said the financial and emotional benefits will be “massive”.He told ITV: “We’re talking about somewhere between £500 and £600 million worth of economic benefit to the area and that’s huge for a town like Ipswich.”Similarly, Luton Town had to splash out similar amounts of cash after they were promoted to the Premier League following last season’s play-off final victory over Coventry.The Hatters were forced into paying out £10m on a new stand to meet the league’s broadcast requirements at Kenilworth Road.READ MORE SUN STORIESMuch was made of their historic home – particularly the away end that requires fans to walk over local residents’ back gardens.However, Ipswich will likely not have to fork out as much, given that their tier structures do meet the standards, after the Sir Alf Ramsey was rebuilt in 2001, and Sir Bobby Robson stand in 2009.Luton were forced into delaying home fixtures this seasonStairs lead up to the Oak Stand, running above residents’ gardens More

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      Major broadcasting change as 3pm blackout SCRAPPED for opening weekend of EFL season as part of new £930m deal

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      EVERY EFL game will be streamed live on the opening weekend of next season – including the matches kicking off at 3pm.Sky’s new deal with the league means 10 matches across the three divisions will be shown every weekend, with six of them shifted to the 12.30pm Saturday slot.Sky Sports have agreed a bumper new deal with the EFLCredit: GettyThe deal will see more games televised from the Championship, League One and League TwoCredit: GettyBut the expansion to more than 1000 live games per season means fans of all 72 EFL clubs are guaranteed to be able to see their club in action at least 20 times.Sky’s £930m five-year deal with the EFL kicks off in August, when the broadcaster will launch a new free streaming channel as part of current subscriptions.Sky Sports+ will offer 50 per cent more live sport and up to 100 streams at once.It will see five Championship matches and five more from across Leagues One and Two each weekend in the current broadcasting slots.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAll matches played midweek and on Bank Holidays will also be available for fans to watch.Every Championship match will be covered by at least six cameras, with four cameras at the League One grounds and a minimum two in the bottom tier, with commentary for all matches.Jonathan Licht, Sky Sports managing director, promised: “We are making a commitment to every club in the EFL and this is a big step-change for League One and Two.“This season, 20 of the 48 clubs in those divisions were not covered live even once.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS“But we will also announce in July all the games we are screening live up until the first week in January. “And by the start of November that will be extended to the beginning of March, to give fans as much notice as we can.”The opening weekend plans from Friday August 9 are possible because the FA only applies for the 3pm “blackout” rule to apply when 50 per cent of Prem and Championship matches are kicking off – with the top flight starting a week later.Licht added: “This is going to be a huge moment for football fans up and down the country and a fitting way to kick off our ground-breaking new partnership with the EFL.” More

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      How little-known rule led to Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham culling eight promotion winners including former captain

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      WREXHAM have released eight promotion-winning stars as they prepare for life in League One.The Red Dragons will compete in the third tier for the first time since 2005 after coming second in League Two under boss Phil Parkinson.Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham have had to make some tricky decisionsCredit: PAExperienced midfielder Luke Young has not had his contract renewedCredit: GettyStalwart Ben Tozer has also been releasedCredit: GettyFollowing back-to-back promotions, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s men are set to retool in order to compete as best they can.In the days following the conclusion of the League Two season, Wrexham made eight players aware that they would not be having their deals renewed.These included former captains Ben Tozer and Luke Young, with the Plymouth-born duo departing having made 377 appearances between them.Aaron Hayden, Rob Lainton, Callum McFadzean, Jordan Tunnicliffe and Owen Cushion have also been let go.READ MORE WREXHAM NEWSExplaining the difficult decisions, Parkinson, 56, said: “People are not completely aware of that rule.”We have got to work towards the 22-man squad and inevitably, the only way we can bring players in is by letting people go.”The aim has always been to improve what we have got in each transfer window but also maintaining our key players.”That’s what we will be aiming to do this time. It is going to be an interesting summer, we have got ideas how we would like to see the squad shape up.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSPhil Parkinson has explained Wrexham’s decision making processCredit: Rex”We will take our time and hopefully get a squad which can be competitive.”Clubs in League One must submit 22-man squad lists, featuring a minimum of eight homegrown players. Ryan Reynolds reveals ‘absolute idiocy’ Wrexham gaffe that cost him and Rob McElhenney a fortuneGoalkeepers or players under 21 do not need to be registered on the list.Wrexham have offered new deals to Steven Fletcher, Mark Howard and Aaron James.While Irish international and former Premier League star James McClean is among the players that have been retained.The Red Dragons’ executive director Humphrey Ker is hopeful of a top half finish upon his side’s return to the third tier.Here is a rundown of Wrexham’s full list of players that have been released and retained.Here is a rundown of Wrexham’s full list of players that have been released and retained.
      Released:

      Aaron Hayden
      Rob Lainton
      Callum McFadzean
      Ben Tozer
      Jordan Tunnicliffe
      Luke Young
      Owen Cushion
      Dan Davies

      Offers:

      Steven Fletcher
      Mark Howard
      Aaron James

      Retained:

      James McClean
      Harry Ashfield
      Callum Edwards
      Liam Hall
      James Rainbird

      Decision Pending:

      Scott Butler
      Harry Dean

      ‘Stranger things than promotion have happened’He told the Independent: “I think we’ve often talked about the idea that it takes three transfer windows to really build a squad into what you need to compete in any one division and next season will be one window shorter than that.”But I think the core of this team is very strong. They’re very strong personalities, good players and they love each other, so that’s a great basis to build from.”We’ll be adding players in the summer and sadly saying goodbye to one or two, which is sort of just the nature of football, and then we’ll sort of see where we wind up.”Inside the building, we’re like, ‘Look, our objective is get up and stay up, stabilise and build a good platform and go again the following year.’”But stranger things than promotion have happened – we might go through the division again.READ MORE SUN STORIES”To be honest, that would probably be too fast for us. It wouldn’t actually be that good for the club as a whole if we did go all the way through this year because we’d just be going so quickly.”Then we’d be trying to catch up with infrastructure and our facilities and everything would be a big, big challenge. So I think something nice and comfortable – upper mid-table, please! Tenth. I’d be very happy with that.”Humphrey Ker has outlined Wrexham’s ambitions for next seasonCredit: Getty More

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      Football Manager expert, 23, makes critics eat their words as non-league minnows are promoted to EFL for first time

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      FOOTBALL MANAGER expert Nathan Owolabi has helped Bromley win promotion to the EFL for the first time in their history.The Ravens beat Solihull Moors in a Wembley penalty shoot-out to win the National League play-offs on Sunday.Nathan Owolabi joined Bromley in FebruaryAnd they had help in their promotion campaign from an unlikely source – football manager enthusiast Owolabi.The 23-year-old was appointed Support Performance Tactician in February as part of Bromley’s partnership with Xbox and video game Football Manager.And he has been part of the first-team set-up ever since, learning from the coaching staff and manager Andy Woodman.Bromley have also documented his time at the club through YouTube series ‘The Everyday Tactician’.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLWhen advertising the job at the end of last year, club officials announced they were looking for “a talented Football Manager gamer to test their skills in the real world”.Woodman was quick to insist that it wasn’t a “gimmick” and instead revealed he thought it was a “brilliant” idea.After winning the competition, Owolabi said: “The interview process was a good experience and it was a lot more comfortable than I expected which allowed me to give the best impression of myself.“This is a great opportunity for me and to be working at a club looking to get into the football league is invaluable to me.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS“I can’t wait to get started and begin this exciting adventure.”Owolabi will now have the opportunity to put his skills to the test in the EFL next season, with Bromley achieving promotion alongside Chesterfield.’I might’ve chinned him’ – Neil Warnock labelled ‘actually unreal’ as ex-EFL boss takes issue with post-match interview More