Premier divide widens

THE parlous state of the Premier League’s collective approach is demonstrated by events since the last official meeting.

The day after representatives from traditional giants Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal met over dinner in New York to discuss their TV approach, 11 clubs on the other side of the TV rights divide told the Premier League they would not accept proposals for changing the formula. The big three met even though Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was arriving in New York two days later.

PL executive chairman Richard Scudamore will want to repair the growing differences before the big clubs eventually appeal to the broadcast regulator OFCOM for the right to negotiate their own overseas rights. SKY

have commissioned a second docu-series on how aspiring footballers progress at Jamie Vardy’s academy. This follows four of the non-League players from the first series joining professional clubs following their exposure on the show. The series is produced by Danny Fenton’s Zig Zag Productions, who draw Vardy academy students from the fifth to ninth football tiers. THE ECB have a lot of work to do to match the digital marketing sweep of Australia’s Big Bash, on which a lot of their T20 city franchise plans are based. Sports Agenda is still inundated with Melbourne Renegades publicity material despite having watched only one of their matches — briefly — four years ago.