The FA finally appear to be making progress in the search for a new title sponsor for the England team, with Aviva among those interested.
It is almost two years since Vauxhall announced they would terminate their seven-year headline sponsorship deal with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland after the 2018 World Cup, worth £6million a year to the FA.
Sports Agenda understands, however, that the FA commercial team led by Mark Bullingham have a number of interested parties, with insurance giants Aviva, who have enjoyed major sponsorship deals with rugby and athletics, prominent among them.
The FA have a number of interested parties who want to be new sponsor of the England team
The FA are also looking for a new chief executive and senior figures are optimistic they will beat the Premier League to finding a new CEO, even though the two organisations have employed the same firm of head-hunters.
The Premier League job was always considered more attractive than succeeding Martin Glenn at the FA, not least because of the challenge of working with the blazers on the FA council.
How times have changed. While the Premier League have now been rejected by their first two choices, the FA are said to have a decent list of applicants.
Craig Bellamy awaits academy decision
When Craig Bellamy meets Cardiff City officials on Monday to discover the outcome of an investigation into claims that he bullied Under 18 players at the club’s academy, one hopes he does not react in the same way as when told he would not be succeeding Chris Coleman as Wales manager.
Craig Bellamy to discover the outcome of an investigation into bullying claims on Monday
Bellamy interviewed brilliantly for the job, impressing with his diligent preparation and explanation of how he has tempered the fiery attitude he had as a player to become a thoughtful coach.
But Sports Agenda understands that the 39-year-old, who stepped down as Cardiff’s Under 18 coach six weeks ago but insists he has always been fair, could not hide his upset when told the FAW had decided to give Ryan Giggs the role instead.
BBC are stumped by talkSPORT
It seems some at the BBC have not taken playing second fiddle to talkSPORT during England’s cricket tour of the West Indies with particularly good grace.
The commercial station, which won the rights to broadcast England’s tours of Sri Lanka and West Indies — as well as trips to South Africa (2020) and India (2021) — from BBC’s Test Match Special, has been referred to, rather sniffily, as ‘tabloid radio’.
And some Beeb employees continue to expect the privileges — in terms of player access and one-on-one interviews — they enjoy as rights-holders to England home matches.
News UK, the owners of talkSPORT, have also been monitoring Cricket Social, the offbeat commentary service broadcast on the BBC website from Salford, to ensure it does not stray into ball-by-ball action.
The irony of Test Match Special stalwart Jonathan Agnew having to contribute to the Cricket Social has not been lost on those who remember his obsession with Test Match Sofa, the original interactive commentary service started by
