host

Some clubs eschew the host family approach in favour of a boarding system, in which players live together in dormitories on club property, the most famous being Barcelona’s La Masia.

“There are strengths and weaknesses to both models,” says Sam Bayford, Brentford‘s academy head of safeguarding.

“The reason we went with our model is that we want to give the players a real break, a geographical and psychological separation rather than living with and sleeping next to the lads they’ve been training with all day.”

Adolescence is a key time for personal, physical and technical development in young footballers – done right, the management of an academy player’s living situation can propel them forwards.

From age 15 Theo Walcott spent two years living at Darwin Lodge, a boarding house run by Southampton until 2010, which the former England international credits with underpinning his successful career.

Walcott lived at the Lodge alongside players like Adam Lallana, Nathan Dyer, and Leon Best, and shared a bedroom with five-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale.

“Being around the other players all the time I found really hard at the start,” the former Arsenal winger tells BBC Sport. “But the environment was built to be like you were in a proper home.

“When you have a lot of good players in the same age group around each other constantly every day, you can feed off each other, always willing to do well together.

“People would act silly sometimes. You would come home and the lights would all be off and you’d know you were in trouble because Gareth and a lot of the other players would be waiting with their underpants on their head and batter you with pillows! You’d have to dart to your room but luckily I was quick.

“Put us all together in a room even now, it’s like we saw each other yesterday.”

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Chargers won Sunday, and now they wait.

After their 34-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Chargers can secure a spot in the postseason with a loss or tie by Houston or Indianapolis.

The Texans play host to Las Vegas in an afternoon game, and the Colts play host to San Francisco on Monday night.

It was the seventh win in eight games for the Chargers, who are on a season-long, four-game winning streak. Sunday marked the third time they have topped 30 points this season.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert turned in another gritty performance, throwing for two touchdowns and plunging over the goal line for a third.

A pivotal play by Herbert came on third-and-seven early in the fourth quarter, he kept the ball and scrambled for 34 yards. At the end of that run, his surgically repaired left hand collided with the helmet of his Cowboys tackler. The quarterback briefly writhed on the turf, but didn’t come out of the game.

Late in the game, as rookie Omarion Hampton ran for a touchdown, Herbert joined him in the end zone and exchanged high-fives with teammates, careful to protect his casted left hand.

Although the Cowboys came into Sunday’s game eliminated from postseason contention, they still had the NFL’s No. 1 offense and a potent passing attack led by Dak Prescott. He effectively neutralized the Chargers defense in the first half, with touchdown passes in the first and second quarters.

The Chargers close the regular season with a home game Saturday against Houston and a finale at Denver.

Loose Women host Kaye Adams bid farewell to another co-star on Friday

Another Loose Women exit has been confirmed as host Kaye Adams made a sad announcement on Friday (December 19).

Friday’s instalment of the beloved ITV programme was fronted by Kaye, alongside panellists Denise Welch, Katie Piper and Jane Moore, as they discussed the day’s biggest talking points.

As the show drew to a close, Kaye revealed that producer Helen Stuart would be leaving the programme today.

“We also have to say a very, very fond farewell to our lovely producer, Helen, who is going off to pastures new. So, you take with us your love, Helen,” Kaye announced.

Jane and Denise chimed in with their farewells, saying: “Good luck, Helen!” reports the Express.

The departure follows closely after fellow Loose Women producer Eleanor Cotter said goodbye to the show following an 11-year stint, amid a series of changes at ITV.

Kaye broke the news on Wednesday (December 17), stating: “I might have a little cry today because our cherished producer Elle, it’s her last day after 11 years. So, we’re going to say we love you, Elle,” whilst Nadia Sawalha expressed: “We’re so sad.”

Later during the broadcast, Kaye acknowledged other departing crew members, including floor manager Katie Keates.

“I mentioned our lovely Elle, our producer, just before the break there and it’s a few last days today in the studio, of course, because we’re moving studios,” the presenter explained.

“Katie, our lovely floor manager, who’s looked after us. We’ve known her since she was a girl. And lots of our crew actually as well, so thank you very much to all of you. They’re an amazing bunch of people, they really are.”

This follows ITV’s announcement earlier this year of significant changes to its daytime line-up, affecting Loose Women, Lorraine, This Morning, and Good Morning Britain.

From January 2026, these programmes will move to a new central London location and operate under a restructured broadcasting timetable. The shake-up will see Loose Women revert to its previous 12.30pm to 1.30pm slot on a 30-week “seasonal basis”.

The programme will also be scrapping its live studio audience, meaning comedian Lee Peart will step down from his role as warm-up act – a position he’s occupied since 2017.

Before his exit, Lee made an on-screen appearance during today’s Loose Women, presenting the competition segment, which is typically fronted by Jeff Brazier.

Loose Women airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 12.30pm

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website

The United States Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will hold talks in Miami, Florida, with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye as efforts continue to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, even as Israel repeatedly violates the truce on the ground.

A White House official told Al Jazeera Arabic on Friday that Witkoff is set to meet representatives from the three countries to discuss the future of the agreement aimed at halting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Axios separately reported that the meeting, scheduled for later on Friday, will include Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

At the same time, Israel’s public broadcaster, quoting an Israeli official, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a restricted security consultation to examine the second phase of the ceasefire and potential scenarios.

That official warned that Israel could launch a new military campaign to disarm Hamas if US President Donald Trump were to disengage from the Gaza process, while acknowledging that such a move was unlikely because Trump wants to preserve calm in the enclave.

Despite Washington’s insistence that the ceasefire remains intact, Israeli attacks have continued almost uninterrupted, as it continues to renege on the terms of the first phase, as it blocks the free flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.

According to an Al Jazeera analysis, Israeli forces carried out attacks on Gaza on 58 of the past 69 days of the truce, leaving only 11 days without reported deaths, injuries or violence.

In Washington, Trump said on Thursday that Netanyahu is likely to visit him in Florida during the Christmas holidays, as the US president presses for the launch of the agreement’s second phase.

“Yes, he will probably visit me in Florida. He wants to meet me. We haven’t formally arranged it yet, but he wants to meet me,” Trump told reporters.

Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating and guaranteeing the truce after a devastating two-year genocide in Gaza, have urged a transition to the second phase of the agreement. The plan includes a full Israeli military withdrawal and the deployment of an international stabilisation force (ISF).

Fragile truce, entrenched occupation

Qatar’s prime minister warned on Wednesday that daily Israeli breaches of the Gaza ceasefire are threatening the entire agreement, as he called for urgent progress towards the next phase of the deal to end Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Sheikh Mohammed made the appeal following talks with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, where he stressed that “delays and ceasefire violations endanger the entire process and place mediators in a difficult position”.

The ceasefire remains deeply unstable, and Palestinians and rights groups say it is a ceasefire only in name, amid Israeli violations and a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Since the truce took effect on October 10, 2025, Israel has repeatedly breached the agreement, killing hundreds of Palestinians.

Gaza’s Government Media Office says Israel committed at least 738 violations between October 10 and December 12, including air strikes, artillery fire and direct shootings.

Israeli forces shot at civilians 205 times, carried out 37 incursions beyond the so-called “yellow line”, bombed or shelled Gaza 358 times, demolished property on 138 occasions and detained 43 Palestinians, the office said.

Israel has also continued to block critical humanitarian aid while systematically destroying homes and infrastructure.

Against this backdrop, Israel Hayom quoted an Israeli security official as saying the so-called “yellow line” now marks Israel’s new border inside Gaza, adding that Israeli forces will not withdraw unless Hamas is disarmed. The official said the army is preparing to remain there indefinitely.

The newspaper also reported that Israeli military leaders are proposing continued control over half of Gaza, underscoring Israel’s apparent intent to entrench its occupation rather than implement a genuine ceasefire.

Compounding the misery in Gaza, a huge storm that recently hit the Strip has killed at least 13 people as torrential rains and fierce winds flooded tents and caused damaged buildings to collapse.

Israel’s two-year war has decimated more than 80 percent of the structures across Gaza, forcing hundreds of thousands of families to take refuge in flimsy tents or overcrowded makeshift shelters.

ESPN veteran Elle Duncan is leaving the network next year to become the lead host for Netflix Sports.

The streamer announced Thursday that Duncan will be the signature talent for its growing roster of live sports events. She will make her Netflix debut next year for with Skyscraper Live, where free solo climber Alex Honnold will attempt to scale Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan.

Duncan, 42, had her final “SportsCenter” appearance on Wednesday. In addition to ESPN’s flagship show, she appeared on “WNBA Countdown” and “College GameDay.” She joined ESPN in 2016.

Duncan will be familiar face to sports fans, some of whom are still adapting to watching sports on a streaming platform.

“Elle Duncan’s proven ability to seamlessly move between hard-hitting sports analysis and warm, personality-driven cultural hosting makes her a perfect fit at Netflix,” Gabe Spitzer, Vice President, Sports, Netflix said in a statement. “She immediately adds credibility and familiar star power to our global programming slate.”

Netflix has been expanding its portfolio of live sporting events, including a new deal with Major League Baseball that gives the streamer the right to the season opener, the Home Run Derby and the Field of Dreams game for the next three years.

Netflix also has a double header of NFL games on Christmas day and has been the platform for a number of boxing events, including Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford super middleweight bout in September.

The streamer also became the exclusive video home for podcasts from Barstool Sports, the bro-centric digital media company led by Dave Portnoy. The video versions of “Pardon My Take,” “The Ryen Russillo Podcast,” and “Spittin Chiclets” will stream on Netflix starting next year.

The 2026 World Cup will be held across three countries, and there’s one city using its stadium, which has been named the cheapest destination to visit, with affordable hotels

Football fans are gearing up for a major sporting event as the 2026 World Cup is just months away, and one of the major talking points is price.

England fans were left facing prices starting at £200 for the Group opener with Croatia and over £4,000 for a World Cup final seat, before FIFA made a small concession this week. The footballing body released a new set of cut-price World Cup tickets in the wake of the backlash, now guaranteeing a range of tickets at a fixed cost of £45 for every game at next summer’s tournament.

The cost of travel to the United States, Mexico, or Canada, and the eye-watering price of accommodation once there, means a trip is beyond the means of many hardcore football supporters, even if they manage to obtain one of the cheap tickets.

Happily, there is one host city in particular that bucks the hefty price-tag trend.

Monterrey in Mexico has been named the most affordable host destination to visit during the World Cup. According to Expedia’s Fan Travel Outlook which looked at Hotels.com data, the average daily rate of a hotel in Monterrey is £179, making it the most affordable of all the World Cup hosts.

At its stunning Estadio BBVA stadium, where the Cerro de la Silla mountain hangs over the pitch, four matches will be played. Teams including Tunisia, Japan, South Africa and South Korea will take to the turf.

On match days next June, there are some great deals to be had in Monterrey. They include:

• MV Suites, book on Hotels.com from £42 a night, a double room three miles from the stadium
• Loft MN960 Mty, book on Hotels.com from £83 per night for a room with two double beds in a city centre apartment
• Ibis Monterrey Valle, book on Hotels.com from £387 per night for one standard double room
• Autentico Monterrey, book on Hotels.com from £279 per night for one standard room that sleeps two
• Best Western Plus Monterrey Colon, book on Hotels.com from £320 per night for one standard room that sleeps four

The average hotel room cost in Monterrey is in stark contrast to the cost of a hotel in Vancouver, is currently setting back the average fan £475 for a one night stay.

Monterrey is set against the backdrop of the majestic Sierra Madre mountains, with the addition of parks like Chipinque, making it an ideal destination for hiking, biking, or taking a stroll around the nearby waterfalls. The city itself is modern, with a major industrial and business hub; yet, its culture and food scene, boasting local cuisine, is not to be missed.

Elsewhere, visitors can take advantage of the shopping opportunities at various outlets, explore museums like MARCO, and stroll through the vibrant streets. However, with sprawling landscapes and mountains surrounding Monterrey, the outdoor activities and hiking opportunities may be just what you need.

Mexico City was also named the best value for money during the World Cup. So if you’re hoping to catch a game and save some extra money, these, along with Monterrey, could be your best option.

Head of Expedia Group brands public relations, Melanie Fish, said: “The moment team draws were made, fans swarmed the Expedia app to make travel plans, with football-crazed nations like England leading the front line.

“Expedia’s Fan Travel Outlook is here to help fans come for football, stay for more: road-trip between host cities, fly into alternative airports, don’t forget holiday homes for extra space and use Expedia’s price tracking tool to score the amazing deals.

“The majority of host cities are seeing a surge in searches and prices. Some hotels closest to the stadiums are expected to sell out, so fans who want to make the trip should book sooner rather than later. If your plans aren’t set yet, use the Hotels.com Free Cancellation filter to secure a refundable rate before your options run out.”

For more information or to book your trip for the World Cup next year, you can visit the Expedia or Hotels.com websites.

The 2026 World Cup will kick off on June 11, as 48 football teams compete for their chance to win the coveted trophy for their country, with the final match scheduled for July 19. The World Cup will take place across 16 stadiums, spread across three destinations: 11 in the United States, two in Canada and three in Mexico.

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