IN BRIEF

SPORT

Gosling and Prince's Trust to deliver tennis

Gosling Sports Park has

launched a new partnership scheme with the Prince's Trust called xl clubs, a team-based programme of personal development for students in their last two years of compulsory schooling. Gosling – one of four International High Performance Tennis Centres in the UK – will offer its top tennis facilities and Gosling tennis coaches to help improve tennis opportunity for all, particularly local young people.

Redbridge revamp advances to next stage

Redbridge Sports and Leisure has secured £250,000 worth of funding, allowing it to embark on the next phase of redevelopment work at the Redbridge Sports Centre. The independent leisure trust has been awarded £250,000 from the London Marathon Trust towards the cost of a new 12-court indoor sports hall, which will accommodate badminton and netball. The grant has been secured following a two-year fundraising campaign as the trust aims to build a new Olympic-standard sports hall.

Former FA chief 'voiced club finances concern'

A leaked report compiled by

former Football Association (FA) chief executive Ian Watmore has warned that more clubs may be on the verge of financial difficulties. According to the document seen by BBC Radio 4's

The Report programme, Watmore

wrote the report before resigning from the FA and suggested more clubs could be facing ruin. Efforts to introduce increased scrutiny over clubs' financial affairs have reportedly been opposed by both the Premier League and the Football League.

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£500,000 for university sports plans

London institution receives Sport England boost towards redevelopment scheme

By Pete Hayman

Plans to redevelop and expand St Mary's University College's sports complex in Twickenham, London, ahead of the 2012 Olympics have been handed a £500,000 boost. Sport England agreed the

grant through its Community Involvement Fund, which will go towards the cost of a new-build part of a wider £8m project to upgrade facilities. The new-build element will

boast a sports hall, a strength and conditioning suite and changing facilities, and is set to be connected to an existing games hall and sports block. Existing facilities will also be

refurbished as part of the project, which is due to be

The new-build element of the project will boast a new sports hall

completed in summer 2011 and will see the centre used as a 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp for the South African squad. It is also hoped the new

facilities – designed by Rivington Street Studio and to be delivered by Morgan

Ashurst – will help develop stronger partnerships with the local community. Professor Richard Fisher,

head of St Mary's 2012 preparations, said: "It has been a long process but now the final part of funding is in place."

O2 Arena group reveals Olympic Stadium interest

By Pete Hayman

O2 Arena operator AEG has revealed that it is interested in taking over the running of London's Olympic Stadium following the 2012 Games. The group is believed to be

among a number of potential bidders that have expressed an interest in assuming control of the venue with the Olympic Park Legacy Company. Although the bidding process for the right to run the stadium

AEG has confirmed its interest in running the venue post-2012

is at an early stage, an AEG spokesperson said: "Creating an ongoing success in East

much unloved Millennium Dome into the world's most successful venue in the form of The O2 and think, with reason, we understand East London better than most." Other potential bidders

include a joint venture between West Ham United Football Club and Newham Council, while Essex County Cricket Club are also reportedly interested.

London 2012 chiefs report 'healthy' ticket demand

London 2012 organisers have confirmed that more than 1 million people have registered their interest in obtaining tickets to attend Olympic and Paralympic events. Nearly all – 96 per cent – of ticket registrations came from UK residents, with nearly a third

from Greater London. More than 40 per cent were from people outside south east England. Sebastian Coe, the chair of London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and

Paralympic Games, said: "What has been really interesting is that there has been significant interest across all Olympic and Paralympic sports."

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