football – The Orbital

Luton Town Football Club Face £120,000 Fine for Homophobic Chants

9Jan

By Beth McCowenNo Comments

News, Sports & Socs

Luton Town Football Club Face £120,000 Fine for Homophobic Chants

Image by Sky Sports By Beth McCowen Luton Town Football Club has been hit with a £120,000 fine and a two year action plan by the FA. The club has accepted the charge, which is a consequence of an incident that took place during the Town’s first game of the 2023/24 season on August 12th in Brighton, where a portion of the away side’s fans took part homophobic chanting. The action taken by the FA in this instance sends a strong message to both clubs and their supporters regarding the importance of stamping out all forms of discrimination. Luton were promoted to the Premier League, the top tier of football in England, after the 2022/23 season came to an end. Prior to this breakthrough, they had not been a part of the country’s top flight in footbal...

14Nov

By Lee MillerNo Comments

Sports & Socs

The Premier League Checkpoint

The 2021/22 English Premier League season has well and truly kicked off, but how is it shaping up? Leading the way is Chelsea, who are proving to be a well organised team. With the best defence and second most goals scored so far, it’s going to take a lot to slow this team down, their eyes set on a sixth premier league title. Liverpool remain the only unbeaten team. In close second, Liverpool’s squad are almost fully fit, desperate not to lose out due to injury as they did in previous seasons. Mo Salah, a forward for Liverpool, has been unplayable for the most part but if he makes a solid comeback that could be pivotal, allowing him to haunt his former team, Chelsea, come May 2022. Manchester City won't be happy with their start, having lost twice already. Pep Guardi...

Lily Parr: the lesbian football icon I didn’t know I needed

24Mar

By Maria GreenNo Comments

Culture & Literature, News

Lily Parr: the lesbian football icon I didn’t know I needed

I'll start off by saying that I don't like sports. I have little to no knowledge about most sports, P.E. was my least favourite lesson at school, and I spent the majority of Sports Days at home 'sick'. But while brainstorming ideas for this LGBT+ issue of Orbital and researching how many premier league footballers have come out as gay (hint: really, really not many at all), I stumbled across a woman who has now introduced me to the incredible history of women's football. Lily Parr's football career began in 1919, at a time when the popularity of women's football was at an unprecedented high, until the Football Association banned women from playing on their member grounds in 1921 (due to women's teams playing charity matches to raise money for the families of striking miners, and also...

Royal Holloway Men’s Football Charity Campaign

22Feb

By Hefina EverardNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Royal Holloway Men’s Football Charity Campaign

On the pitch, Royal Holloway Men's Football team excel in supporting one another- however, this year they've extended this support to off the pitch, with their ongoing charity work in support of 'Mind' and 'Movember'. I spoke to Jack Colman, Vice President of the club, below is what he had to say about their fundraising mission: Royal Holloway Men’s Football is a family. It comes with fun, incredible memories, and at times hardships and struggles. Our year-long fundraising and charity campaign focuses on men’s mental health, particularly targeting and supporting the well-known charity ‘Mind’. Our reasoning behind choosing mental health as our charitable campaign is that several of our members in their lifetime have either gone through, or are currently going through, stress or menta...

10Oct

By Jeyda HasipNo Comments

Sports & Socs

A Talk With Men’s Football

Men's Football is one of the largest clubs on campus and one of the biggest sports in the world. With the World Cup just finishing and England doing so well, I spoke to Royal Holloway's President of Men's Football, Remy Henry, to see what he had to say about the sport that is so close to all of our hearts. As someone who has played on the 1st team for two years, what aspired you to want to take it to the next level and run for President? My passion for Football is one of the main reasons why I decided to run for President. This ties into wanting to run for Men's Football to ensure that all of the members can benefit from being a part of the club, as well as ensuring that Men's Football is a club that is welcoming to everyone. You joined the 1st team as a fresher and will finish yo...

Football fraudsters ordered to payback £1m

31Oct

By No Comments

News

Football fraudsters ordered to payback £1m

Two convicted criminals have been ordered to pay back nearly £1m thanks to successful orders made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The pair who illegally sold access to Premier League football coverage are required to make a payback of £992,947.60 following a number of successful confiscations and forfeiture orders following a hearing at Guildford Crown Court on Friday (September 30). They have to pay back the money by January 3 2017, or at risk of serving a further six years behind bars. Hopkins, 47, of Park Road, Stoke Poges, Slough, Berkshire and Passlow, 58, of Broomfield Drive, Ascot, Berkshire were both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud between January 2008 and September 2012, in a prosecution by the Football Association Premier League (FAPL). Through the work of ...

26Feb

By No Comments

Sports & Socs

Charity Bingo Night!

Women’s Football have done it again, smashing what they could have ever hoped to achieve and raising £809 for Cancer Research UK in just two hours! Their secret..? Bingo! Charity Secretary of the club, Helena Fox spent the best part of two months organising the event which took place in Stumble Inn, chasing up various companies for their amazing donations, including many of Royal Holloway’s on campus outlets like the Students’ Union, Tommy’s Bar, Medicine, the College Shop, and the Sport’s Centre! “Bingo was unbelievable! I’m overwhelmed by how many people braved a freezing Thursday night to come out and support this incredible cause” says Helena. The night consisted of three rounds of bingo, hosted by the legend that is, Rhubarb TV’s Kate Burns, who had no trouble keeping it lively!...

Women’s Football – Still Walking on Water

26Nov

By No Comments

Sports & Socs

Women’s Football – Still Walking on Water

Currently undefeated and top of their BUCS league, Women’s Football’s first team faced Portsmouth in the first round of the South Eastern Conference Cup this Bears day, and were keen to maintain their winning streak! There was no question it would be a fast paced game, with right midfielder Alicia Lyne making some impressive runs down the wing, and setting up a beautiful cross for striker Flora Green making it 1-0 to Holloway in the 22nd minute! Krissie Glover set up Portsmouth’s subsequent own goal from an on point corner and went on to assist yet another Holloway goal placed neatly in the back of the net by Michelle Iversen Badiane in the second half! With Portsmouth having lost one of their best players to injury, as well as their keeper, who casually popped her shoulder back into pl...

#BearsDay- Triumph for Men’s Football VI: IMPERIAL 5’s 1-2 RHUL

18Nov

By No Comments

Sports & Socs

#BearsDay- Triumph for Men’s Football VI: IMPERIAL 5’s 1-2 RHUL

The lads of Royal Holloway football club's fourth team returned to campus with all three points, winning by two goals to one against Imperial fives. It was a game won thanks to organisation and communication across the pitch. The score line does not reflect the stream of chances that were carelessly squandered. Eventually on the stroke of half time a thirty-yard screamer from Geri Soni flew beyond the reach of Imperial’s to go into the break one up. It was to Holloway's disadvantage that the referee had a particular, and perhaps irrational, distaste for high feet which resulted in the conceding of a free kick on the edge of the box.The set piece was converted to make things level. At one a piece Holloway were reminded that it only requires one incident for the game to be turned on it...

29Oct

By No Comments

Sports & Socs

Women’s Football – Cancer, we’re coming to get you!

Wednesday 8th October was set to be an eventful day with Women’s Football hosting the return of their annual Charity Tournament in aid of Cancer Research UK; yet no one could have anticipated quite the turnout. With such excitement having built rapidly across the likes of Facebook and Twitter, the club were overwhelmed when met with 90 girls eager to make the most of the weather and test out the new facilities. Holloway’s five teams were joined on the 3G by the likes of Queen Mary’s, RUMS, and Reading Universities, as well as members of Royal Holloway’s Women’s Rugby, who were keen to support such a great cause. The day kicked off with fast paced action across the three seven-a-side pitches, including a hat-trick for Holloway striker Effy Hameed, and some impressive saves from Women’s R...