Republic of Ireland international Patten puts pen-to-paper on new Aston Villa contract
English-born Patten has made a big impression since linking up with Ireland in March 2024.
She joined Villa permanently in the summer of 2023 from Arsenal, having first been on loan in 2022, and has since become a mainstay at centre-half for the club.
The 26-year-old is now closing on 100 appearances for the club and has scored five goals.
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The Irish Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Premier League clubs with the most football fans arrested at games revealed – does YOUR team top the list?
MANCHESTER United topped the fan misbehaviour table last season - as banning orders across the country reached a decade high. The latest Home Office statistics found that there were 1,803 football-related arrests involving supporters of clubs in the top 6 tiers in English football in 2024-25. 2 Manchester United topped the fan misbehaviour table last season That represented a 12 per cent decrease compared with the 2,043 arrested in the previous campaign. But the 121 And the 685 new banning orders - requiring those on the list to report to police at match times and ranging from three to 10 years - handed out by magistrates in the course of the year took the total in operation to 2,439, the highest number since 2013. According to the figures, compiled from police reports, nearly a third of the arrests were for public disorder, a fifth for violent disorder and 19 per cent for possession of Class A drugs. Read more Sports news But arrests for alcohol offences fell to just eight per cent of the total, while the warnings over pitch invasions saw a new low of just three per cent. In total, incidents were reported relating to 1,583 club and international matches in England and Wales during the season, representing half of the total number played and up from 1,341 games in 2023-24, although three quarters of them were viewed as 'low severity'. The most common incident type reported was hate crime - at 420 matches - followed by 363 games where missiles were alleged to have been thrown and 319 where fans displayed pyrotechnics. They included 287 claims of racial-related abuse and 140 of homophobia. Most read in Football But online hate crimes fell, with 212 recorded offences compared to 322 in the previous season. Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'Police up and down the country work incredibly hard to ensure football stadiums are safe, so we can all enjoy our national game. 'The statistics show that these efforts are paying off and strong action is being taken to stop violence and disorder from ruining football. 'We are continuing to make football safer for the millions of dedicated fans, funding the UK Football Policing Unit and expanding drug testing on arrest at football matches for certain offences.' 2 Banning orders across the country reached a decade high Credit: Getty
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Little-Pengelly ‘disappointed' by kids' sport camp cancellation, but says there are ‘legitimate questions' for GAA
First Minister Michelle O'Neill also repeated her dismay after the event planned to take place in Comber was called off after local residents had concerns around the inclusion of the GAA. North Down Cricket Club had planned the sports summer camp for young people from different backgrounds, including the involvement of 10 different groups, one of which was the East Belfast GAA. But a local Orange Order lodge said there were concerns among local residents about the 'perceived move of the GAA into the local community'. The North Down Cricket Club said it cancelled the event because it felt the spirit of the camp was at risk of being lost. On Wednesday, Cricket Ireland announced it plans to step in to arrange a similar sports camp at Stormont later this month. Speaking during a visit to the Open in Portrush on Thursday, Ms O'Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly both expressed disappointment at what had happened. Ms Little-Pengelly said 'while there are legitimate questions to be asked of the GAA around their lack of inclusion, this is not the time or place'. 'Sport can be a great unifier,' she said. 'It's been really disappointing, very saddened to see that the club felt that they had to cancel this particular summer camp. 'I've reached out, and I've been speaking to the North Down Cricket Club. 'Of course, there are legitimate questions to be asked of the GAA around their lack of inclusion and the barriers that many feel to participation, but this is not the time or place. The time and place for that is not a children's summer camp. ADVERTISEMENT 'Cricket has been a great unifier right across all different types of religions, races, politics, we see that play out every single week, and I think it's really disappointing that these young people won't get that opportunity to play cricket at that summer camp but I'm continuing to work with the club, and with others, to see what the opportunities may be in the future.' Young people should play sport together, young people from all different backgrounds should always be encouraged to come together Michelle O'Neill, First Minister Meanwhile, Ms O'Neill said she was 'quite dismayed by the fact that somebody thought it was appropriate to actually advocate against that'. 'I was so deeply disappointed that anyone thought it was appropriate to advocate that these kids should not be invited along," she added. 'For kids to come together through the medium of sport. It's just something that should always be a positive experience. So it makes me really sad to actually hear that someone doesn't want those kids to be invited. 'It's just totally not acceptable. Young people should play sport together, young people from all different backgrounds should always be encouraged to come together.' It comes as Holywood-born actor Jamie Dornan also waded into the row, commenting on an animated video based on the controversy. The creator of the animated skit, Patrick Maguire, is well known online for his satirical portrayal of current events in Northern Ireland. Responding on Instagram in a comment under the post, Dornan wrote: 'Terrifyingly accurate as usual.' Separately, Sinn Fein MLA Colm Gildernew has called on the Communities Minister to support the alternative summer camp at Stormont which will replace the cancelled Comber event. He said: 'As the minister responsible for sport, Gordon Lyons should be vocal in supporting events where children and young people can play together, learn new sports, make friends and build relationships.'
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
We strung up 1,000s of England flags on our estate to cheer on Lionesses but idiot ripped them down… we'll never give in
THOUSANDS of England flags put up on an estate to cheer on the Lionesses have been ripped down by a mystery vandal. The area in South-East London is famous for its huge displays of flags and murals in support of the national team during major football tournaments. Advertisement 6 The estate in South-East London is famous for its huge displays of flags and football murals Credit: SWNS 6 Thousands of England flags were put up to cheer on the Lionesses Credit: SWNS 6 But residents woke up one morning to find the flags and bunting had been cut down Credit: SWNS The Kirby Estate in Bermondsey has once again pulled out all the stops to cheer on the Lionesses at Euro 2025. But residents woke up "disappointed" to find that their decorations had been cut down overnight in a shocking incident. The act allegedly took place at around 2am on several nights over the weekend. Advertisement Read more News A spokesperson for the estate posted to X: "Over the last few nights at around 2am, someone has taken it upon themselves to cut down the majority of our flags that we've put up. "Woke up this morning to more flags on the ground - disappointed to say the least." Most of the flags now seem to have been strung back up and are hanging over the Kirby estate once again. They even announced a reel of string had been delivered to the area to replace the lost bunting. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Kirby has been a huge backer of women's football over the years. It showcased a striking mural of former Lionesses player I coached Chloe Kelly as a kid and have now spent £3,000 building my own pub to watch her at Euro 2025 A member of the Friends of Kirby estate, the street artists behind the murals, told He added that 'there was only ever going to be one player' on the mural and that it was 'meant to be', adding that it was 'massively important' for the women's game to develop. Advertisement After securing their spot in the Euro 2025 quarter final, England will face Sweden on Thursday evening. Displays have also celebrated other stars such as Residents had revealed trolls attacked them over their World Cup display. Advertisement They were accused of being on the dole and even racist because of their St George's Crosses. But the organiser of the display insisted people realise the Kirby Estate is extremely inclusive when they go to visit. They have draped their estate in football flags for every major national tournament since 2012, and began doing it for the women's tournaments in 2019 too. Most flags are supporting the English team, but they also have other nationalities putting out flags supporting their teams like Spain and Portugal. Advertisement 6 Kirby showcased a striking mural of former Lionesses player Frank Kirby in 2022. Credit: SWNS 6 Displays have also celebrated other stars such as Crystal Palace's FA Cup final winner Eberechi Eze Credit: SWNS 6 Most of the flags now seem to have been strung back up after they were torn down Credit: SWNS
