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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Louis Rees-Zammit will LEAVE the NFL to return to rugby - as he calls time on American football dream after just 18 months
Louis Rees-Zammit will abandon his NFL dream and return to rugby union. The 24-year-old Welshman has announced he is quitting American football just 18 months after his high-profile move Stateside. He spent pre-season last year with the Kansas City Chiefs before signing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not play in any regular season games. Mail Sport exclusively revealed in January that he was considering ditching his NFL dream after the Jags released him, though they subsequently re-signed him. But now he has announced on Instagram: 'I've decided to leave the NFL and return to rugby! 'It's been a great experience but it's time to come home. I've decided that this is the best time to make this decision to give myself time to get everything in place for next season. Rees-Zammit featured for Wales, Gloiucester, and the British & irish Lions before leaving rugby 'There's only one thing that's on my mind, that's coming back to rugby and doing what I do best. I can't explain how excited I am!! 'There'll be more news to come soon but for now, see you soon rugby fans.' Rees-Zammit won a lot of admirers for throwing away a comfortable position in rugby union to try and fulfil his dream in the United States. He came through the NFL's International Player Pathway and initially joined the Kansas City Chiefs - the side of Taylor Swift's boyfriend travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. However, he was cut by the Chiefs after failing to impress them sufficiently in pre-season. He spent the entire 2024 season as part of the Jaguars' practice squad, though they never elevated him to their active 53-man roster. Rees-Zammit left them at the end of the campaign but soon re-signed as part of their expanded off-season roster. There have been recent reports of a lower back injury and it is unclear how long it will be until he is fully recovered. Before leaving rugby, he accumulated 32 Wales caps, spent six years with Gloucester, and was on the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour.


BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Wrexham gets ready to host 2025 National Eisteddfod
The city of Wrexham is ready to welcome thousands of visitors to the Eisteddfod, an annual celebration of Welsh language and culture. More than 150,000 people are expected to attend with 6,000 competitors showcasing the best Welsh language art, music, drama and is the first time since 2011 that the Eisteddfod has been held in the festival will take place in Isycoed from Saturday until 9 August. Organisers said Wrexham had a "strong Welsh feel" even though only about 12% of residents speak the it was announced in 2023, councillor Hugh Jones said it was a "fantastic opportunity to welcome people from far and wide to celebrate our language and culture". Eisteddfod chief executive Betsan Moses said Wrexham was "the place to be".Llinos Roberts, chair of the executive committee for the 2025 National Eisteddfod, said: "I think more people in Wrexham and the surrounding areas consider themselves to be 'Welsh' compared with other parts of north-east Wales. "We're trying to get lots of local people to visit the Eisteddfod."Once again thousands of local residents on lower incomes will be able to visit the event free of charge thanks to a grant of £200,000 from the Welsh government. What is the National Eisteddfod? The National Eisteddfod is an annual festival that celebrates the language and culture of festival has taken place each summer since 1861, with the location alternating between north and south is best known for its competitions - allowing people from across Wales to compete in various cultural contests - with actors, musicians and poets competing on the national main site, known as the maes, is the home of many of the eisteddfod's activities. Wrexham Football Club has gone from strength to strength since the Eisteddfod was last in town, returning to the Football League and being promoted to the club even has a full-time Welsh language tutor. Huw Birkhead has been teaching Welsh with a "football twist" to staff, players and fans from around the world for the past two club has joined forces with the National Centre for Learning Welsh and Coleg Cambria to promote the said: "It's to help staff feel comfortable using the Welsh language around the place and to give the staff the opportunity to grow in confidence to use some Welsh in their work but also in their private lives as well."Megan Buckley, who works for the club's youth foundation, is looking forward to practising her new Welsh-speaking skills at the said: "There's a bit more buzz around it and all the kids obviously doing stuff around the Eisteddfod in schools so we get to hear a lot about it so to be involved this year is going to be really fun." Wrexham may be hosting a major arts and culture festival but it already has its own space dedicated to local craftspeople - Ty combined market and arts hub has brought together various craft groups to make a large display to mark the was the brainchild of trader Wendy Scott, who said: "There's loads of different groups within Wrexham that are crafting and they're all kind of isolated so we wanted them all to join together to make crocheted or knitted flowers to use up those small amounts of yarn that they might have in their stash and it stops it going into landfill." Sue Allen, who was among the contributors and is performing at the festival as part of a choir, said she believed the popularity of the documentary Welcome to Wrexham about the football club and its celebrity co-chairmen Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney could draw even more attention to the said: "I'm really glad that Wrexham's got the Eisteddfod again. "I've just come back from America and everybody's heard of Wrexham because of the programme."But Welcome to Wrexham is not just the name of a TV show, it is the message of the week ahead, in the hope that the Eisteddfod will create a growing community of regular visitors.


South Wales Guardian
8 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Channel 4 announces new lifestyle shows including railway series with Si King
The four-part series, which has a working title of Top Of The Stops, will follow King, 58, as he explores the more than 2,600 train stations that make up the UK's railway system, meeting the people that keep the structures operating. Produced by Wales-based Yeti Television, the programme will see King explore the country's most unusual train stations as he is joined by transport historian Siddy Holloway and architect Damion Burrows. Clemency Green, senior commissioning editor for lifestyle at Channel 4, said: 'As the rail network turns 200 years old, this series will spotlight the best of our country's engineering history in a different way. 'We're honoured Si will be presenting his first series for More4, and Yeti will no doubt deliver a captivating series that viewers will love to escape into.' In another new series, titled What Not To Eat, Dr Tim Spector, along with Dr Kandi Ejiofor, will offer nutritious alternatives to junk food, ready meals and other ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Each programme in the four-part series will feature one UK family who are looking to address various health concerns, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and more. Spector, 67, said: 'It's hard for people to make good dietary choices when what they're sold as 'healthy' food, in my view, can hardly be defined as food at all. 'I passionately believe that even quite modest changes to our diet can have a big impact on our health, and I cannot wait to get started on this new series where I'm going to try and change people's lives by changing what they eat.' Elsewhere, design expert George Clarke will offer help to homeowners facing design dilemmas in a new programme titled George Clarke's Kitchen Vs Garden. Clarke, 51, will be joined by garden design expert Luke Millard for the programme, which follows homeowners facing design dilemmas. Clarke said: 'This is a show that will inspire and help viewers to see the space they have in their homes differently. 'I know that the decisions involved in refurbishing them can be overwhelming so I'm excited to lend my expertise to help our renovators, and the viewers at home, to make the most of their spaces and create environments they'll love for years to come.' George Clarke's Kitchen Vs Garden starts on Wednesday August 13 at 8pm on Channel 4. Top Of The Stops will be available to watch on Channel 4 later this year and What Not To Eat will be broadcast in 2026. Ms Green said: 'Together, these new titles demonstrate the strategic ambition of Channel 4 lifestyle's commissioning approach: engaging specialist communities, sparking national conversation, celebrating everyday life, and offering unmissable entertainment. 'From trains to fast food culture to home renovations, this new slate reflects the broad spectrum of knowledge Channel 4 talent bring to our portfolio, offering audiences what they love, wherever they watch.'