
Accrington to close academy despite council offer
Accrington finished the 2024-25 League Two season in 21st place and eight points off the relegation places.That finish came as a row with the local council continued late into the campaign, with owner Andy Holt eventually saying he would step down from his position as chairman.He eventually agreed to continue funding the club by up to £250,000 per season."The enforced closure of our function rooms, rising costs - such as National Insurance and minimum wage increases - combined with no forthcoming resolution to the club's planning issues have placed an ever-growing financial burden on our club and subsequently on our owner who is now in his 11th year of financially supporting Accrington Stanley FC," the statement added."This situation has compelled the club to reassess its strategy for the upcoming season and beyond."Despite Andrew Holt's continued generosity, the lack of significant revenue streams to offset these escalating expenses has left us with no option but to implement difficult yet necessary cuts."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
Tranmere sign Sheffield United forward Blacker
Tranmere Rovers have signed Sheffield United forward Billy Blacker in a season-long loan 19-year-old has made two senior appearances for the could make his competitive debut for Rovers in their League Two season-opener at Colchester on Saturday, 2 August."He has a fantastic attitude for the game. He wants to learn, and I feel like we have some amazing role models for him," Tranmere boss Andy Crosby told the club website., external


The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer clashes with senior MP over welfare reform
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer clashed with one of his senior MPs over welfare reform as she said she felt 'ashamed' of the 'poor' legislation the Government had put forward. Work and pensions committee chairwoman Debbie Abrahams said the welfare bill was 'far removed' from Labour values as she questioned the Prime Minister at the Liaison Committee. She asked Sir Keir what he would like to say to the disabled people who experienced 'fear and anxiety' before the Government made concessions on its bill. 'Well, it's very important that they feel secure and supported, and that is at the heart of what we are doing in the changes we are making to welfare and related areas,' he said. Sir Keir said he did not accept that it would take several years before labour market changes allow more disabled people to be employed following Sir Charlie Mayfield's review, due in the autumn. Mrs Abrahams asked what he would do to mitigate against a potential 50,000 newly disabled people being pushed into poverty. Sir Keir said: 'I don't accept that everything is going to take years. Some changes do take years, but not all changes take years, and we have to do work in the interim to give that support to those with disabilities.' Mrs Abrahams said she felt 'ashamed' of the 'poor' welfare legislation the Government put forward. 'This was poor legislation. It was designed to save money for the Treasury by cutting support to sick and disabled people. 'It was so far removed from Labour values of fairness and social justice, let alone compassion and common decency. 'I have to say I felt ashamed.' Sir Keir later said he thought he could 'engage Parliament more' when asked what he might do differently after his first year, but also said he wants to remind people of the 'improvements' the Government has made. After a year in office, Sir Keir was asked what he wanted the UK to look like at the end of his first term in No 10. He said: 'I want people to feel better off and there has to be a central focus on living standards. 'I want them to feel – as they will – that the health service is working much better, is there for them and their families in a way that it hasn't been for many years. 'And I want them to feel safe and secure, both in their immediate neighbourhood and as a country, both our borders and national security and defence. 'So, they're the three things that I'm focused on more than anything else.' Sir Keir's drive to improve the NHS could be derailed if resident doctors in England go ahead with strike action, which is due to begin on Friday. The Tory government faced waves of strike action in the NHS, which contributed to care backlogs. The Prime Minister has put international co-operation, including a promised one-in, one-out deal to return small boat migrants to France, at the heart of measures to control the borders. But arrivals are running at record levels for this point in a year, with the latest Home Office showing 23,534 people had crossed in small boats so far in 2025. The Liaison Committee, a panel made up of senior MPs who chair the various Commons select committees, was focusing on measures to tackle poverty. The Prime Minister, who is under pressure from within his own party to scrap the two-child benefits cap, said: 'People will not feel better-off or safe and secure if we haven't tackled poverty.' He said there were four 'limbs' to the Government's strategy: increasing incomes, decreasing costs, strengthening local support, including measures to get people into work and boosting financial resilience. 'I'm very proud of the fact that the last Labour government drove down poverty and I'm determined this Government is going to as well,' Sir Keir said.


Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Man United back Ruben Amorim by leaving 'bomb squad' at home for pre-season tour, with club ready to take massive hit on stars valued close to £350m at their peak
Manchester United will leave their 'bomb squad' behind when they go on tour to the US in another show of support for head coach Ruben Amorim. Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia will continue to work at the club's Carrington training complex when Amorim and his squad fly to Chicago on Tuesday. The fifth outcast, Marcus Rashford, has already left camp and travelled to Barcelona to complete his loan move to the Nou Camp for the rest of the season. All five unwanted stars have been made to train away from the rest of the squad since pre-season began a fortnight ago, with United hoping to offload them before the transfer window closes at the start of September. In the past, United have taken players on tour who were unlikely to stay at the club much longer – not least when Jadon Sancho played in the US last summer despite a fall-out with Erik ten Hag before joining Chelsea on loan on deadline day. But Amorim has decided they are not part of his plans and United have backed the Portuguese boss by deciding to leave them in Manchester, while pushing through nearly £135million-worth of business to sign Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo before going on tour. However, by making it so clear that they are surplus to requirements, United are set to take a substantial hit on a group of players who were valued at close to £350m at their peak. Rashford's price rocketed to beyond £100m but he will be allowed to join Barcelona on a permanent basis for between £30-40m next summer if his loan at the Nou Camp is a success. The 27-year-old is understood to have taken a 15 per cent wage-cut to help the deal go through with Barca agreeing to pay all of his wages. Garnacho was valued at around £70m when Napoli made an approach for him in January, but United would consider offers of around £40m for the Argentina winger after Amorim told him to find a new club this summer. Garnacho wants to stay in the Premier League and there is interest from Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa. Antony is the second most expensive player in United's history following his £86m move from Ajax three years ago, but would fetch less than half that now with the Old Trafford hierarchy likely to consider offers under £40m. The Brazil winger impressed on loan at Real Betis last season but the Spaniards are reluctant to pay above £25m or £50,000-a-week towards his wages so another loan spell in Seville is a possibility. Sancho cost £73m from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, but now United are struggling to offload him for a fraction of that price after Chelsea paid a £5m penalty rather than turn his loan into a permanent £25m transfer. With the player now in the final 11 months of his contract, and his £275,000-a-week wages a significant stumbling block, United may struggle to sell Sancho and would consider another loan amid interest from Juventus. There has been interest from Serie A in Rasmus Hojlund but nothing has advanced at this stage Malacia, who cost £14.7m from Feyenoord when he became the first signing of the Erik ten Hag era, is also available after returning from a loan spell at PSV Eindhoven. After signing Cunha and Mbeumo, United hope to bring in a striker next but face a separate problem with Rasmus Hojlund. The Dane cost £72m from Atalanta two years ago but is worth roughly half that now. Although Inter Milan and Napoli have expressed an interest in taking Hojlund back to Serie A on loan this season, nothing has advanced at this stage. United will be based in Chicago for much of their stay in the US and play Bournemouth there, sandwiched in between games against West Ham in New Jersey and Everton in Atalanta.