- NXT Gold Rush Returns with Multi-Promotion Championship Showcase
- Dodgers win World Series Game 2 2025
- Sponsor invite Michael Brennan builds 2-shot lead at Black Desert
- Hangman Page To Defend AEW World Title At Full Gear Against Dynamite Four-Way Winner
- NHL Roundup: Red Wings score six unanswered to defeat Blues
- Mercedes Mone to Defend CMLL Womenâ€s World Title on November 1 AEW Collision
- Injury Scare For WWE Legends As They Lose Top Title
- Demidov records three points, Canadiens come back to beat Canucks
Browsing: bright
Chelsea’s dominant victory over Paris FC was lit up by the newest member of their attack, Alyssa Thompson, who traversed the Stamford Bridge pitch with agile runs and eventually got the rewards her efforts deserved.
Thompson may be just 20 years old, but her arrival at Chelsea was accompanied by lofty expectations arising from the club record price tag. Now, in her seventh appearance, she has finally got off the mark.
She darted down the wings and led her side’s counter-attacks, showing expert positioning to put herself in the right place to be able to set up Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s goal, and tapped home an excellent Keira Walsh delivery to get her first goal for the club.
It was an impressive display, but, says manager Sonia Bompastor, the best of her is still to come.
“A young player, a lot of talent, but I think we haven’t seen yet the best of her, but hopefully we will see that soon,” said Bompastor.
“She is coming from abroad, she speaks the language, which helps, but again, it’s a new environment, a new club, she needs to learn to connect with new players on the pitch, new team-mates, so hopefully, even sooner, we will see an even better version.”
Thompson’s first goal is one which will put her at “ease”, says Brighton forward Fran Kirby, who previously spent nine years at Chelsea.
Former Scotland captain Rachel Corsie added that now Thompson has scored, she imagines the “floodgates will open”.
“She’s been a real bright spark,” Kirby said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “I think against Tottenham she looked really sharp, it was probably that final product.
“Today, getting that assist and goal will make her feel a little bit more at ease going into the next game. A little bit of pressure off.”
England defender Millie Bright has announced her retirement from international football.
The 32-year-old, who was part of England’s European Championship-winning team in 2022, made her senior debut in September 2016 and went on to win 88 caps.
“I’ve been weighing this up for a long time,” Chelsea captain Bright said on Monday’s ‘Rest is Football: Daly Brightness’ podcast.
“It’s one of those decisions no-one can make for you. It’s a feeling and I’m at peace with it.”
Bright missed out as England defended their Euros title in Switzerland in July after ruling herself out of the tournament because she would be unable to “give 100% mentally or physically”.
Over the summer she had successful knee surgery and started counselling sessions, while she said the decision to withdraw from Sarina Wiegman’s squad was “by far the best decision I have ever made”.
“Having the summer to reflect, fix my knee and get my head straight really put things into perspective. As you get older your priorities change. I’ve been craving family time, time with friends and time for myself,” Bright said.
Bright started every game as England won their first major women’s trophy at Euro 2022, and captained Wiegman’s side to the World Cup final a year later, which they lost to Spain.
“I’m incredibly proud and honoured to have played for England for so long. Every single cap has been special and the memories I’ve made – especially with this one sat opposite me – have been some of the best of my life,” Bright said on the podcast, which she co-hosts with her friend and former England team-mate Rachel Daly.
“But yeah, it’s time. It’s the right time for me to call it a day with England.”
Bright’s final game for the Lionesses was a 3-2 defeat by Belgium in April.
Few players in English football are able to boast of winning eight league titles at their current club, but that’s just the situation Millie Bright finds herself in at Chelsea.
The 32-year-old joined the Blues in 2014 and has been front and centre during the club’s current golden age which has seen them dominate the domestic game over the past decade.
You may like
Bright on her journey to Chelsea
Bright joined Chelsea in 2014 (Image credit: Getty Images)
“[‘It was] really tough,” Bright tells FourFourTwo. “We had to play a whole season knowing that we were relegated. The decision was nothing to do with the football on the pitch – City came in and that was that. Chelsea moved in for me just as we got relegated, but I turned them down at first, not because I wasn’t grateful, but because I didn’t feel ready and needed some more playing time at Doncaster.
“I also didn’t want to abandon them just because we’d been relegated. Luckily Chelsea came in again later on, when I’d achieved everything I could with Doncaster and knew it was time. I had to ring my mum and dad to tell them I was moving to London!”
MIllie Bright began her career as a striker (Image credit: Getty Images)
This move to Chelsea also came at a time when Bright was still finding her best position, after she had started as a striker. “Clearly I was rubbish as a striker, so I got chucked back! [Laughs],” she continues. “I was a striker when I went on loan to Leeds at 18 and scored loads of goals there. Then I went back to Doncaster, moved into midfield, and started switching from midfield to centre-back over and over again – and at Chelsea too.
“I think I was 23 when I sat down with Emma Hayes and was like, ‘Right, what is my position? I want to be the world’s best in a position, what is it?’ She said centre-back and I was like, ‘OK, centre-back’. Although I do still go on little wanders up the pitch!”
Fast forward to 2025 and Chelsea’s latest domestic treble saw Bright win her eighth league title in 11 years at the club.
“I’ll retire there – Chelsea is my club, and I adore everyone there,” she says. “I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved. Starting off in 2014, we hardly had any facilities and now we’ve got a massive gym, an incredible amount of staff, amazing pitches and a great relationship with the men’s side of the club. That’s taken time, and all the hard work that Emma Hayes did. I’ve loved it every single year. There’s not been a moment where I’ve asked myself, ‘Should I leave, should I not?’ I’ve got no reason to as long as I’m being pushed – I’ve turned 32 this year and still feel I can go to another level, I want to keep getting better.”
Bright celebrates a goal for Chelsea (Image credit: Getty Images)
It’s clear that Bright has no plans of hanging up her boots, but she has recently taken up a side hustle, launching a clothing range with artwork inspired by your tattoos and personal motto, ‘Dream big’.
“I’ve got a tattoo of an owl to represent home, as we’ve got a barn owl at my family’s stables in Sheffield,” she explains. “I’ve got a matching ‘1/2’ tattoo with my best friend Rachel Daly, ‘hakuna matata’, which means ‘no worries’, and a tiger that represents strength. ‘Dream big’ is something my mum has said since I was little – before every game, she still messages me that. No dream was ever too big, my family never held me back and said, ‘That’s not realistic’. My motto is, ‘They say I dream too big, I say they think too small’. I’ve lived by that.
Bright has launched her own limited edition sports bra and sportswear range, in partnership with MAAREE. For more information, visitMAAREE.com
The Philadelphia Flyers†preseason “dress rehearsal†game at Xfinity Mobile Arena looked, at times, like a team ready for Opening Night. At others, it looked every bit like a group still wrestling with new systems and the occasional self-inflicted wound.
In the end, the Islanders capitalized on late mistakes and handed Philadelphia a 4–3 loss—a result that matters less than the patterns behind it.
For Rick Tocchet and his staff, this was less about the score and more about the sharp contrasts on display: moments of speed and promise counterbalanced by costly breakdowns that NHL teams will never forgive.
The decisive sequence that led to the Islanders’ game-winning goal encapsulated the problem. What should have been a manageable defensive read spiraled into a freebie for New York.
“Thereâ€s a couple of mistakes,†Tocchet explained postgame. “First of all, [Matvei Michkov] has to get out there and he got beat up the ice. He was ahead of the guys. I think [Adam Ginning]—heâ€s either got to go or he has to back off. He was caught in between. Heâ€s just buying time, just stay in the middle of the ice, let the guys back there.â€
This, for Tocchet, wasnâ€t about punishing individuals but stressing principles. The Flyers†new system will take time to master, but these lapses—players caught in between, failing to sort assignments—are the kind of breakdowns that giftwrap goals.
“Itâ€s a new system,†Tocchet said. “Weâ€ve gotta go through these things. But if you communicate that stuff…yeah, that has to be better…Thereâ€s just freebies. You might get about three freebies a month; you canâ€t give them two or three in a game. It just canâ€t happen. You canâ€t give free goals in this league.â€
Egor Zamula, too, earned a pointed critique after a night in which he failed to distinguish himself. “Yeah,†Tocchet admitted bluntly. “Heâ€s got to pick it up. Definitely.â€
Thatâ€s preseason in a nutshell: mistakes become teaching tools, but theyâ€re also data points when roster spots hang in the balance.
On the brighter side, Nikita Grebenkin continued to make himself impossible to ignore. The 21-year-old winger didnâ€t just look fast—he looked fearless, attacking gaps and creating chances through sheer tenacity.
“Heâ€s a sticky guy,†Tocchet said postgame. “He comes up with loose pucks. You always need those corner guys that come up with pucks, and we can continue to teach them to play that way—grab pucks, a whole lot of pucks. In the first [period], he had that burst of speed and split the D—thatâ€s good stuff. We want that from them.â€
In a camp that has seen several young players fade in and out of relevance, Grebenkin has been consistently noticeable, consistently disruptive, and consistently effective. His game screams “NHL-ready,†even if the Flyers werenâ€t expecting it.
For Owen Tippett, last seasonâ€s frustration wasnâ€t about production—it was about never finding a true home on a line. He was shuffled often, always the useful part but rarely the centerpiece, and it showed in his inconsistency. If tonight was any indication, that narrative may be shifting.
The line of Tippett, Trevor Zegras, and Michkov flashed serious potential. Their skillsets donâ€t just complement each other—they stretch defenses in ways that few Flyers trios have in recent years. Tippettâ€s straight-line explosiveness, Zegras†flair and playmaking, and Michkovâ€s uncanny ability to create offense out of slivers of space give the unit a balance of speed, creativity, and finishing touch.
Itâ€s early, and chemistry canâ€t be declared off of one night. But if this line clicks, it solves two problems at once: it gives Tippett the stability heâ€s been craving and provides Michkov with linemates who can keep up with his vision.
Between the pipes, Sam Ersson played the full 60 minutes in his final tune-up before the regular season. The 25-year-old wasnâ€t flawless, but he was steady, tracking pucks through traffic and making a handful of highlight stops to keep the Flyers alive.
“There were some point shots, there were a couple of double screens in front, and he made some good saves, a couple of gloves there. I donâ€t know how he saw that,†Tocchet said. “I thought he was solid. He definitely wasnâ€t the reason why we lost the game.â€
Ersson himself echoed the confidence. “[I feel] pretty good,†he said. “I think we can get better and better. Thereâ€s obviously always going to be small situations in a game, but overall…everything is in a good spot. I liked my game today.â€
The Flyers†goaltending picture remains a work in progress, but Erssonâ€s performance reassured both staff and fans that the crease is in capable hands.
Christian Dvorak isnâ€t the flashiest forward in orange and black, but nights like this underline his value. His backhand setup for Travis Sanheimâ€s opening goal was a thing of vision and touch, threading the needle in traffic.
Beyond the highlight, he was engaged, reliable, and quietly effective in both ends.
“I feel pretty good,†Dvorak said. “I think Iâ€ve had a good start so far. I had some good chances that Iâ€d like to bury. Just gotta keep working on that in practice and get better at it.â€
For a team in flux, players like Dvorak are invaluable—not just for the points they produce, but for the stability they bring to a lineup that leans young.
The Flyers†4–3 loss to the Islanders was the kind of preseason game coaches circle in red ink.
It revealed flaws that need cleaning up—poor reads, gaps in execution, lapses in focus. But it also revealed a few pieces of genuine promise: Grebenkinâ€s spark, Erssonâ€s calm, and a line combination that could unlock Tippett in ways we havenâ€t seen before.
Tocchet is right—mistakes are inevitable when implementing a new system. The key is whether they shrink in frequency as the real season begins. The Flyers donâ€t need perfection yet. What they need is direction, and for all the bumps, there were enough signs tonight to suggest theyâ€re moving the right way.
With eight WSL winners’ medals, six FA Cups and three League Cup winners’ medals, Chelsea skipper Millie Bright has done it all domestically.
A domestic treble last season – her second with the club – was her latest achievement, while on the international front she was part of the 2022 European Championship winning side and would then captain the Lionesses to the World Cup final 12 months later.
You may like
Millie Bright on England ups and downs, plus eyeing Champions League glory
Bright has won eight WSL titles with Chelsea (Image credit: Getty Images)
As is often the case with any footballer at the highest level, the road has not always been straightforward, with Bright scoring an own goal in the Euro 2017 semi-final and then being sent off in the 2019 World Cup semi. Did she think she was jinxed?
“Yeah… At the Euros, the ball flicked off me and went in, but small moments like that don’t define your legacy or how well you might have played during the whole tournament,” Bright tells FourFourTwo.
Millie Bright celebrates a goal for Chelsea (Image credit: Getty Images)
“As long as you learn from things, they’re a blessing, rather than a hindrance. I got sent off in the World Cup semi-final, but you gain a thick skin and have to deal with a lot. We shouldn’t have to put up with hatred or trolling, but it made me stronger. In sport you have to be thick-skinned – there are opinions and we have to deal with them.”
The hard yards paid off at Euro 2022, but did she ever imagine a day as big as the Wembley final, when Germany were seen off?
“Oh god, absolutely not!,” Bright exclaims. “That was by the far the best day of my career to date. If we go and win the Champions League at Chelsea, that will top it, purely because I’ve been with the club for so long and on the journey from the start, when we got battered by Wolfsburg.
“We used to draw Wolfsburg every time! Each year we get closer, so winning the Champions League with Chelsea, it would be the pinnacle of my career and the proudest moment by a country mile. But I also didn’t think I’d be in the position I was in, playing in a Euros final as the home nation.
“That’s what topped things off at Euro 2022 – we did it here, with our fans, and the whole country just went wild.”
Bright won Euro 2022 with England (Image credit: Getty Images)
With Leah Williamson injured for the 2023 World Cup, Bright was handed the captain’s armband and led the side all the way to the final. What was that like?
“Crazy,” she adds. “Leading the girls out at a World Cup was really special, and for the final especially. It was surreal. Those are the moments you carry with you forever, regardless of the outcome.”
Bright has launched her own limited edition sports bra and sportswear range, in partnership with MAAREE. For more information, visitMAAREE.com
September 24, 2025 | Paul Stimpson
Table Tennis England is teaming up with Cloudathlete to transform our members†experience and launch the sport into a bright digital future.
Following a thorough tender process, Sheffield-based Cloudathlete has been appointed as partner for our membership platform and wider digital services.
The Cloudathlete platform will replace the existing Sport:80 system from the start of the 2026/27 membership season, with a full go-live planned for July 2026.
Cloudathlete is developed by Rocca, an existing and trusted supplier who already provide Table Tennis England with the TT Leagues and TT Clubs platforms. This continuity gives us confidence as we embark on this significant step forward in our digital journey.
What will the partnership do?
- deliver a much-improved experience for members, making it easier to join, renew and engage with the sport
- introduce a modern competition management system, giving players, clubs and tournament organisers a better way to organise and participate
- provide stronger integration across platforms, reducing duplication and creating a single view of our members and activities
- enable smarter communications, with more personalised and timely updates for different audiences
- offer data-driven insights, helping us understand participation trends and make better-informed decisions
- create a foundation that can evolve, supporting future growth and innovation in the sport
Table Tennis England CEO Sally Lockyer said: “This marks the start of a journey that will reshape how we connect with our players, volunteers, clubs and fans.
“Itâ€s not just about new systems – itâ€s about building the foundations to support every level of the game and set us up for the future.â€
Marc Rocca, CEO of Cloudathlete, said: “Weâ€re proud that Cloudathlete has been selected to deliver Table Tennis Englandâ€s new unified digital platform.
“This project will bring together membership, competitions, rankings, clubs and events into one connected system – making the experience simpler and more engaging for players, volunteers, and fans.
“By replacing multiple legacy systems with a single, modern platform, weâ€re helping the sport become more accessible, more data-driven and better connected from grassroots through to elite level.
“For us, this is about giving table tennis a digital foundation that can power growth and innovation for years to come.â€
We will keep members up to date with progress in the coming months.
Sep 19, 2025, 03:56 PM ETWith FC, Madden NFL and College Football getting all the attention — and making bank…
At the best clubs, the most confident ones, the line between members and employees is not thick and rich, like…
With a strong six innings on Sunday afternoon, Brandon Sproat became the third rookie pitcher to make an impressive major…
At the recent USATT Junior Ranking Tournament II in Charlotte, North Carolina, one performance stood out not just for its results, but for the poise, grit, and evolution it revealed.
Abigail Yu, a Paddle Palace-sponsored athlete representing Team XNT5 Rochester, delivered a breakout performance that turned heads and confirmed what her training and transformation had been pointing toward. Sheâ€s no longer a prospect. Sheâ€s a problem.
Scan forward to 1:20:43 to watch Abigail vs. Sally Moyland
A Strategic Shift, a Tactical Triumph
Only four weeks before the tournament, Abigail made a bold switch. She moved to Dr. Neubauer K.O. Extreme medium-long pips on her forehand and while keeping her trusted STIGA DNA Dragon Grip on the backhand, mounted on the revolutionary STIGA Cybershape Carbon blade. That change wasnâ€t just cosmetic. It was a calculated strategic pivot that added deception, depth, and tactical maturity to her game.
Her coach, Wei Qi, put it plainly:
“Abigail showed remarkable composure, discipline, and determination throughout the trials. What impressed me most was not just her shot-making ability and consistency, but her mental resilience under pressure. Four weeks before the competition, Abigail switched to using medium-long pips, which has since become a distinctive feature of her playing style. She is steadily growing into a well-rounded player, and Iâ€m truly proud of the way she carried herself and contributed to the Rochester Team XNT5.â€
That evolution was on full display in Charlotte, where she battled seasoned opponents with a blend of control, spin variation, and fearless counterplay. Her ability to integrate the medium-long pips into high-pressure rallies gave her a clear edge in tempo and unpredictability.
A Glimpse Into the Future
Abigailâ€s performance is not just a one-off. It is the result of months of hard work, intelligent equipment choices, and a growing understanding of how to exploit her own strengths while neutralizing others. As one of the few junior players in the country using a hybrid setup with medium pips on the forehand, she represents a bold, creative approach to the modern game.
Her results in Charlotte are the latest milestone in a journey that is just getting started.
Paddle Palace Pride
At Paddle Palace, we are proud to support rising stars like Abigail Yu. These are players who combine talent with discipline, creativity with courage, and who are not afraid to make bold changes in pursuit of excellence.
To explore the same gear Abigail trusts in competition:
Stay tuned as Abigail continues her ascent. We are excited to see where this journey leads.
Paddle Palace caught up with Abigail and her coach Wei Qi at practice. “Abigail, you can run, but you can’t hide from the competition! Good Luck at National in Ontario!”