In partnership with @BigHearts & @HibsinCommunity Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership will be running two free-to-attend events on the east and west of the city, next week (10 Nov).
The events will be a chance to discover a range of support available to help individuals and families this winter.
A new race commemorating the HRH Prince Philip will be launched tomorrow (Wednesday 2 Nov) at the opening meeting of Musselburgh Racecourse’s jumps season.
The East Lothian course received Royal approval to mark the late Duke of Edinburgh’s visits to the course by staging the Prince Philip Perpetual Challenge Cup, a £25,000 stayers’ chase over three and a half miles.
Highlights of Musselburgh’s 11-fixture National Hunt season include the traditional New Year’s Day meeting, the bet365 Scottish Cheltenham Trials weekend in early February, and the Go North festival in late March.
With advance ticket sales for New Year’s Day doing well, racecourse general manager Bill Farnsworth revealed the track capacity has been increased to 7,000, which if it sells out would be a modern day record attendance at a Musselburgh jumps meeting.
He said: “We were heading for a sell-out last New Year’s Day but due to the pre-Christmas Covid spike the meeting had to be held behind-closed doors. That was obviously very disappointing, but we hope to build on this to kick off 2023 in great style, and with a full house at Musselburgh there is no better place to be on the first of January.”
On top of an excellent race card, race goers will have the added bonus of witnessing the running of the world’s oldest amateur athletics race as the famous New Year Sprint returns to Musselburgh after a short break.
The bet365 Scottish Cheltenham Trials over the weekend of 4-5 February will boast prize money of more than £250,000 with the Scottish County Hurdle and Edinburgh National races on the Saturday carrying prize money of £40,000 and £50,000, respectively.
The feature race on the Sunday is the Scottish Triumph Hurdle Trial which has increased prize money from £25,000 to £40,000. Bill Farnsworth added: “This is Musselburgh’s only Class 1 race and with the support of the British Horseracing Authority, which recognised our Triumph Hurdle as a key prep race for the Cheltenham showpiece in March, we are delighted to have been able to increase the prize fund.”
The Go North Race Day on Friday 24 March closes Musselburgh’s jumps season and is part of a weekend festival of racing which includes Kelso and Carlisle racecourses. Go North celebrates the horses and trainers who have competed on the Northern circuit throughout the winter months and features seven £30,000 finals over the three tracks.
Bill Farnsworth added: “We had a great crowd at last year’s Go North finale and hope to repeat that in 2023 but we have a lot of racing to get through before that. The course is in fantastic condition and we can’t wait to get started and to welcome people back for an exciting jumps season.”
To find out more information, full fixture details, and to book tickets, visit:
Leading housebuilder continues to build on support for Midlothian community
More than 40 budding rugby players turned out in force for Dalkeith Rugby Club’s Little Ruggers training session this month as the 2022/23 season got underway.
The popular sports club for two-to-five-year-olds holds two classes every Sunday morning at King’s Park in Dalkeith, inspiring youngsters to get into the sport early on by encouraging them to build their confidence, agility and basic rugby ability in a fun and energetic environment.
After being the main sponsor of the Dalkeith Minis Rugby Festival earlier this year, Stewart Milne Homes has further underlined its commitment to the community and is now the proud sponsor of the Dalkeith Little Ruggers group for the 2022/23 season.
The leading housebuilder has provided the aspiring players with Little Ruggers t-shirts to wear for their class each week and mini rugby balls to play with at home.
Funding of £2,200 from Stewart Milne Homes has also been welcomed by the club to help continue to grow the Little Ruggers classes, encouraging healthy lifestyles and forming a welcoming community in the Midlothian town.
Tony Williamson, Sales & Marketing Director for Stewart Milne Homes Scotland, said: “After sponsoring the Dalkeith Minis Rugby Festival in May this year, we were thrilled to see the positive impact that the sport has on the local community. That’s why we wanted to extend our support for the club, and the Little Ruggers group is a fantastic initiative to encourage healthy lifestyles from an early age.
“Supporting communities is in the fabric of our ethos, and we’re consistently working with local residents, organisations and schools that share our people-first values. We’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with Dalkeith Rugby Club and wish the Little Ruggers – and potential future rugby stars – good luck in their new season.”
Susan McGhee, Head Coach of Dalkeith Rugby Club’s Little Ruggers, said: “Our Little Ruggers group is a popular fixture in the Dalkeith community, both for the introduction to rugby it offers to youngsters and the social aspect enjoyed by families.
“We all share a passion for rugby but equally ensuring that there is a positive community spirit amongst players and families, which we know Stewart Milne Homes also champions.
“The support from Stewart Milne Homes is a welcomed gesture, both by the Club and families, and we’re pleased to continue to build on our relationship with their team.”
Stewart Milne Homes is currently creating a number of new developments across Central Scotland, including Shawfair in Midlothian, which will feature 115 new homes as well as communal green space and excellent active travel links to the wider community.
The luxurious three-, four-, five- and six-bedroom homes on offer are from the housebuilder’s new ‘Villages’ range which has been expertly designed for modern-day lifestyles, creating the very best of contemporary and considered living for the whole family.
For further information, visit www.stewartmilnehomes.com
Wrap up warm, fill up your thermos and grab your clubs. Winter golf at the largest club in town returns on 1st October. And with the unpredictable Scottish weather, you won’t have to rely on one course.
For die hard golf fans who want to keep in the swing of it, even during the winter months, Edinburgh Leisure’s golf membership can be bought online for just £27.50 per month. With minimal use of winter greens and no mats, it’s the ideal opportunity to keep your golf on par until the summer returns.
Winter membership prices stretch from 1st October 2022 to 31st March 2023 and allow access to Edinburgh Leisure’s six golf courses. Edinburgh Leisure’s 18-hole courses include Braid Hills, Carrick Knowe, Craigentinny, and Silverknowes. If you’re after a shorter then you can play our 9-hole courses at Portobello and the Wee Braids.
Payable monthly by direct debit, different membership options are available including access to all the courses, seven days a week; and a five-day membership, costing £22.50, with access to all courses Monday to Friday.
The membership also gives 20% off other Edinburgh Leisure activities including the gym, swimming, racquet sports and climbing, at the various Edinburgh Leisure venues across the city.
The Golf Membership is available to buy at any Edinburgh Leisure site and online – www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/memberships/golf.
A new study has revealed the most popular FIFA songs, with Glass Animal’s Heat Waves taking the top spot.
The research, conducted by online gaming site Solitaired.com, analysed Spotify data to discover the number of streams every song featured on a FIFA soundtrack has ever received, from FIFA: World Cup ‘98 to the most recent FIFA 22 game, launched last year.
A spokesperson for Solitaired.com commented on the findings: “Since 1998, the music that accompanies FIFA game menus has slowly but surely blossomed into one of the game’s main selling points and with every new game comes a new, almost equally anticipated, soundtrack.
With the FIFA 23 release date on September 27th, it will be interesting to see how the current ranking of the most streamed FIFA songs changes as the new soundtrack is revealed, which will sadly be the last game, and soundtrack, of the games’ series.”
The most streamed FIFA songs
The study revealed that Heat Waves by Glass Animals is the most streamed song featured on a FIFA soundtrack, with a staggering 1.9 billion streams on Spotify. Heat Waves featured on FIFA 2021, which appeared on the British group Glass Animals’ third studio album, Dreamland. The song reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and number one in countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, where it also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Ranking second is The Nights by the late Swedish DJ AVICII, with more than 1.1 billion streams. The song appeared on the FIFA 15 soundtrack after being released in late 2014. Billie Eilish’s hit single you should see me in a crown is next on the list, with more than 692 million streams, closely followed by Imagine Dragon’s On Top of the World, with 683 million Spotify streams.
Interestingly, the songs from the 2010s dominate the top 20, with 14 entries overall, including fan-favourite Love Me Again by John Newman which featured on FIFA 14, ranking eighth overall, with 494 million streams.
Additionally, only one song from the 1990s made the top 20 – Song 2 by Blur, making it the oldest song in the ranking. With more than 560 million streams to date, Song 2 featured on the soundtrack for FIFA: Road to World Cup ‘98, which was the first game in the series to feature a soundtrack.
| The Top 20 Most Streamed FIFA Songs | |||
| Artist: | Song: | Year: | Total Spotify Streams: |
| 1. Glass Animals | Heat Waves | 2021 | 1,946,964,717 |
| 2. AVICII | The Nights | 2015 | 1,163,964,283 |
| 3. Billie Eilish | you should see me in a crown | 2019 | 692,812,784 |
| 4. Imagine Dragons | On Top of the World | 2013 | 683,964,847 |
| 5. Kaleo | Way Down We Go | 2016 | 643,561,438 |
| 6. MGMT | Kids | 2009 | 599,007,927 |
| 7. Blur | Song 2 | 1998 | 560,576,371 |
| 8. John Newman | Love Me Again | 2014 | 494,064,676 |
| 9. Rosalia & Ozuna | Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi | 2020 | 465,460,354 |
| 10. Vance Joy | Mess Is Mine | 2015 | 395,291,133 |
| 11. LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo | Genius | 2019 | 382,638,591 |
| 12. Muse | Supermassive Black Hole | 2007 | 370,594,842 |
| 13. Major Lazer | Que Calor | 2020 | 347,958,743 |
| 14. Peter Bjorn and John | Young Folks | 2008 | 338,367,458 |
| 15. New Order | Blue Monday | 2005 | 285,463,188 |
| 16. Kygo ft. Kodaline | Raging | 2017 | 270,224,195 |
| 17. Gorillaz | Rhinestone Eyes | 2011 | 264,349,990 |
| 18. Saint Motel | My Type | 2015 | 253,134,043 |
| 19. Childish Gambino | Feels Like Summer | 2019 | 245,942,140 |
| 20. Disclosure ft. Sam Smith | Omen | 2016 | 238,175,156 |
The most streamed FIFA songs of the 2000s
FIFA soundtracks are reflective of the year they are released, so they often provide a source of nostalgia for many long-time players. Unsurprisingly, Kids by MGMT ranks as the most streamed FIFA song from the 2000s, from 2009 specifically, with 599 million streams on Spotify. Supermassive Black Hole by Muse ranks next from 2007, with 370 million total streams, closely followed by Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John from 2008, with more than 338 million streams.
Also, the research revealed that FIFA 2009 is a popular soundtrack with fans, with five entries from 2009 in the top 15 songs from the 2000s. These songs include: Kids by MGMT, Mercy by Duffy, Untouched by The Veronicas, Always Where I Need to Be by The Kooks and Ready For the Floor (Soulwax Remix) by Hot Chip.
| The Top 15 Most Streamed FIFA Songs of the 2000s | |||
| Artist: | Song: | Year: | Total Spotify Streams: |
| 1. MGMT | Kids | 2009 | 599,007,927 |
| 2. Muse | Supermassive Black Hole | 2007 | 370,594,842 |
| 3. Peter Bjorn and John | Young Folks | 2008 | 338,367,458 |
| 4. New Order | Blue Monday | 2005 | 285,463,188 |
| 5. Duffy | Mercy | 2009 | 232,202,405 |
| 6. Caesars | Jerk It Out | 2004 | 193,467,887 |
| 7. The Jam | Town Called Malice | 2004 | 147,686,251 |
| 8. The Veronicas | Untouched | 2009 | 133,517,836 |
| 9. Bloc Party | Helicopter | 2006 | 103,448,991 |
| 10. Scissor Sisters | Take Your Mama | 2005 | 92,965,463 |
| 11. Safri Duo | Played A-Live (The Bongo Song) | 2003 | 73,877,764 |
| 12. The Kooks | Always Where I Need to Be | 2009 | 63,288,599 |
| 13. Hot Chip | Ready For the Floor (Soulwax Remix) | 2009 | 62,539,194 |
| 14. Tribalistas | Ja Sei Namorar | 2004 | 58,835,591 |
| 15. Gorillaz | 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) | 2002 | 57,139,760 |
The ultimate FIFA playlist
Within the FIFA community, many fans often discuss and debate the most iconic songs ever featured on the game, as well as their favourite soundtracks by year. The below table lists the most streamed song on each FIFA soundtrack since 1998, including some classic fan-favourites and a few surprises.
Interestingly, English band Gorillaz are the only artist to feature twice, both in 2002 with 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix), which has received 57 million Spotify streams and in 2011 with Rhinestone Eyes, which has 264 million streams.
| The Most Streamed FIFA Songs from Every Year | |||
| Year: | Artist: | Song: | Total Spotify Streams: |
| 1998 | Blur | Song 2 | 560,576,371 |
| 1999 | Fatboy Slim | The Rockafeller Skank | 86,888,733 |
| 2000 | Reel Big Fish | Sell Out | 47,532,833 |
| 2001 | Moby | Bodyrock | 17,895,220 |
| 2002 | Gorillaz | 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) | 57,139,760 |
| 2003 | Safri Duo | Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song) | 73,877,764 |
| 2004 | Caesars | Jerk It Out | 193,467,887 |
| 2005 | New Order | Blue Monday | 285,463,188 |
| 2006 | Bloc Party | Helicopter | 103,448,991 |
| 2007 | Muse | Supermassive Black Hole | 370,594,842 |
| 2008 | Peter Bjorn and John | Young Folks | 338,367,458 |
| 2009 | MGMT | Kids | 599,007,927 |
| 2010 | Matt & Kim | Daylight | 167,592,928 |
| 2011 | Gorillaz | Rhinestone Eyes | 264,349,990 |
| 2012 | Foster the People | Call It What You Want | 106,199,550 |
| 2013 | Imagine Dragons | On Top of the World | 683,964,847 |
| 2014 | John Newman | Love Me Again | 494,064,676 |
| 2015 | AVICII | The Nights | 1,163,964,283 |
| 2016 | Kaleo | Way Down We Go | 643,561,438 |
| 2017 | Kygo ft. Kodaline | Raging | 270,224,195 |
| 2018 | Tash Sultana | Jungle | 194,454,302 |
| 2019 | Billie Eilish | you should see me in a crown | 692,812,784 |
| 2020 | Rosalia & Ozuna | Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi | 465,460,354 |
| 2021 | Glass Animals | Heat Waves | 1,946,964,717 |
| 2022 | Seb | Seaside_Demo | 117,223,691 |
The research was conducted by Solitaired.com, a free, browser-based card game platform with more than 500 games available to play.
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation today announced the provisional list of national teams and athletes competing in the 2022 IMMAF European Championships, which will be broadcast live from Lignano Sabbiadoro on immaf.tv between 27 September and 01 October.
List of Athletes by Nation and by Weight Division here
Hosted by the Italian Mixed Martial Arts Federation (FIGMMA) at the Bella Italia Efa Village. This tournament will be closed to European nations. Six of the top ten senior teams of the World Amateur MMA Rankings will be in action, including Sweden, Ukraine, Ireland, Spain and Italy while Ukraine, Poland, England and Ireland all sit among the top ten junior teams.
Ukraine boasts the largest squad of the thirty-six participating nations with a team of thirty athletes set to compete, which includes world silver medalists Ivan Pasych and Andrii Stoian.
Italy will bring a squad of twenty-five athletes, with plenty of fresh faces set to represent the host nation for the first time.
Poland’s Magdalena Czaban will look to become a three-time European champion as she moves from atomweight up to strawweight for the first time in an IMMAF competition. Paulina Kontna is also expected to return after her gold medal-winning run in 2021.
A Championship Pass will be available on immaf.tv for the European Championships, providing coverage for each day of action.
Buy your subscription or Championships Pass packages to IMMAF TV here:
2022 IMMAF European Championships – immaf.tv
As the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation continues to expand, Scotland has become the latest nation to establish a federation.
The idea of setting up a federation was something that had been considered for some time. Mixed Martial Arts Federation of Scotland representative Iain Feenan discussed how the creation of the federation came about and the role in which the success of IMMAF ultimately played in making the final decision.
With the progression of the federation, Feenan also hopes that Scotland can play their part in securing Olympic recognition of Mixed Martial Arts. He said: “It’s something a number of people in the Scottish MMA scene have spoken about for a while now.
“However, seeing the emergence of IMMAF and the affiliated organisations is a driving factor. As a country, we want to be part of growing the sport and help with the goal of being recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
“It’s been challenging and a slow process, but we are making headway, and in the end, it will be well worth it.”
A huge factor for a federation finding success is having clear, attainable goals, something the MMA Scotland appears to have in abundance.
Feenan explained that there are numerous things the federation will look to achieve in order to progress the safety & level of mixed martial arts across all levels of the sport: “Our goal is to build an organisation that develops the sport of MMA in Scotland from grassroots to professional level through education, training and safeguarding of young people, competitors and coaches in MMA.”
Scotland will be sending sole competitor Kunle Lawal to the European Championships. Feenan believes being able to have representation at a tournament so early after the inception of the federation is a monumental step in the right direction.
“It’s great to see Scotland represented for the first time at this event. Scotland has a wealth of talent who I’m sure we will see compete in IMMAF events more regularly in the future.”
Although this will be the federation’s first IMMAF tournament, they are no strangers to the Championship format. In June, Scotland took a sizable team to the inaugural EMMAA Four Nations Tournament, taking home eight medals, and the aforementioned Lawal was named Athlete Of The Tournament.
Watch the 2022 IMMAF European Championships live and exclusively from Bella Italia Efa Village in Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy) from 27 September and 1 October 2022 at immaf.tv with the tournament draw taking place on 26 September.
Popular Edinburgh hockey club boosted by sponsorship backing from legal firm
A RENOWNED Scottish law firm is sponsoring Edinburgh University Men’s Hockey Club (EUMHC) following one of the most successful seasons in the club’s 120-year history.
Gibson Kerr’s sponsorship of EUMHC will help the club with general admin and running costs that are crucial to its continued success.
With a commitment to the development of its players and the aim of encouraging more students to play sport, long-established Gibson Kerr was keen to support the growing club which is now the biggest men’s university sports club in the UK.
Current Sponsorship Secretary of the EUMHC, Ben Wilson, said: “The whole team feel really privileged to receive Gibson Kerr’s sponsorship.
“As a club, we have considerable expenses. We now have four teams training a night and we require good equipment. Last year, we spent a lot of money on balls, bibs, cones and other kit that is crucial for the club and we expect that this year, that outgoing might be even more.
“In addition, we have umpires to pay, goal keeping kit to invest in, more bibs to purchase and with the introduction of our 8th team this year, another training session to fund.
“As you might imagine, we’re absolutely thrilled with the sponsorship from Gibson Kerr. The money will go a long way in helping us pay a massive chunk of our expenses and it will really help take the weight off and provide much needed security.”
The newly Gibson Kerr branded kit made its first appearance at the hockey club’s first game this season at Peffermill Playing Fields on the 11th September following one of its most successful seasons to date.
The club added to its list of growing accolades last year which now includes becoming two-time Scottish League and Scottish Cup champions and four-time British Universities and College Sport champions.
The club was also the first Scottish men’s side to gain promotion to the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Premier National since the formation of BUCS in 2008.
Ben added: “After such a strong last season, we are hoping to build upon this success next year. At the moment we have 190 members and we are looking forward to another great year ahead as we continue to nurture some of Scotland’s future hockey stars.”
The legal firm has also been invited to meet the club members and present to the teams, sharing some information on Gibson Kerr and the work that they do, as well as joining them for a spot of hockey.
Donald Towsey, solicitor in Gibson Kerr’s property team and keen hockey player, said: “The club plays a huge part of the university’s sporting community and Gibson Kerr are delighted to support it.
“We are also hoping we might be able to inspire some budding lawyers in the team by telling them about the work we do.”
Gibson Kerr dates back more than 100 years and was acquired by Partners Scott and Fiona Rasmusen in 2005. Fiona is Head of Family Law, Partner Lindsay Maclean, who joined the firm in 2007, is Head of Personal Law, and the Property team is headed by Beverley Cottrell.
For more information on Gibson Kerr, visit: https://www.gibsonkerr.co.uk/
Opportunities for girls (2011 & 2012) with experience of playing club football to join the Spartans Girls Academy team.
For more info contact: clubmanager@spartansfcyouth.com
Musselburgh Racecourse’s final hurrah of the summer is set for an invasion of superheroes with next month’s Musselburgh Gold Cup Family Raceday.
Proving that racing isn’t just for the adults, the whole family is invited to embrace Superheroes Day with entertainment celebrating some of Marvel and DC’s most daring characters – from Batman and Spiderman to Captain America and Bumblebee.
Taking place on Sunday, September 11 and marking the last of The Sensational 7 Series of the year, the event invites youngsters to dress up as their favourite superhero or character in costume for a day at the races filled with family fun.
In the words of Spiderman’s Uncle Ben, with great power comes great responsibility – to enjoy yourself … !
Children 17 years and under are admitted free, when accompanied by a paying adult, and can enjoy the Clip Clop kids zone with children’s rides and superhero shows, prizes for the kids in the best dressed superhero or character costume, chill out tepee, bubbles and the ever-popular face-painting – all included in the ticket price. If that isn’t enough, they can also enjoy the day at the kids disco.
Alongside all the family fun, the East Lothian track is hosting an afternoon of equally exciting, top-quality racing and the raceday packages Musselburgh is renowned for, including picnic table reservations, dining at the Harris Tweed Bistro plus Fish & Chips and Gourmet Hot Dog options.
The Musselburgh Gold Cup over two miles, is one of the three feature races carrying £25,000 in prize money. Last year it was won by Haizoom, trained at Carluke by Keith Dalgleish and four out of the last five favourites have been successful.
Dumfriesshire-based Iain Jardine is another trainer from Scotland that has won this staying event which has also gone to horses from Newmarket and Yorkshire in the past.
Aisling Johnston, Commercial Manager at Musselburgh Racecourse said: “We’ve had a fantastic summer season and we want to go out on a high, with an event that brings together the whole family for a spectacular finale.
“We can’t wait. Bring on the invasion of the superheroes, we’re ready for them!”
Tickets for The Musselburgh Gold Cup Family Raceday are now on sale and booking before midnight on the 26th August will save £10.00 off the raceday gate admission price (£30.00). Children 17 years and under are admitted FREE at Musselburgh Racecourse when accompanied by a paying adult.
Concession tickets are available at the gate on the day for £15 per person.
For a full range of ticket information please visit https://www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk/tickets/afternoon-meeting-11-09-22
Tickets for the Summer Finale Raceday on Saturday 10th September are also available for purchase. To find out more information about this day and the additional 28 fixtures throughout the year, please visit https://www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk
