The Sportsman will launch in spring 2006, ahead of the soccer World Cup in Germany, and will be backed by a £12m budget, in part provided by Zac and Ben Goldsmith, sons of the late billionaire James Goldsmith.
The paper aims to capitalize on the dramatic growth of the betting industry in the UK and will provide coverage of all betting activities, from sporting events and racing to online poker and financial spread betting.
“We are starting this paper to reflect the enormous change there has been in the betting industry. Betting is no longer confined to the racecourse and the pools. We want to provide a conduit between the booming gaming industry and potential punters,”
said the paper’s Chairman, Jeremy Deedes, former Chief Executive of the Telegraph group.The Sportsman will be published seven days a week and distributed throughout the country. It will employ more than 80 journalists and be edited by former Daily Telegraph journalist Charlie Methven. Compton Hellyer, founder and Chairman of the spread betting company Sporting Index, will be a non-executive director.
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