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Game, set and friendship

How Australian former tennis player Louise Pleming chance meeting with a homeless man named Brian inspired her to use the sport she loved to help him back on his feet

Former tennis professional Louise Pleming was travelling the globe as a tennis commentator and elite coach when her life took an unexpected turn. The Australian met Brian Turton whilst she was volunteering at a soup kitchen. Brian had always dreamt of a professional tennis career but instead he found himself living on the streets. Louise tells Sportshour鈥檚 Katie Smith how that chance meeting sparked a friendship which had a hugely beneficial effect on them both and many communities in Australia. It led to Louise setting up the charity Rally4Ever which uses tennis to help people get back on their feet.

Who will playing in Super Bowl LIX is still to be determined but that journey starts later on Saturday with the play offs and "Wildcard Weekend". To get you in the mood we are going to head back more than 80 years ago, to a "Bowl" game with a difference. With D-Day looming, 50,000 people watched an American football game featuring NFL and Canadian Football League stars at White City in London in the game that briefly stopped World War II. All these years latter it has been brought to life by Anthony Wootton in his book "The Greatest American Football Story that has Never Been Told"

All good things must come to an end, and for Major League Soccer players that's Saturday! MLS teams like Real Salt Lake are assembling for the first time for pre season training ahead of the start of the League in February. So what does a player do with his precious time off, and what can they expect on that first day back? Real's centre back Philip Quinton talks us through it. He also talks about his passion for the environment. He is part of the EcoAthletes collective, a non-profit that inspires and coaches athletes to lead climate action.

Photo: A group of participants from RALLY4EVER鈥檚 Sydney programs after a pickleball lesson from tennis legend Andre Agassi, Justin Gimelstob and Louise Pleming CREDIT: @raquelpires_photography/https://rally4ever.org/)

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