— Terry Venables has taken some time out from his day job as Steve McClaren’s right-hand man to help to launch a new internet venture. Venables, whose track record in business has had its bumpy moments, is one of the investors behind isporty.com — a sort of sporting myspace.com — which held a launch party in London’s West End last night.

Venables’s presence among the isporty backers has raised the profile of the website, but it also marks his return to prominence in business after a period on the sidelines, which, in 1998, featured a seven-year disqualification from acting as a director after problems at four of his companies.

This venture, though, is chaired by Mike Lee, the former communications director for the London 2012 Olympics bid, and includes among its investors Darren Anderton, the former Tottenham Hotspur winger now plying his trade at Bournemouth, and Juan Pablo Ángel, the Aston Villa and Colombia striker.

The website is the inspiration of Chris Ward, the marathon runner, cyclist and public relations expert who worked with the Friends Reunited website. He sees isporty as the chance for sports nuts to do some serious networking, but, disappointingly, Tel does not appear to have entered into the spirit of things yet. A trawl of isporty cannot find his entry; the only famous Terry listed seems to be Griffiths, the former world snooker champion. Come on, Tel, post your details.

— He may have endured an exhausting nine years as chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), but John Crowther has resurfaced to take another high-profile sports job. He is to become treasurer of CCPR, as the Central Council of Physical Recreation is trendily called.

Crowther, who was replaced at the LTA by Roger Draper, tried to drag a moribund organisation into the modern world, survived a huge bust-up after dismissing David Lloyd as Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain and set up the move to the £39 million National Tennis Centre. That’s enough for anyone.

— Richard Caborn, the forthright Sports Minister, helped Sheffield FC to send off more than 2,000 pairs of boots to Africa yesterday as part of the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations. The first person who says that it was Caborn, known for ruffling the odd footballing feather, who should have been given the boot is to leave the room now — and should make a donation to the Boots for Africa campaign on 0114 2675444 or at www.sheffieldfc.com