SALE Sharks rugby fan Sarah Braide has hit the big league with her independent web site devoted to her favourite team set to take a starring role in a pan-European internet sports network, Rivals.net.

Sarah, 21, is a maths student at Oxford University, but grabs the chance to see the Sharks every time it comes along, and she spend several hours a week updating the site.

She said, "I have been a Sale Sharks fan all my life and started the site as a hobby. I could never find out the information I really wanted to know from any other site and I figured that other Sale fans probably had the same problem.

"salerugby.com is an independent site with loads of opinion, comment, rumour, news history and statistics - everything a fan could want or need to know, she added

"Message boards and chat rooms give fans an on-line soap-box and the chance to talk to fellow supporters and voice their opinions worldwide."

"Basically, I want the site to be totally different from the official site.

"I'm hoping to stimulate some real debate with possibly controversial and opinionated material."

Sarah has been running the site herself since Easter, but things really took off when Rivals.net came on board.

The network includes more than 300 indpendent fan sites like Sarah's, covering football, cricket, cycling, rugby and Formula 1.

Sarah's site was selected because of the quality and depth of its content, and the passion with which it is written.

As well as providing the ultimate resource for any Sale rugby club fan, Sarah could soon see her passion turning into profit through the business opportunities offered by rivals.net.

Each site editor is provided with free marketing help and the support of a central rivals.net sales team.

The resulting advertising revenues are far higher than the editor could achieve alone and may mean that one day the sites become more than just a hobby for their creators.

The support from rivals.net allows the editors to concentrate on what they do best- writing and researching their sites to give fans the in-depth information they want.

Marcus Leaver, Chief Executive Officer of rivals.net, said, "rivals.net is an easy-to navigate network of hundreds of independent sports websites, delivering what fans want - when they want it.

"salerugby.com is a great addition to our network and Sarah Braide is a committed and passionate editor who provides a valuable channel for fan's voices.

She typifies the rivals.net spirit and understands that fans crave independent and in-depth information aboput their favourite clubs and want to be part of a like-minded community."

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