THE Echo will soon become a weekly title and the newspaper's sports coverage will remain as comprehensive as ever.

There will be 20 pages of sport in the new weekly, including five pages of Exeter City coverage and five pages of Exeter Chiefs coverage. And the top stories of the week will appear on the back page.

Sports reporter Jon Lewis said: "The new sports section will provide everything a sports fan could want from their local newspaper.

"There will still be comprehensive coverage of the area's biggest teams in Exeter City and Exeter Chiefs, while the large number of pages means we will ensure other clubs and sports are given the column inches they deserve."

In your first weekly Echo you can also expect to see two pages of cricket, three pages providing a round-up of the best of the action in local football leagues which will include Tiverton Town, and a page of local rugby.

The Echo will also continue to feature golf, angling, athletics, pub and club sports, motorsport and swimming, among many other sports.

Chiefs' lock Chris Bentley will be providing a regular column giving an insight into life at the Aviva Premiership club.

The 32-year-old joined the Chiefs in 2004, making his debut against London Welsh, before leaving then returning for a second spell which began in 2007.

A regular column from Exeter City will also be provided.

Jon added: "All the usual favourites will remain, with double page spread match previews for City and the Chiefs, as well as a look back to the previous week's action.

"And any breaking news will be uploaded immediately to the website and we will be doing live blogs from City & Chiefs matches.

"We intend to be proactive with our digital content."

The first edition of the new weekly Echo will be published on Thursday, September 8, and the last edition of the daily Echo will be this Friday, September 2.

The new weekly will feature in-depth coverage of all the news and sports stories which are happening in and around Exeter, as well as all your favourite features from the Echo including Pets' Corner, Green team, Teen team, Nostalgia, Your School, a business section and puzzles.

There will be a range of new platforms in a revamped lifestyle section, while your comprehensive guide to what's on in the local area will continue to be provided.

And it will all be supplemented by the Echo's website, www.thisisexeter.co.uk

Breaking news will appear throughout the day, along with videos and galleries of photographs.

Readers will have the ability to upload their own content and there are forums to discuss news stories.

There will be a host of great offers with the weekly launch including the chance to have £5 taken off your shopping bill when you spend £30 at any branch of Sainsbury's within the Echo's circulation area.

Other offers will include the chance to get editions of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday for half price, a promotion with Shauls Bakery and a competition in which you could win an iPad 2.

The weekly newspaper will be in the shops every Thursday, priced £1, and remain on sale throughout the week.