Manchester is renowned as a centre of sporting excellence. Whether it’s football, swimming, cycling or squash, the city has hosted or given rise to countless sporting success stories.
The town is home to many sporting landmarks and famous venues. Indeed, the City Of Manchester Stadium was built especially to host one of the pinnacles of sporting achievement, the Commonwealth Games. Since then, the stadium has become home to Manchester City football club, who moved there from their Maine Road base after the games.
Over on the other side of Manchester resides one of the world’s most famous sporting venues, Old Trafford, home to Manchester United, and scene of much sporting history made not just in football but also rugby league, which is regularly hosted there.
Nowhere is the relationship between Manchester and sport more evident than at the aptly named Sportcity, the sprawling development that lies to the east of town. The area was built around the world famous Manchester Velodrome and the City Of Manchester Stadium in order to provide the city, and indeed the north west of England, with a hub of sporting excellence.
At Sportcity you will find the English Institute of Sport, which provides training facilities for world class athletes and potential future stars. Nearby is the National Squash Centre and the Regional Tennis Centre, both of which are famed for their outstanding racquet sport facilities.
Finally on the roll call of sports venues is the Manchester Aquatics Centre, which was built at a cost of £32million and today provides athletes and the public with world class swimming facilities.