Manchester named the UK’s Greatest Sporting City 2015

Last week, Shortlist named Manchester the Best Place To be A Man in the UK. Now Manchester has received another accolade – it’s been named the UK’s Greatest Sporting City 2015 in a study conducted by the Universities of Gloucester and Bath for ESPN.

The researchers asked sports fans across the country what they thought makes a great sporting city. They came up with the following 12 factors – ticket prices, local talent, atmosphere, community involvement, transport accessibility, club success, social, number of venues, choice, sporting history, economic impact, and participation in sport.

‘Sportcity Manchester has
the largest concentration
of sporting venues in Europe’

Then they were asked to rank their own city according to how they think it performs in each category. Manchester came top overall, based upon the fact that it scored highly in seven of the 12 categories and came top in one-local talent. London was runner-up and Glasgow third.

Bearing in mind Manchester is the home of two of the biggest football clubs in the country and possibly the universe and, thanks to the 2002 Commonwealth Games, has in Sportcity the largest concentration of sporting venues in Europe, we can’t say we’re surprised.

Here are 10 more reasons why

1. Old Trafford

The biggest sports stadium in the country outside Wembley and the venue for international sporting events including England internationals, the 2003 Champions League Final and Rugby League World Cup finals.

2. The National Cycling Centre

Britain’s first indoor Olympic cycling track, and the home of British cycling.

3. Manchester Aquatics Centre

One of the biggest and best swimming facilities in the country.

4. The National Football Museum

Moved from Preston in 2012 and turned Urbis into home to the greatest collection of football memorabilia in the world.

5. Chill Factore

Home to the UKs longest indoor skiing and indoor snowboarding slope.

6. National Squash Centre

The home of English squash.

7. Trafford Soccerdome

The biggest 5-a-side football centre in the world.

8. Great Manchester Run

More than ¼ million people have taken part in Europe’s biggest 10k run since it started in 2003.

9. Great City Games

World class athletics on the streets of the city centre.

10. Rugby World Cup

The Etihad is one of the venues for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

We haven’t even mentioned Lancashire CCC, Ricky Hatton, Salford Red Devils, Paul Scholes, FC United, Darren Campbell, and Sale Sharks. That’s because we wouldn’t want anyone to think we’re getting big-headed.