Liverpool: It Isn’t Just About Football You Know
One of the common misconceptions about Liverpool and the wider region of Merseyside is that the city is just focused on one sport. Football. While it is true that football plays a major part in the cities identity and culture, Liverpool and the surrounding area also offers plenty of other fantastic opportunities for fans of a great many sports.
The Sport of Kings has two fantastic courses within easy reach of Liverpool City Centre. Aintree Racecourse(0844 579 3001, www.aintree.co.uk) is home to the world’s most famous race, the Grand National, which is held in April each year, and the course also hosts several other meetings throughout the year, while Haydock Park (01942 725 963, www.haydock-park.co.uk) offers regular meets throughout the season in a fantastic setting with plenty to occupy the old and young alike.
The fantastic new Echo Arena (0844 8000 400, www.echoarena.com) also hosts plenty of top class sporting events throughout the year including for 2010; Basketball, Championship Boxing (featuring local hero Tony Dodson), the hugely popular Premier League Darts returns in April 2010 for another visit to the arena. Six-a-side football fans can watch stars of yesteryear show they still have the magic in their boots in the EFPA Champions Cup, with teams from England, Scotland, Ireland/Wales and Europe contesting the first ever EFPA tournament to be held outside of Barcelona. In addition, the popular Mersey Masters football competition will be held in July with teams from Liverpool, Everton, Wigan, Blackpool, Preston and current champions Tranmere Rovers vying for the title.
If Tennis is more your thing and the weather is making it impossible for you to take advantage of the free facilities available in the many Merseyside parks around the area, then you can hire an indoor court just outside the City Centre in Wavertree at the Lifestyles Tennis Centre (0151 293 8350, http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Leisure_and_culture/Sports/Leisure_Centres_and_Pools/Lifestyles_Tennis_Centre/index.asp) or head across the water to the Wirral Tennis Centre (0151 670 0397, http://www.wirral.gov.uk/lgcl/100009/200087/644/content_0000939.html). Both offer indoor and outdoor tennis facilities as well as plenty of other sporting or fitness activities at excellent prices.
If you are a keen golfer, then check out our specialist Golf Blog by clicking here, which lists details of many of the fantastic courses in the area!
But that is not all, you can swim (and do a lot more besides!) at the fantastic, newly developed Liverpool Aquatics Centre (0151 233 8850, http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Leisure_and_culture/Sports/Leisure_Centres_and_Pools/Liverpool_Aquatics_Centre/findus/index.asp?id=wavertree) which features a full sized Olympic size swimming pool and is a training venue for many of the city’s Olympic athletes. For a more relaxing swim you could try Europa Pools (0151 666 5555, http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100009/200087/644/content_0000941.html) in Birkenhead which has slides, a wave machine, a stream run and many other water features that will keep a family happily entertained for an hour or two. If being on the water, instead of in it, is more your thing then give Merseysport (0151 608 9322, www.merseysport.org.uk) a ring as they can offer hire and tuition in activites such as canoeing, windsurfing and even power boating!
After your day’s sporting activity, what better way is there to relax than by having lunch or dinner in one of the many Sports themed bars that are dotted around the historic City Centre? As you would expect from a city that loves its sport, Liverpool is particularly well served in this specialist area. From the famous Cafe Sports England (0151 239 5060, www.cafesportsengland.com) which is owned and frequented by Liverpool star Jamie Carragher and serves excellent family meals at a reasonable price from an international menu, booking in advance is strongly recommended. The same can be said for The Abbey (0151 708 5688, 07833 092 770, http://www.partyatthepub.co.uk/bars/north-west/abbey-liverpool.html) which is a huge bar, divided into three sections with “The Season of ‘86” section being particularly popular with Sports fans on a large screen and two plasma televisions. Furthermore, almost all pubs and bars around the city centre will offer most major sporting attractions on televisions should you just want to have a quiet drink somewhere to watch the game!
All that’s listed above is just a taste of what the city has to offer any visitor keen on any form of sport. It is easy to see why Liverpool really is a sportsman’s and a sports fans city!
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