Manchester Convention Bureau is gearing up for another fitness challenge

23rd January 2023

Manchester and sport go hand in hand. It’s one of the first things that comes to mind when people mention our city region, and for good reason. Greater Manchester has a rich sporting heritage and is home to world-famous teams, sporting legends and iconic stadiums and arenas covering almost every sport imaginable.

As one of the top ten cities in the World for sports according to BCW, Manchester is home to two of the world’s biggest and most prestigious football clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City, as well as the British cycling team. Greater Manchester has created countless sporting icons from Stockport’s Fred Perry to Bolton’s Jason Kenny, the list goes on.

So, it’s no surprise that as a location linked so closely with the sporting world, Greater Manchester is often chosen to host prestigious sporting events. The city-region hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and has also hosted The Rugby League World Cup 6 times, The Cricket World Cup three times and has been a host venue for The Ashes since 1882. Manchester has experience hosting regular Premier League and Champions League football at both Manchester United and Manchester City and Greater Manchester hosted 8 matches in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, including the opening match at Old Trafford which attracted over 68,000 spectators.

Luckily, the region is supported by some incredible venues which can facilitate events of any scale and sport. In Manchester, there is no limit to the city's sporting credentials.

Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, the National Basketball Performance Centre, Leigh Sports Village, AJ Bell Stadium, The National Cycling Centre, AO arena and Manchester Aquatic Centre are just a few of the many sporting venues within Greater Manchester, perfectly equipped to host events of all shapes and sizes. Plus, Co-op Live, the UK’s largest indoor arena will open in December 2023 providing a new state-of-the-art venue for spectator sport.

Even if you’re more of a spectator and sports lover, Manchester is a top destination for a conference that celebrates sport. Bring together your delegates at The National Football Museum, Manchester City Football Club’s Etihad Stadium, Old Trafford Cricket Ground and more, with events spaces available to hire.

What’s Next for Sport in Greater Manchester?

HYROX

Next up on Greater Manchester’s sporting agenda is the HYROX qualifier on Saturday 28 January at Manchester Central. This qualifier will build anticipation for the HYROX World Championships which will also be held at Manchester Central on Friday 26 May.

HYROX is a global fitness race aimed at everybody and all fitness levels, bridging the gap between traditional endurance events with functional fitness and creating a truly accessible fitness race. 

Participants from across the globe compete in the same format, starting with a 1 km run, followed by 1 functional movement, repeated 8 times.

To host the HYROX qualifiers and world championship, venues need to be able to facilitate eight individual exercise areas which include rowing machines, kettlebells and sandbags as well as a running track circled outside the edge. With thousands of athletes expected to compete on the day, space is top of the list when HYROX are searching for a host venue, and this is exactly why Manchester Convention Bureau suggested Manchester Central.

The size of the venue also allowed the hosts to accommodate warm-up and recovery areas, exhibition stands, catering areas, break-out areas for staff, changing rooms and a live DJ to help get athletes and spectators in the mood all on-site.

HYROX is an event that requires large indoor venues, creating a stadium-like atmosphere to inspire participants. Manchester Central has proven to be the ideal venue for this as its size lends itself to mass participation and a seating capacity of 9,500 people which means HYROX has plenty of room for supporters and a crowd. Combined with its history of hosting the Commonwealth Games, The Rugby League World Cup Wheelchair Final and other high-profile sporting activities Manchester Central has proven it’s a venue that can handle sporting events of all varieties, no challenge is too big!

AJ Bell Great Manchester Run

In 2023, Manchester is also gearing up for the 20th anniversary of the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run in May 2023. The Greater Manchester Run is an iconic 10k that circles from Manchester City Centre to Old Trafford and Salford Quays. It’s a chance for people of all ages and abilities to run and take in views of the city. With a buzzing atmosphere for both spectators and runners, it’s a great sporting day for the city-region.

Para Swimming World Championships

In summer 2023, Manchester will host the 11th Para Swimming World Championships at the Manchester Aquatics Centre. This will be the third time the World Championships has been held in Britain and Manchester is expecting to host over 600 Para swimmers from 70 countries. The World Championships will see 7 days of racing in the Manchester Aquatics Centre and expect to see thousands of spectators take to the city ahead of next year’s Paralympic Games in Paris. 

The Manchester Aquatic Centre has recently undergone a £31m refurb and is the country’s busiest swimming pool, attracting around 500,000 visitors each year. With a 50m multipurpose pool, that can be set up in a variety of ways depending on the use, a diving pool with a moveable floor and a training pool which is already home to the GB Para Swim Team, it’s the ideal venue to host over 600 leading para swimmers.

Ready to bring your sporting event to Manchester?

Manchester Convention Bureau offers tailored support for sporting bids. The team works to identify major sporting event opportunities across Greater Manchester but will also support any event planners with their efforts in a bid to bring more events to this great sporting city.

The Manchester Convention Bureau has extensive experience working with UK Sport. It also has longstanding relationships with international federations and governing bodies of sport which enable them to support your event through every stage of the bidding journey. Let the team support you with producing a bespoke bid, choosing the ideal venue and training facility for your sporting event and everything in between, removing pressure from your event organisers.

Whether you’re organising a sporting championship, conference, awards ceremony or drinks reception, the team can assist with specialist venue sourcing in some of Manchester’s iconic sporting venues or something a little less athletic.

But it doesn’t stop at venue sourcing. The team can also help with other event services including accommodation booking and finding the perfect hotel for your delegates and speakers. They can also connect you with local experts and speakers, support event promotion and provide first-class delegate welcomes. Who better to help you plan an event in Manchester than the people that know it best?

Contact the team to find out how we can help you to deliver an exceptional event which showcases your sport and achieves the objectives for you and your event stakeholders, your athletes, and the national and international community within your sport.