subject: Come To A City Where Sport Is King But Leave The Kit Bag Behind [print this page] When the BBC announced that it was moving large parts of its operations from London to Manchester, there were many reasons for doing so. As the centre of a region which is passionate about its sport, the city makes an ideal base for enjoying a wide range of activities whether thats taking part, or just watching.
The English national stadium might be in London, but the city, and the surrounding region, boasts a high concentration of arenas which are expected to feature in any future bid to host the World Cup. The likes of Old Trafford, the City of Manchester Stadium, and 30 miles west in Liverpool, Anfield and Goodison Park all have a place in the footballing history of the country in which the sport was invented.
Stadium tours are very big business too, with scores of visitors enjoying them daily, and in the process making substantial contributions to the economies of both cities. The clubs themselves know that they have a very high profile in their local communities, and the visitors who enjoy these tours as well as the many thousands who turn out on match days bring millions of pounds of revenue to local businesses every year, which is deeply appreciated.
Of all the towns and cities across northern England where sport is part of the fabric of its culture, it is Manchester which has the true worldwide pedigree, having hosted the Commonwealth Games, and major European football finals.
The people who choose to relocate to Manchester to work for the BBC will find that sport is in the citys DNA. The residents live, eat and breathe their sport, and on the comment boards of the regional media companies websites, any sporting item attracts far more contributions than any other subject.
A transport network which makes it easy to reach all the major stadia contributes to the enthusiasm and high audience levels which most sporting events around Manchester enjoy, and on any weekend during the main football season, the fans are highly visible as they make their way across the region to follow their favourite team.
Visitors from far afield also converge on the city, and the atmosphere in Manchester on any match day rivals that of any great sporting city around the world. Many even extend their visit by booking a stay at one of the many hotels. They can then discover that theres really much more to Manchester than football.
