Manchester Rules
Today at Old Trafford, second-placed Manchester United host table-topping Manchester City in the Premier League, in a repeat of the FA Cup semi-final and FA Community Shield matches recently at Wembley. Much more than ‘local’ bragging rights are at stake. Manchester is buzzing.
Lancashire County Cricket Club won the County Championship for the first time in 77 years this past summer, under the excellent captaincy of Glen Chapple and a team full of Lancastrians.
Manchester City are the FA Cup holders.
Manchester United, three times European Cup winners, are the current FA Premier League Champions, winning their record 19th title in 2010-11) and European Champions League finalists.
BBC has relocated to Salford from London and the nation’s favorite sporting programme ‘Match of the Day’ will be screened from the new BBC home in Salford in two weeks time.
The Commonwealth Games was a great success when held in Manchester recently.
The International Sports Management (ISM) Company is based in Mere, near Manchester, and (until last week), represents World Golf’s Major Champions in 2011: Rory McIllroy, Darren Clarke, Charl Swartzel, Louis Oosthuisen and previously represented Graham McDowell and Ernie Els, both Golf Major Champions.
British Cycling, is based in Manchester, and has been at the forefront of so many innovations and successes in recent years.
Manchester’s global sporting recognition came to major prominence with hte tragedy of the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, when Sir Matt Busby and his Manchester United ‘Busby Babes’ were involved in a terrible tragedy which took the lives of the legendary Duncan Edwards and other members of the great team who were pioneers in Europe for British Football.
Manchester gave birth to sport’s first rock-star, George Best in the swinging sixties. Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the world’s most respected sportsmen remains a high profile but understated iconic figure at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson is regarded as the most successful British Football Manager of all time. David Beckham, one of the world’s most famous people, was made in Manchester.
The sporting capital of England (and arguably the world) would appear to be Manchester & District!
