Sportcity facts for kids
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| Location | Beswick and Clayton, Greater Manchester |
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| Coordinates | 53°28′48″N 02°11′21″W / 53.48000°N 2.18917°W |
| Owner | Manchester Council Manchester City F.C. |
| Type | Sports, community, leisure |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1999-2002 |
| Opened | 2002 |
Sportcity is a huge sports and fun place in Manchester, England. It was first built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, a big sports event. You can find it in east Manchester, not far from the city centre. This area used to be old industrial land, including a coal mine called Bradford Colliery.
The biggest building at Sportcity is the City of Manchester Stadium. This stadium is the home of Manchester City F.C., a famous football team. It is one of the largest football stadiums in all of England. Sportcity also has other cool places. These include the National Squash Centre, the main office for the Rugby Football League, and the Manchester Regional Arena for athletics. It is also home to British Cycling, who train at the Manchester Velodrome and the National Indoor BMX Arena.
Exploring Sportcity's Venues
The Sportcity area is located in Beswick and Bradford in east Manchester. There is a visitor centre where you can learn about the area's history. It tells how the land changed from a busy industrial place to the modern sports hub it is today. Getting there is easy, as the Etihad Campus tram stop opened in 2013.
Sportcity was once considered for a very large casino, but this idea was not approved. There was also a plan in 2006 for a tall wind turbine. This turbine was designed to power the stadium and nearby homes. However, worries about ice falling from the blades meant the plan was stopped.
The City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium was a main venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Today, it is the proud home of Manchester City Football Club. This stadium is easy to spot with its twelve tall masts, each 70 metres high. It can hold over 55,000 fans and is a famous part of the Manchester skyline. Manchester City Football Club pays Manchester City Council to use the stadium. In 2010, they agreed to pay £3 million each year. The club has also made plans to make the stadium even bigger. They want to add more seats to reach a capacity of 60,000.
The Etihad Campus
The Etihad Campus is a large training area for Manchester City. It is located just south-east of the main stadium. This campus includes the Academy Stadium, where the Manchester City W.F.C. (women's team) and the club's youth teams play. It also has community facilities like a leisure centre and a college for older students.
The National Cycling Centre
The National Cycling Centre is a fantastic place for all kinds of cycling. It includes the famous Manchester Velodrome, the National Indoor BMX Arena, and even trails for mountain biking.
Inside the Manchester Velodrome
The Manchester Velodrome was built in the 1990s when Manchester hoped to host the Olympic Games. It was also used for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. This velodrome has had a huge impact on British cycling. For example, at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the British cycling team, who trained here, won many medals. The track is known for being very fast. By 2008, more than 15 world records had been broken there. These included Chris Boardman's hour records in 1996 and 2000.
The National BMX Arena
The National Indoor BMX Centre opened in 2011. It was a joint project between British Cycling and Manchester City Council. This huge building is about 110,000 square feet. Along with the velodrome, this £24 million complex forms the National Cycling Centre. It has 2,000 seats, a special area for BMX biking, and offices for the British Cycling Federation.
The Manchester Regional Arena
The Manchester Regional Arena is another stadium at Sportcity. It is mainly used for athletics and football. It was first built as a warm-up track for the athletes at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. These games took place in the main City of Manchester Stadium next door. The arena has hosted important events like the AAA Championships and the Paralympic World Cup.
The National Squash Centre
The National Squash Centre is also part of the Sportcity complex. It was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and cost about £3.5 million. It has six squash courts and a special glass-walled court for big matches. This glass court is very cool because it can move! It floats like a hovercraft and can be placed in the athletics hall for major tournaments. All the courts can easily change between singles and doubles play.
Rugby Football League Headquarters
In August 2022, the Rugby Football League moved its main office to Sportcity. Before this, their headquarters were in Leeds.
Co-op Live Arena
Construction started in 2021 on a massive indoor arena called Co-op Live. This arena can hold 23,500 people and is a joint project. It opened on May 14, 2024, with a concert by the band Elbow. Co-op Live is now the biggest indoor arena in Europe. It is even larger than the nearby AO Arena.
Future Plans for Sportcity
Manchester City Football Club and Manchester City Council have plans for the land around Sportcity. They own about 200 acres in the area. In 2010, they agreed to look into new ideas for fun and leisure facilities. A company called Jack Rouse Associates, known for building Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, was considered as a possible developer. They had plans for a mixed-use development on their website in 2010.
See also
- Sport in Manchester
