sport

Liverpool is sports mad. It’s got Premier Division football, world-class golf, top horse-racing and even rugby.

The city is, of course, home to two of the Premiership’s biggest football teams, Liverpool Football Club at Anfield and Everton Football Club at Goodison Park. The two divide the city and are the cause of much heated debate in its pubs. Wirral Peninsula’s own Tranmere Rovers have just as passionate a following too, at Prenton Park in Birkenhead.

But the region is also home to England’s Golf Coast, the finest stretch of championship golf in the world, with no fewer than three Royal Links courses which have hosted endless Open Championships and Ryder Cups. These include Royal Birkdale in Southport and Royal Liverpool at Hoylake on the Wirral.

In addition to footie and golf, horse-racing is big in Liverpool. The city hosts the world-famous John Smith’s Grand National each year at its Aintree Racecourse, with top racing at Haydock Park in St Helens too.

The Liverpool sport scene also includes rugby, with a strong Rugby League following for St Helens Rugby and the Widnes Vikings, two of the sport’s oldest teams.

In fact, just about every sport is covered across the region, from running (fancy doing the Liverpool Half Marathon?) to waterskiing and sailing at Queen’s Dock beside the Mersey and even top-flight tennis at Liverpool’s International Tennis Tournament.