The Manchester House of Sport

2.18 Manchester’s reputation as a European city of sporting excellence is
underpinned by the range of world class venues located within the City and an
ambitious sports events programme. In addition to a vibrant professional and
amateur sports scene, Manchester currently also hosts a number of governing
bodies and a variety of other organisations with links to the sport and leisure
industry. These bodies are located across the City, in locations such as the
Etihad Campus, the City Centre and Belle Vue. There has been a long
standing ambition to provide a single facility which would cater for the needs of
these organisations (a House of Sport), which would not only secure their
presence in the City and attract further organisations, but also deliver cost
savings, efficiencies and synergies for the occupiers. A similar such facility,
the Sport Park, has been delivered in Loughborough.

2.19 At present work is underway to develop an investment case for the House of Sport project. The work comprises an assessment of demand from sports governing bodies for a regional sports hub to accommodate a range of sportsand leisure bodies. It also includes reviewing site options, funding strategy, project impacts, and delivery arrangements. This work will be completed by Spring 2012.

Nipped into the COOP for a pint of milk and a couple of sccops. Took a cheeky picture. ;-)

Today's MEN. (bit small)

Rugby Football League (RFL) chief executive Nigel Wood has hinted that Manchester’s Etihad Stadium could become the long-term home of the Super League’s Magic Weekend after record-breaking attendance figures for this year’s event.

The Magic Weekend sees an entire round of Super League fixtures played at one venue and has previously taken to Cardiff and Edinburgh. This year marked the first time the event had been staged in Manchester and with a record aggregate crowd of 63,716, Wood stated that a three-year deal is already on the table to continue at the home of Barclays Premier League champion Manchester City.

“When we commenced negotiations with both Manchester City and the City of Manchester Council, there was an intention towards striking a three-year deal,” he told the League’s official website, Therfl.co.uk. “But we both thought it was appropriate to do it once and review it and see if everybody was as confident about its prospects of succeeding here as we all were and that is the intention. The debrief will take place in the early part of next month when we’ll be sitting down with relevant parties to see whether this can become a fixture in the calendar for the foreseeable future. We’ve not been actively touting the event around. We went to the Etihad in good faith to see if we can build a long-term relationship with Manchester.”

The Magic Weekend first commenced in 2007 and Wood believes it has now established its place in the rugby league calendar. “The debate about whether Magic has a place in the calendar has come and gone,” he added. “It’s been firmly established as a very popular event. We will always consult with the clubs about when and where but as an event it’s been safely delivered.”

An extended deal with the Etihad Stadium would see Manchester established as one of the centrepieces of British rugby league. Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, is the traditional venue of the Super League’s Grand Final.

Sorry, we are not currently accepting comments from the public on this application.

Not be long then before RBS becomes MCFC bank of Choice with a huge sponsorship deal worth millions :-)