Manchester United has declared its readiness to welcome back fans to Old Trafford as soon as the UK government gives the green light for stadiums to reopen. Read more
Manchester United has declared its readiness to welcome back fans to Old Trafford as soon as the UK government gives the green light for stadiums to reopen. Read more
Marriott Hotels is making dreams a reality at Old Trafford, by awarding fans from around the world the chance to sit in its Seat of Dreams. Read more
2019 has been a memorable summer for sport in the UK, with a plethora of events encompassing different sports and attracting fans from around the world.
Arguably, since 2012, never has the UK been such a focal point for summertime sports with the country hosting two World Cups (netball and cricket), two Major League Baseball fixtures and the Ashes contest, alongside the all-time British classics of The Open, Wimbledon, Ascot and the Grand Prix.
Nuno Guerreiro, principle at HOK Sport and Entertainment says that fundamental to the success of this year has been the locations. He said:
Whilst M&S Bank Arena, Royal Portrush and the London Stadium aren’t exactly new, they have yet to acquire the international renown enjoyed by the iconic venues of Wimbledon, Lords, Ascot and Silverstone; that said, they all delivered unequivocally.
Probably the venue facing the biggest challenge was Royal Portrush; not only did it have the weight of expectation of being the first Northern Irish host to The Open in 70 years, bringing its infrastructure in line with the expectation of tournament stakeholders and 237,750 sophisticated golf fans for the four-day spectacle was quite some task.
The expectations inherent amongst stakeholders using a venue are not to be underestimated; organisers, sponsors, the media, athletes and fans have widely varying and exacting needs. These can vary from state-of-the-art media centres and broadcast facilities, a selection of corporate hospitality options, a range of fan food and beverage concessions, fan entertainment areas (to meet the ever-growing demands of social media) and impressive player facilities – spanning discrete warm up areas, treatment rooms, changing facilities and lounges.
With established grounds, there is often the need to retrofit technology – hence the historic issues with services such as WiFi – but even modern venues face unexpected challenges, as anyone who has hosted VVIP guests or completely new sports can attest.
Whilst the results of home nations teams were varied, the summer has been hailed as a great success. Even a quick look at the figures behind the fixtures show what a mammoth task it was and with this in mind, the UK sports sector can probably take a moment, with a lot of pride, to reflect on what it has achieved.
Event | Venue | Attendance | Ave Ticket Price | Participating Athletes | Hours of Sporting
Action |
Duration |
ICC
World Cup
|
Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Edgbaston, Hampshire, Headingly, Lords, Old Trafford, Taunton, The Oval, Trent Bridge, | 800,000 | £86 | 150 | 384 hours | 41 days |
MLB London Series
|
The London Stadium | 118,718 | £168 | 52 | 6 hours | 2 days |
Netball World Cup
|
M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool | 125,000 | £39 | 192 | 60 hours | 10 days |
Royal Ascot | Ascot Racecourse | 292,719 | £56 | 509 horses
94 jockeys
|
2 hours, 15 minutes | 5 days |
The Ashes | Edgbaston, Lords, Headingly, Old Trafford, The Oval | 483,800 | £100 | 31 | 130 hours | 23 days |
The Open
|
Royal Portrush | 237,750 | £68 | 156 | 50 hours | 4 days |
Wimbledon
|
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club | 500,397 | £99 | 864 | 1092 hours, 45 minutes | 13 days |
*Figures calculated based on price brackets and averages not volumes
Image: The band of the Scots Guards entertains fans during a lunch break in the Ashes Test at The Oval.
@PanStadiaArena
Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has revealed the chosen host towns, cities and venues for the tournaments taking place in England in two years’ time. Read more
Manchester United have hit a snag in their ongoing work on the improvements to Old Trafford’s provision for disabled supporters. Read more
Manchester United has confirmed plans for improvements to Old Trafford’s provision for disabled supporters. Read more
The Rugby Football League (RFL) has confirmed that it will bid for England to host the Rugby League World Cup in 2021.
Super League and Manchester United have reached an agreement for the Super League Grand Final to continue to be played at the Old Trafford stadium (Theatre of Dreams) for another four years.
The contract extension will see Rugby League’s most prized trophy be contested at Super League’s spiritual home until at least 2017, which will mark the 20th anniversary of the Grand Final.
Super League Chief Executive Nigel Wood said:
The Super League Grand Final is a world class sporting event and I am delighted that we have reached agreement with Manchester United for it to remain in a world class venue.
Manchester United Group Managing Director Richard Arnold, added:
We’re excited about the extension of our relationship with Super League (Europe) for Old Trafford to host the Super League Grand Final until 2017. The Grand Final is always a fantastic event and it’s a privilege for Old Trafford to host the players and fans of Rugby League.
Manchester United’s investment in a Desso Grassmaster pitch and regular renovation from Premier Pitches (pictured) means that it can host rugby in the soccer season without disrupting its match schedule or compromising the surface for Premiership or Champions League games.