Sport

Leigh Sports Village Stadium is thrilled to be hosts to the 2011 Gillette Four Nations England v Wales match on Saturday 29 October. The match kicks off at 2.30pm and will be the first England fixture of the tournament.

It will be the fourth time Leigh Sports Village Stadium has hosted International Rugby League, following the England v France International in June last year and the England Academy v Australia Schoolboys International Test Series in December 2010.

Speaking on the announcement, Leigh Sports Village Chief Executive Simon Toon said, “I am delighted that Leigh Sports Village will be hosting one of the Gillette Four Nations fixtures. The Four Nations is a prestigious competition and it is fantastic that we will be associated with the tournament. Leigh has an extremely proud rugby heritage and I have no doubt that the local community will look forward to watching International Rugby League here again.”

Tickets for the match are now on sale and available by calling the RFL ticketing hotline on 0844 8561113 or online at www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk. Tickets start from £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. Leigh Sports Village ticket office will be selling tickets shortly so visit www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk for further information.

Darwen’s new £13 million leisure centre will open on Friday January 29 and promises to be one of the best in the North West.

The 3-storey building houses a 25 metre 8-lane swimming pool, small pool, gym, fitness studio, sports hall, activity rooms, and a health suite with sauna, and aromatherapy/treatment area.

Unlike many other leisure centres, the Darwen Leisure Centre, has been constructed with quality materials and has a projected lifespan of more than 50 years.

Gym memberships are now on sale with prices starting at £20 a month. For more details telephone 01254 874900.

Cycling fever is breaking out as British Cycling announced that its prestigious National Road Race Championships 2010 are coming to Pendle!

Sunday 27 June is the date set for the event which will include the Elite Men and Elite Women’s races, with over 300 cyclists taking part.

“This is fantastic news as it puts us on the fast track on the cycling map of Britain,” said Councillor John David, Leader of Pendle Council.

“Olympic medallists Bradley Wiggins and Pendle’s own Steven Burke will be battling it out with up to 200 riders including Tour de France multiple stage winner Mark Cavendish,” he explained.

“Mark is currently on the final shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.

“And in the Women’s event, Olympic Gold and Silver medallists Nicole Cooke and Emma Pooley will be fighting for the right to wear the coveted national champion’s jersey for a year.”

“This is a major opportunity to boost tourism and to show people that Pendle is a fantastic part of Britain.

“There’s likely to be live TV coverage of the races which will start and finish at Barley picnic site,” he explained.

Ward Councillor for Pendleside, James Starkie, is co-ordinating the event on behalf of the villages and said this week:

“It’s a bit like bringing the FA Cup Final to Pendleside!

“Just like the TT on the Isle of Man, the 7 1/2 mile circular route from Barley to Blacko, to Roughlee and back to Barley, will be closed for much of the day.

“So we are making sure residents are inconvenienced as little as possible and know exactly what’s happening,” he explained.

“There’ll be the potential for residents to help provide refreshments, act as marshals and run stalls to support their villages,” he added.

A report on the high profile event will be discussed by councillors at the Barrowford and Western Parishes Area Committee this Thursday, 3 December, at 7pm at Barrowford Civic Hall.

Local residents are welcome to attend the meeting and to share their views at public question time.

Everton’s plans to move to a new stadium in Kirkby have been rejected by the government.

Communities and Local Government Secretary, John Denham, made the decision following a public enquiry held in Kirkby earlier this year.

The multi-million pound investment would have seen Everton move from Goodison Park to a 50,000 seat stadium in Kirkby, as part of a complex with a Tesco superstore, new leisure facilities, offices and housing.

Denham decided the move would breach planning policy discouraging supermarket chains taking business from city centres.

Cllr Ron Round, Leader of Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, said, ‘We are sorely disappointed with the decision made by the Secretary of State which means that this important regeneration scheme will not go ahead. This development would have resulted in many thousands of jobs being created, alongside a range of new facilities and investment coming into the borough.’

Everton’s CEO, Robert Elstone, said, ‘We will now regroup and carefully consider the options which are open to us. I feel I must stress that we do remain totally committed to finding a new home for our football club. The hunt for that new home will now intensify.’

Oldham Athletic will make football history when they play in the first professional football game in England legally broadcast for free on the internet.

Their first round FA Cup tie against Leeds United at Boundary Park will be shown live on the Football Association website. Kick off is at 5.30 pm on November 7 2009.

Each team will receive payment £67,500. Latics Chief Executive Alan Hardy said, ‘We were offered a financial boost by the FA by having the game broadcast over the internet via the FA’s web site and I am pleased that negotiations with the Police went well, they have been very accommodating knowing that the broadcast fee is vital to the club and I would like to place on record my thanks to them.’

The match itself will be all ticket with no sales on the day of the game.

The final £8 million needed to build the National Indoor BMX Centre in Manchester has been invested by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The £19 million National Indoor BMX Centre will be the first covered venue in the UK and is expected to attract over 120,000 users every year. It will host a range of local, national and international events.

Manchester City Council has already granted £8.55million and Sport England granted £3 million, which left an £8 million shortfall. Planning permission was given in September.

The BMX Centre will be built in east Manchester at Sportcity, which is already home to the Manchester Velodrome, the National Squash Centre, the Regional Tennis Centre, the Regional Athletics Arena and the English Institute of Sport North West Support Centre, together with six regional or national governing bodies.

The BMX Centre will work alongside the adjacent Velodrome to provide the home of the GB Cycling squad across a wide range of disciplines. Together with the Velodrome they will form the National Cycling Centre.

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said: “The National Indoor BMX Centre will bring yet another world class sporting venue to East Manchester which will create new job opportunities for local residents and enhance Sportcity’s reputation as an international destination for sports events.

“The opportunity to invest in the BMX Centre and to further invest in Sportcity will take the combined facilities to a new level, setting the standards for sport locations to a level unmatched anywhere in Europe.”

The BMX Centre will include a link building to the Manchester Velodrome and will comprise of a 15,300m2 building incorporating a 100x70m cycling track. It will feature space for up to 2,000 spectators, a café and office accommodation for national governing body, British Cycling.

British Cycling currently employs 100 training and management positions based in Manchester, and introduction of the BMX facilities will safeguard over 140 jobs and secure the city’s status as its headquarters and primary training centre.

As part of its planned expansion, British Cycling will also be creating over 50 new jobs to be accommodated within the BMX centre (alongside the creation of 12 jobs associated with the building’s operation).

With over 200 employees after its planned expansion, this will make British Cycling one of the largest employers in East Manchester.

Additionally, by strengthening Manchester’s reputation as a location for sport, the BMX Centre will act as a catalyst for business development. The intention is that it will attract advanced cycling and wider performance enhancement technology firms into the region.

This will allow for development of the sports cluster, generating economic and reputational benefits for East Manchester and the Northwest.

Ian Drake, CEO of British Cycling, said: “We are delighted that all funding has now been approved for this tremendous project. The National Indoor BMX Centre will be a fantastic venue for the GB Cycling Team and will aid our preparations for London 2012. As a community facility, it will also offer local youngsters a rare opportunity to train alongside British BMX stars, inspiring future generations of riders and growing the discipline at grass roots. In addition, the purpose built office in the middle of the two facilities will provide plenty of space to accommodate our growing team and allow the GB Cycling Team to optimise the space within the Velodrome for elite performance.”

Underpinned by medal success, and the inclusion of BMX as an Olympic sport at the 2008 Beijing Games, cycling in the UK is currently enjoying huge popularity at both elite and non-professional levels.

Development of the National Indoor BMX Centre will allow Manchester to broaden the range of high profile national and international events it is able to secure, as well as supporting the country’s elite athletes and providing facilities for the local community.

The new BMX Centre is expected to attract over 20,000 spectators from the UK and further afield every year, on top of an estimated 120,000 users of the facilities each year.

It is anticipated that the centre will host 10-12 events every year. The events programme is proposed to include high profile events such as the UCI Supercross BMX World Cup, the UEC European Championships Rounds and the BC National BMX Championships.

However, in addition to traditional BMX and supercross uses, the centre will host a wider events programme including netball, basketball and badminton competitions.

One of the key objectives of the BMX Centre is to support Manchester and the Northwest’s contribution to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games by providing better facilities for some 60 elite athletes, including 20 involved in BMX and related disciplines and 40 in the main cycling squad.

The national BMX team will also use the BMX Centre as a training base which will be important to athletes’ preparations for major events including London 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

Eddie Smith, chief executive of New East Manchester said: “It’s great news that finally we have all the funding in place as it means Manchester can yet again lead the way and deliver the world’s first bespoke indoor BMX track. The arena will be the centre piece of a new Velopark offering a full range of cycling disciplines for both elite athletes and the community. Not only will this investment consolidate Manchester’s position as the home of British cycling, but it will further enhance the City’s cultural and sporting offer, attributes that are vital for Manchester to excel on the global stage.”

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure at Manchester City Council, said: “This is absolutely fantastic news for the city and will give the local community access to yet another world class sports facility. We place a great deal of emphasis on nurturing and supporting our young sporting talent and I’m delighted that we are now able to provide them with even more opportunities. Sir Chris Hoy himself started his career as a BMXer and we hope that one day one of our own local youngsters will bring an Olympic medal home to east Manchester. This is certainly a good start.”

Work will start in January 2010 and completion is expected in Spring 2011.

Stockport County has been placed into administration after a petition by one of their creditors.

Paul Reeves and John Titley of accountancy firm Leonard Curtis have been appointed joint administrators following the petition by David Farms Limited, owed £300,000 by the League One club.

Sean Connolly, Chief Executive, said ‘We have been working round the clock for the last few weeks putting together a package that would have guaranteed a secure future for County. We had the support of Cheshire Sports, by far our biggest creditor, who fully supported our approach. We had introduced a number of investors to help bring the club forward. The Trust would have continued to play a strong role. We were in the process of drafting heads of agreement and we were absolutely convinced that the deal could have been completed within the next 36 hours and we had informed David Farms of this early morning. As part of that deal the debenture holder would have had the loan of £300k paid back. In fact we offered to pay a large sum to them this morning as an earnest of our intent. Now, I don’t know what any of these parties will feel or do. One thing, none of us is going to give up on County as yet even though officially we no longer have a role in the Company which is now being run by the administrator.’

In accordance with Football League regulations, the club have had 10 points deducted.

Tickets for the 8th Liverpool International Tennis Tournament go on sale today.

The event runs from June 17 to 21 2009 at Calderstones Park in Liverpool.

The grass court tournament will feature players such as crowd-pleaser Mansour Bahrami, up and coming Portuguese star Michelle De Brito, and Vince Spadea.

To purchase tickets visit this link.

Morecambe FC has announced plans to sell their Christie Park stadium to supermarket giants Sainsbury’s.

The deal clears the way for the club to begin work on their new stadium in the Westgate area of the town. Construction is now expected to begin in spring 2009 with completion due in 2010, in time for the 2010/11 football season.

Morecambe FC Chairman Peter McGuigan said, ‘The sale of Christie Park to Sainsbury’s is great news for us and the local community since it allows us to not only build a fantastic future for the club but also to provide much needed community sport facilities including an all-weather full size pitch, a number of multi-sport courts and changing facilities. In this way, our award winning Morecambe FC Community Sports charity will be able to extend its current operations and deliver even greater benefits to the local community.’

A new gym is set to open in Carlisle this summer. The JJB Fitness club on Currock Road is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in June 2009.

The private club will feature a 20m x 9m swimming pool, 2 hot spas, a steam room, air-conditioned gym, exercise studio, lounge and bar, and car park.

Members will be able to use any of the 50 JJB Fitness Clubs in the UK.