Nottingham has been shortlisted in VisitEngland’s search to find the country’s Home of Sport.
The search to establish England’s ultimate sporting capital began in June, when VisitEngland asked the public to nominate their top sporting experiences and venues across the country.
Over the following weeks, more than 2,000 submissions flooded in from across the country, and spanned everything from favourite running routes and personal fitness challenges to stadia holding tens of thousands of fans and even choice pubs for watching the action.
Establishing a shortlist was no mean feat – a VisitEngland panel worked through the thousands of claims to select the leading destinations according to their offering of sporting venues and attractions, the breadth of their sporting experiences, diverse and beautiful backdrops, and sporting trivia or claims to fame.
The shortlist of England’s top sporting destinations, announced today, is: The people’s choice (most nominations) - Nottingham, Sporting playground - Yorkshire, Biggest claim to fame – Rugby, Best sporting attractions - Manchester, Quirkiest sports – Gloucestershire and Iconic venues and events - London.
“It has been a memorable summer of cricket at Trent Bridge and we were pleased to see so many of our cricket supporters getting involved in the Home of Sport nominations,” said Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club’s Commercial Director Justin Tose.
“It’s not a surprise to see Nottingham featuring among the nominations when you consider in particular the sporting heritage associated with our international cricket venue and the two historic football league clubs.
“Add to that an successful ice hockey club at the Panthers, the National Water Sports Centre, the Open Tennis tournament, the rugby and the horse racing - all within a five mile radius of each other and increasingly working collaboratively for the good of the city - and it’s easy to see why Nottingham is a front runner.
"Now that the city has been deservedly shortlisted, we’ll be encouraging our audiences to get involved and vote for the city as England’s official Home of Sport.”
Nottinghamshire's 26-year-old batsman Greg Smith added his support to the campaign.
"This is my first year playing for Nottinghamshire and - with the history of Trent Bridge as a venue, and of Nottingham as a sporting city, it's definitely a real privilege,” he said.
"The setup with the two football clubs and the cricket ground situated so close together is probably unique and there has been a huge number of sporting moments split between the three venues.
"It's no surprise to see Nottingham as one of the nominated cities. Hopefully supporters of each of the teams can get behind the city by voting for it to win."
Jennifer Spence, Chief Executive of Experience Nottinghamshire, believes that receiving more nominations than any other provides a clear indication of the city’s impressive sporting offering.
“The overwhelming amount of nominations we’ve received goes to show just how proud people are of Nottingham when it comes to sport, and now we need to keep up the momentum,” she said.
“I’d encourage everyone to vote for Nottingham as England’s Home of Sport. We have a proud sporting heritage here and a diverse offer – including ice skating, archery, rugby, football, tennis, water sports, cricket and croquet to name but a few, so there are plenty of reasons to get behind Nottingham in the Home of Sport voting.”
VisitEngland’s Chief Executive James Berresford believes the quality of the nominations demonstrates the rich sporting heritage of England as a nation.
“Shortlisting six destinations from a pool of 2,000 nominations was a tough job,” he said.
“Between them, these destinations showcase England’s diversity as a sporting country.
“Nottingham received more nominations for Home of Sport than any other destination, making it our ‘People’s Choice’.
“The city is notable for its range - it draws on its history in hosting the popular Robin Hood marathon and archery championships, but is also home to brand new facilities at Harvey Hadden and the National Videogame Arcade.
“Voting goes live today, and we are excited to see which of our worthy shortlist the public crowns the country’s ultimate Home of Sport.”
Read more about the six shortlisted destinations at www.englandhomeofsport.com, where you can vote for Nottingham.
Voting will close on 19 October, and England’s Home of Sport will be announced on 23 October 2015.
Trent Bridge will host England's One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2016. Sign up here to be the first to hear about fixture and ticketing information for these two matches.