A year in Sport
Sport is integral to Liverpool's DNA.
It has infused a passion, in player and supporter, that defines the city to millions across the globe.
From the world's first rugby club, Britain's first chess club and the invention of the goal net, to the sporting cathedrals of Aintree, Anfield and Goodison, Liverpool has made an indelible mark on how we all spend our leisure time.
Today the city is a centre of excellence in boxing, football, gymnastics, swimming and tennis and has developed Sportslinx - Europe's leading youth fitness and talent identification programme.
Underpinning all this is a desire to play - and win - as was evident in the bid for European Capital of Culture status.
In '08 expect to see sport playing its role to the full as new venues open, such as a 50m pool at Wavertree and the new ECHO Arena Liverpool, which can stage all major indoor sports. As well as following its football teams, get a ringside seat at the European Boxing Championships, catch The Open at Royal Birkdale, and encourage a new generation of stars in events like the English Schools cross-country Championships.
Then there's international tennis, the finale of the Tour of Britain and the World Firefighter games.
And in '08 history comes full circle for the city which inspired a global movement, by staging Olympiads in the 1860s, as Liverpool begins the Cultural Olympiad for London 2012.
