Manchester is football. But Manchester is also: the second-oldest Test cricket ground in England (Emirates Old Trafford, 1857); Britain’s first Olympic-standard indoor velodrome (the HSBC UK National Cycling Centre, 1994 — Team GB’s training base for two decades); a Premiership Rugby Union club (Sale Sharks at the CorpAcq Stadium); a Super League rugby league club (Salford Red Devils, founded 1873); the UK’s largest indoor arena (Co-op Live, opened 2024, hosted UFC 304); the largest indoor real-snow ski slope in the UK (The Snow Centre Manchester, formerly Chill Factore); a 1,300-route gritstone climbing scene 30 minutes from the city centre; and the country’s third-biggest marathon (40,000+ runners every April). If you grew up assuming football was the only sport in town, the breadth here will surprise you.
This is the 2026 guide to Manchester’s sporting scene beyond football — Lancashire cricket at Emirates Old Trafford, Sale Sharks rugby, the SportCity national-centre cluster around the Etihad, the marathon and Great Manchester Run, the boxing heritage (Hatton, Fury, Crolla), Co-op Live’s NBA and UFC nights, niche pro teams (ice hockey, speedway, basketball), and the active-participation venues. For the football side see our football and sports pillar.
Cricket at Emirates Old Trafford
Yes, this gets confusing — there are two “Old Traffords” in Manchester. Manchester United’s football ground is on Sir Matt Busby Way (M16 0RA). Emirates Old Trafford, the cricket ground, is on Talbot Road (M16 0PX) — literally next door, about 5 minutes’ walk apart. Different sport, different venue, easy to confuse for tourists.
The history
Emirates Old Trafford is the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club and the second-oldest Test cricket ground in England (the oldest is The Oval in London). Founded in 1857. The first Ashes Test in England was played here in 1884 (England vs Australia; Australia won by 7 wickets). The ground has been the setting for some of the greatest moments in cricket history — Jim Laker’s 19 wickets in a Test (1956), the 1981 Ashes, Andrew Flintoff’s 2005 Ashes heroics, the 1993 Shane Warne “Ball of the Century” to Mike Gatting.
What’s on at Emirates Old Trafford 2026
The ground hosts a packed summer programme including:
- Lancashire CCC — the County Championship season runs April to September.
- Lancashire Lightning — Vitality Blast T20 cricket, June to August.
- Manchester Super Giants — the rebranded Hundred franchise (formerly Manchester Originals), owned 70% by RPSG Group and 30% by Lancashire CCC. 2026 home fixtures: 26 July v Birmingham Phoenix, 31 July v Trent Rockets, 5 August v Welsh Fire, 11 August v Sunrisers Leeds (women’s and men’s double-headers).
- England international fixtures 2026: England v India IT20 and England v Sri Lanka IT20.
- ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: four match days at Old Trafford.
Tickets and stadium tours
County Championship matches £10–25 day. T20 Blast £15–35. Hundred matches £20–50. International fixtures £40–100+. Stadium tours are 80 minutes and cover the Pavilion, the changing rooms, the indoor nets, and the commentary boxes. Weekend tours return at the end of October. Book at emiratesoldtrafford.lancashirecricket.co.uk.
How to get there
Tram: Old Trafford stop (Altrincham line) — 2 minutes’ walk. Same tram stop as the football ground. From central Manchester it’s a 15-minute ride.
Rugby Union — Sale Sharks at the CorpAcq Stadium
Manchester’s professional rugby is split between codes — Union with Sale Sharks, League with Salford Red Devils.
Sale Sharks have been a continuous presence in the top flight of English rugby union (Gallagher Premiership) since 1994 — one of only two clubs (with Saracens) never relegated since the league’s formation. They play at the CorpAcq Stadium, a 12,000-capacity ground in Barton-upon-Irwell, on a 25-year lease since the 2012–13 season. The stadium was known as the AJ Bell Stadium until the deal ended in 2022–23, and was renamed the CorpAcq Stadium in September 2025 under a multi-year deal.
Match days are properly enjoyable — smaller and friendlier than Premier League football, family atmosphere, good food and drink, easy parking, and rugby of a high standard. Premiership season runs September to June. Tickets £25–60 typical; under-16s significantly discounted. Address: Salford Community Stadium, 1 Stadium Way, M30 7EY. Train to Eccles + 15 minutes’ walk, or shuttle bus from city centre on matchdays.
Rugby League — Salford Red Devils
The other rugby code. Salford Red Devils were founded in 1873 in Hulme — one of the oldest rugby league clubs in the world. They share the CorpAcq Stadium with Sale Sharks. The 2025–26 season was financially turbulent: a winding-up petition in December 2025, parent company liquidation, but the club was reinstated to the Championship after a new ownership group (Salford RLFC Ltd) took over. A planned rebrand towards a “Manchester” identity has been mooted.
Match tickets £15–35; Super League season runs February to October. Salford v Wigan, Salford v Leeds and Salford v Saints are the local-derby fixtures to target.
The SportCity hub — Olympic-grade venues open to you
The SportCity precinct around the Etihad Campus is one of the densest concentrations of elite sport-and-fitness infrastructure anywhere in Europe. Built around the 2002 Commonwealth Games legacy, it includes several genuinely world-class facilities open to the public.
HSBC UK National Cycling Centre (the Manchester Velodrome)
Stuart Street, M11 4DQ. Britain’s first indoor Olympic-standard cycling track, opened in 1994. A 250-metre boarded track — one of the fastest velodromes in the world by design. The training base for Team GB, British Cycling, and most of the medal-winning cyclists you’ve watched on TV over the past 20 years.
You can ride it yourself. The Intro 2 taster sessions (about an hour, bike and helmet provided) run regularly and are open to anyone over 16 with basic riding ability — a properly memorable experience cycling on the same boards as Chris Hoy and Laura Kenny. Guided tours of the velodrome are also bookable. Book at nationalcyclingcentre.com.
National Indoor BMX Arena
Adjacent to the Velodrome. Opened 2011, cost £24m, 2,000-seat capacity. Shares the entrance with the Velodrome. Public taster sessions on the gates and start hills are available — even if you’ve never ridden BMX, the introduction is structured for beginners.
National Squash Centre & Regional Arena
Rowsley Street. Built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Six convertible squash courts plus a glass-walled show court — the home of England Squash. Indoor 200m and 60m sprint tracks; an outdoor 400m 8-lane athletics track. All publicly bookable through MCRactive.
National Taekwondo Centre
Etihad Campus. Holds UK Sport’s Elite Training Centre accreditation. Training base for Team GB’s taekwondo squad.
Manchester Aquatics Centre
Oxford Road. Built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games; recently completed a £30m refurbishment. The 50-metre pool can be divided into two 25-metre pools via a moveable boom. Free swimming for Manchester residents 60+ and under-16s (school holidays).
Running — Manchester is a marathon city
Manchester punches significantly above its weight on running events.
adidas Manchester Marathon
Sunday 19 April 2026. Start at Bridgewater Way near Old Trafford; finish on Oxford Road in the city centre. 26.2 miles, fast and flat circular route via Sale and Altrincham. 40,000–42,000 runners — one of the UK’s largest marathons (third-biggest after London and Brighton). Entry is balloted with a charity-place fallback; book through manchestermarathon.co.uk. The route is brilliantly supported throughout — every junction lined with crowds and music acts.
AJ Bell Great Manchester Run
Sunday 31 May 2026. 10K plus Half Marathon. Routes pass the Etihad and Old Trafford. 21 entertainment zones along the 10K, 24 on the Half. The Half is typically sold out months in advance; the 10K has limited places at signup. Brilliant first-half-marathon for new runners — flat, supported, well-organised.
Trafford 10K
Sunday 1 March 2026. Renowned fast one-lap course from Partington Sports Village. Often cited as one of the UK’s quickest 10K courses for PBs. Sold out in 2026 — sign up early for 2027.
Other running events
Manchester has a packed parkrun calendar (Saturday 9am at multiple venues including Heaton Park, Wythenshawe Park, Platt Fields, Stretford); the Mosi 10K at the Science and Industry Museum; the Manchester Half Marathon in October; the Christmas-themed Christmas runs through December.
Combat sports — Manchester’s spiritual home of boxing
Manchester boxing has produced an extraordinary roster: Ricky Hatton (IBF/WBA super-lightweight world champion, beat Tszyu in 2005 in front of a sold-out Manchester crowd), Tyson Fury (Wythenshawe-born; took the WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO heavyweight world titles by beating Klitschko in 2015), Anthony Crolla (WBA lightweight world champion 2015 vs Perez), Anthony Farnell, Carl Thompson, Pat Barrett, Terry Flanagan, Scott Quigg, Lyndon Arthur, Jamie Moore.
The gyms
Hatton Academy (Hyde) — Ricky Hatton’s gym, still active. Collyhurst & Moston ABC — one of the most famous amateur clubs in British boxing. Champs Camp (Moss Side) — the gym Phil Martin built that produced Lennox Lewis sparring partners and Carl Thompson. Manchester Boxing Academy. All have open public sessions or starter classes.
Fight nights
Co-op Live (opened 2024) and the AO Arena both host major boxing cards through the year. The Sporting Hotel runs occasional boxing dinner shows.
Co-op Live — Manchester’s new global sports stage
Co-op Live opened on 14 May 2024 — a £365m, 23,500-capacity indoor arena, the UK’s largest. The venue is reshaping Manchester’s status as a global sports host:
- UFC 304 was the first sporting event ever at Co-op Live, on 27 July 2024 — the first UFC pay-per-view ever held in Manchester. UFC has since returned multiple times.
- AEW Dynamite — confirmed for 17 December 2025.
- NBA regular-season game — San Antonio Spurs v New Orleans Pelicans, 17 January as part of the NBA London/Manchester Series. The first NBA regular-season game ever held in Manchester.
- Netball Super League Grand Final — Saturday 20 June 2026.
- WWE Premium Live Events confirmed throughout 2026.
The AO Arena (the older Manchester venue, opened 1995, capacity 21,000) continues hosting boxing, ice hockey and major concerts.
Niche pro teams worth catching
Manchester Storm (ice hockey)
Founded 2015, plays in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). Home venue Altrincham Ice Rink; some bigger games at the AO Arena. Reached the EIHL playoffs in 2026. Tickets £15–25; family-friendly atmosphere, the only top-flight ice hockey in Greater Manchester.
Belle Vue Aces (speedway)
One of the oldest speedway teams in the world. Race nights Fridays March to October at the National Speedway Stadium, 148 Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton. Properly atmospheric — loud, sand-and-shale, beer in plastic cups, and four motorbike riders going round a track inches from your face.
Manchester Thunder (netball)
The dominant club in the Netball Super League — multiple titles over the past decade. Home venue Belle Vue Sports Village. Tickets £10–25; family-friendly. The 2026 Netball Super League Grand Final is at Co-op Live (20 June 2026).
Manchester Basketball
The city’s top-tier basketball team since 2024 (replacing the original Manchester Giants franchise which now plays in the MABL Premiership as Trafford Giants). Competed in the ENBL Final Four 2026.
Lancashire Lightning and Manchester Super Giants (cricket)
Both at Emirates Old Trafford — covered above.
Get active yourself
Bridgewater Way cycling
The Bridgewater Way is a 39-mile / 65 km traffic-free towpath following the Bridgewater Canal — from Castlefield in central Manchester to Altrincham, with extensions to the Trafford Centre, Worsley, and Pennington Flash. Flat, properly pleasant, suitable for any level. Connects to the Fallowfield Loop and the Trans Pennine Trail. Free.
The Snow Centre Manchester (formerly Chill Factore)
The UK’s longest indoor real-snow ski slope. 180-metre main run plus a beginner slope, luge, tubing, and airboarding. £31m facility at Trafford Park, opposite the Trafford Centre. The branded former name “Chill Factore” was changed in early 2026 to “The Snow Centre Manchester” — older guides still use Chill Factore.
Karting and indoor activity
TeamSport Karting near the Trafford Centre. The Snow Centre for skiing. Multiple indoor climbing centres including Awesome Walls Stockport (one of the UK’s tallest indoor walls, instructor-led intros for beginners) and The Climbing Hangar Manchester. Important note: the much-loved Parthian Climbing Manchester (the converted St Benedict’s Church in Ardwick, designed by J.S. Crowther in 1880) closed permanently in July 2025 — redirect to alternatives like Awesome Walls or The Climbing Hangar.
Manchester Aquatics Centre
Covered above — public swimming, lessons, kids’ programmes. The 50-metre pool divides for shorter swimming. Free for under-16s in school holidays and 60+ residents year-round.
MCRactive
Manchester City Council’s booking platform for swimming, fitness, athletics, cycling and racquet sports across the city’s leisure centres. The easiest way to find a public squash court, swim session, or athletics track booking.
2026 sporting calendar snapshot
March: Trafford 10K (1 March). April: adidas Manchester Marathon (19 April). May: AJ Bell Great Manchester Run (31 May). June: Sale Sharks final Premiership matches; Netball Super League Grand Final at Co-op Live (20 June). July: Manchester Super Giants Hundred matches start; ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. August: Hundred continues; County Championship cricket. September: Sale Sharks Premiership season starts; Premier League football. October: Salford Red Devils playoffs (RFL); Manchester Half Marathon. November: Lancashire end-of-season banquet; Manchester Storm EIHL games. December: Christmas runs; Belle Vue Aces speedway finale; AEW Dynamite at Co-op Live; major boxing card.
FAQ — sports in Manchester beyond football
What sports can you watch in Manchester?
Cricket (Lancashire CCC and Manchester Super Giants at Emirates Old Trafford), rugby union (Sale Sharks at CorpAcq Stadium), rugby league (Salford Red Devils at CorpAcq Stadium), ice hockey (Manchester Storm), netball (Manchester Thunder), basketball (Manchester Basketball), speedway (Belle Vue Aces), boxing and UFC at Co-op Live and AO Arena, NBA regular-season fixtures at Co-op Live, plus 2026’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup matches.
Is there cricket in Manchester?
Yes — at Emirates Old Trafford, the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club, Lancashire Lightning (T20 Blast) and Manchester Super Giants (the Hundred). The second-oldest Test ground in England. 2026 international fixtures include England v India IT20 and England v Sri Lanka IT20, plus four ICC Women’s T20 World Cup match days.
Where is Lancashire cricket?
Emirates Old Trafford, Talbot Road, M16 0PX — next door to (but separate from) the Manchester United football ground. Tram to Old Trafford stop, 2 minutes’ walk.
Is there rugby in Manchester?
Yes — both codes. Sale Sharks play Premiership rugby union at the CorpAcq Stadium. Salford Red Devils play Super League rugby league at the same ground.
Can you tour the Manchester Velodrome?
Yes — guided tours of the HSBC UK National Cycling Centre are bookable through nationalcyclingcentre.com. Public taster sessions also let you ride the Olympic-standard track yourself.
What are the best sporting events in Manchester?
The adidas Manchester Marathon (April), the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run (May), Lancashire cricket Test matches, Sale Sharks Premiership rugby derbies, NBA regular-season at Co-op Live (January), UFC return fixtures at Co-op Live, plus the standard Premier League football season.
When is the Manchester Marathon 2026?
Sunday 19 April 2026. Start at Bridgewater Way near Old Trafford; finish on Oxford Road in the city centre. 40,000+ runners.
Where do Sale Sharks play?
The CorpAcq Stadium (formerly AJ Bell Stadium / Salford Community Stadium), Stadium Way, M30 7EY. Train to Eccles + 15 minutes’ walk, or matchday shuttle bus.
Where do Salford Red Devils play?
The CorpAcq Stadium — shared with Sale Sharks. 12,000 capacity.
Is Manchester home to ice hockey?
Yes — Manchester Storm play in the Elite Ice Hockey League, primarily at Altrincham Ice Rink, with bigger fixtures at the AO Arena.
Where is the National Cycling Centre?
Stuart Street, M11 4DQ — part of the Etihad Campus / SportCity precinct. Tram to Etihad Campus, 5 minutes’ walk. Adjacent to the National Indoor BMX Arena.
Where can you go climbing in Manchester?
Awesome Walls Stockport (one of the UK’s tallest indoor walls) and The Climbing Hangar Manchester are the main options for 2026. The much-loved Parthian Climbing Manchester (the converted St Benedict’s Church) closed permanently in July 2025.
What boxing gyms are in Manchester?
Hatton Academy in Hyde (Ricky Hatton’s gym), Collyhurst & Moston ABC, Champs Camp in Moss Side, Manchester Boxing Academy. Most run open public sessions or starter classes.
When is the Great Manchester Run 2026?
Sunday 31 May 2026. 10K plus Half Marathon. Routes pass the Etihad and Old Trafford.
Plan more of your Manchester visit
For the football half of Manchester’s sporting world, our Old Trafford guide, Etihad guide, National Football Museum guide, tickets guide and match day guide have everything covered. For Salford Quays — which sits next to both Old Trafford and Emirates Old Trafford — see our Salford Quays guide. For the wider day trip from Manchester options, see the day trips pillar. For everything, see our Manchester football and sports pillar.
