The Sports Travel Blog by Mike Starling, co-editor, Sports Tourism Media
As a sports journalist – and a sports fanatic – I have been lucky to have attended a number of events and tournaments over the years.
In no particular order, here I pick out ten of my favourite sporting trips and experiences.
Wimbledon 2019
Of all the events I have ever been to, going to The Championships at Wimbledon was probably the biggest tick off my sporting bucket list. I was fortunate enough to get an invite through IMG Tennis to attend day one in 2019 and was even more lucky to get the chance to see Coco Gauff’s stunning victory over Venus Williams in the first round of the women’s singles. If you ever get the opportunity to go to the Wimbledon grand slam – even to just wander around the grounds and see the action on the outside courts – you should definitely do it.
NFL London games
I’ve been an NFL fan ever since Channel 4 in the UK had coverage in the 1980s and have been to a number of the NFL London games at Wembley Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. What I love about the NFL matches in London is that fans of any team will go to the stadiums in their team’s shirt, regardless of who’s playing. The fact that the games are regular-season fixtures also takes the action up a notch.
NFL: New York Jets vs. New York Giants 2019
Having loved going to NFL games in London it was time to watch a match in the United States. We booked a New York trip for November 2019 not knowing which team would be playing at home that particular weekend. Luckily for us it was a New York “derby” with the Jets playing the Giants at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. We really enjoyed a proper American football experience on what was Veterans Day weekend.
Portugal Masters 2017 | Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort
Staying at the Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort during the Portugal Masters is an amazing experience. The European Tour golf event is held on the stunning Victoria Golf Course, which is located on the doorstep of the five-star Anantara hotel. My golf skills are not good enough for a round at the Victoria Golf Course, but I did get the chance to take a lesson with Tomás Carlota, a PGA Golf Professional and the “golf guru” at Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort.
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US Open tennis grand slam 2014
Watching and reporting on tennis is one of my favourite sporting things, so going to the US Open in 2014 will always go down as one of my favourite sporting trips. I bought a one-day grounds admission ticket for the New York grand slam ($85 at the time) and this allowed me access to all courts except the Arthur Ashe Stadium. A great way to sample a slam and to soak up the festival atmosphere, the grounds admission tickets are only sold during the first week of the tournament and always sell-out quickly.
2011-2012 A League Grand Final: Brisbane Roar 2 Perth Glory 1
Brisbane in Australia is a proper sporting city and boasts professional teams across many sports including rugby league, rugby union and Aussie Rules. When we lived in the city from 2011-2013 we adopted the Brisbane Roar football (soccer) team as our club and watched a number of games at the Suncorp Stadium. The highlight was the Roar’s 2-1 victory over Perth Glory in the grand final that saw them be crowned the 2011-2012 A-League champions. There was a sea of orange at the Suncorp, with a sell-out crowd of more than 50,000 in attendance.
2016 Dubai World Cup: California Chrome wins at Meydan
As well as living down under I have also had two stints in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Being a sports reporter in Dubai definitely provided some memorable experiences. Golf, tennis and rugby sevens were favourite events of mine to cover, but the Dubai World Cup evening at the stunning Meydan Racecourse was just something else. Legendary horse California Chrome returned to Dubai in 2016 after finishing second a year earlier and stormed home to win the big race. Epic stuff.
DP World Tour Championship golf
The DP World Tour Championship (DPWTC), the European Tour’s season-ending event, is held at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. Golf fans get the chance to watch the European Tour’s best players in action and access to the tournament is free. It was one of my must-attend sporting events when living in the UAE.
Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
I have been to the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix a couple of times, once as media and once as a fan, and really enjoyed both experiences. Ticket holders also get access to the after-race concerts so it’s definitely worth forking out for F1’s season finale.
F1 pre-season testing in Barcelona
My other F1 experience was attending one day of the 2020 pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Pre-season testing allows fans to get closer to the action than during a grand prix where you only have access to one particular area. Watching the F1 cars roar past up close was quite amazing – the noise was incredible! I would definitely go to the testing days in Barcelona again in the future.
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Main picture of California Chrome by Aaron Sutton