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Time Leeds entered the arena
There was an exciting development for professional squash players this week as we are in a new venue in a new city.
The opportunity to see a new place doesn't present itself too often as the tournaments on the tour are long standing and usually played in the same places.
So where is the new place? Liverpool!
Not as glamorous as you thought. Well, maybe not, but it has been well publicised that Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture this year and it's doing its best to show off some of this culture.
And so this week's dose of culture for the city is in squash's hands, as it provides the setting for the British Open Championships, the Wimbledon of squash, at the new and futuristic Echo Arena – which is an excellent venue.
It led me to thinking about settings for sports and the cities that host events. As a squash professional I am very grateful for the support of cities like Manchester, Sheffield and now Liverpool for their support of squash, and indeed many other sports.
Manchester has the Commonwealth Games legacy at the City of Manchester Stadium, providing exceptional facilities for athletes.
This year alone it is holding the world cycling, squash and swimming championships, as well as the UEFA Cup final between Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg.
Sheffield is synonymous with snooker, of course, but hosts a number of other sporting events. Both Manchester and Sheffield have arenas for concerts and sporting events.
Without knowing too much about how these things work, I can't help but think that Leeds is way behind in this respect, as much as I love the place.
It is crying out for an arena and I am perplexed as to why this hasn't happened yet, especially when you consider how big a deal music is to the people of Leeds.
I partake in events every other week and I believe it can be positive for cities and communities in hosting these events. They bring people together.
When I competed in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the camaraderie between athletes, coaches, volunteers and the community was what made the event.
It was basically people loving sport and having a great time watching the best do it. And what a great vehicle for promoting your city and getting people in to it.
I would love to see more of this in Leeds, which is such a vibrant city. Whatever form of culture it may be it can only have a very positive effect on all involved.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
