The Lacrosse Men’s World Championships will return to Manchester in 2018, just eight years after the city last hosted the sport’s elite.
The 2010 World Championships contributed more than £5.2 million to the local economy, as well as providing an emphasis on providing sports facilities to children and getting them active in sport.
English Lacrosse will host the event at the Armitage Centre, Fallowfield with support from Manchester Council, Manchester University and Sport England.
Richard Gartside, Education and Skills officer from English Lacrosse, said “The awarding for the 2018 World Championship to Manchester is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the sport and show the international Lacrosse community trust English Lacrosse to host such a successful event.”
It is expected that more than 40 countries will participate in the tournament which is a significant increase compared to the record 29 that took part in 2010.
The games are expected to attract over 1,000 athletes to compete 2018, with over 30,000 spectators expected to attend.
Due to the sports rapid growth, the games returning to Manchester will help further increase its popularity and help young people participate in sport.
The 2018 games will be England’s fourth opportunity to host the games while Canada and Australia have each hosted the games three times.
The US city of Denver will host the next championships in 2014.
Picture courtesy of Nottingham Trent University, with thanks.
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