Sport Stoke-on-Trent

1 sport

1.1 football
1.2 other sports teams
1.3 individual sports persons

sport

football

stoke city s bet365 stadium, opened in 1997, has 28,384 capacity.

stoke-on-trent home 2 professional football league teams, , 1 of smaller cities in england boasts 2 league clubs. club bearing area s name stoke city, formed in 1863 , second-oldest professional football club in england. play @ bet365 stadium @ stanley matthews way, stoke-on-trent, has been home since 1997 when relocated victoria ground in stoke after 119 years. among twelve founding members of football league in 1888, did not win first (and, date, only) major trophy until 1972, when lifted football league cup. in 1985, relegated first division , began 23-year exile top flight of english football did not end until won promotion in 2008, time first division had become premier league. stoke city reached final of f.a. cup first time in 2011 defeated manchester city. arguably club s famous player of time late stanley matthews, began , ended league career stoke city, sandwiching 14-year spell @ blackpool played in became known matthews final. managed port vale 1965 1968. first active footballer receive knighthood. matthews made 54 appearances country, scoring 11 times. there 2 statues of matthews in city: 1 in hanley, , 1 @ bet365 stadium.

vale park, home of port vale. completed in 1950, @ time of construction nicknamed wembley of north .

the city s other professional football club port vale, formed in 1876 , play @ vale park in burslem area. previous stadiums include athletic ground in cobridge (1886–1913), , old recreation ground in hanley (1913–1950). joined football league in 1892 forced resign in 1907 due financial problems, return in 1919. highest league position came in 1931 when finished fifth in football league second division. in 1954, while in third division (north) progressed fa cup semi-final when knocked out first division west bromwich albion @ villa park. remains furthest have progressed in competition. unlike stoke city, local rivals in potteries derby, have never played top division football , hold record years spent in second tier without ever playing in first. individuals of note include john rudge (who managed club 16 years 1983–1999), , roy sproson (who made record 837 appearances club 1950 until 1972, , later manager).

in past there existed dresden united, club disestablished before city federated; amateur clubs meir ka , eastwood hanley operated between 1972–2010, , 1946–1997 respectively. smallthorne based norton united , hanley town still compete in north west counties football league.

other sports teams

the city speedway team stoke potters. speedway staged @ greyhound stadium in sun street, hanley intermittently between 1929 , 1939. in 1947 potters part of post war boom rising division 3 of national league division 2 before closing in early-1950s. potters revived in 1960 , raced in provincial league until end of 1963 when stadium closed , site redeveloped. speedway revived @ loomer road stadium in newcastle-under-lyme, chesterton, before reverted stoke name. many years potters raced in premier league, sports second division of november 2010 have dropped division , in 2011 race in national league. stadium used brisca formula 1 stock cars , brisca formula 2 stock cars during summer.

the ski race team based @ artificial ski slope in festival park compete in national snowsport england , international fis fédération internationale de ski events.

the city has number of amateur sports clubs, including rugby union , cricket, latter competing in north staffs , south cheshire cricket league. cricket ground in longton 1 of venues used staffordshire county cricket club. longton club, meir heath cricket club active, though county ground , michelin ground no longer used cricket.

stoke spitfires name of city s american football team. team folded in 1992 after record of 35-34-1. in 1994 staffordshire surge formed , played matches in , around stoke-on-trent. team play @ longton rugby club in division 1 north of british american football league.

individual sports persons

the city has sporting hall of fame, opened in 2011 honour sporting legends city. of march 2011, holds names of stanley matthews , phil taylor, legends of football , darts respectively, first names inducted hall of fame. followed port vale legend roy sproson, , england s world cup winning goalkeeper gordon banks (who spent 5 years stoke city).

the world professional darts championship hosted in jollees venue in south of city 1979 1985. phil taylor has won world championship record 16 times, winning championship in both professional darts corporation (pdc) , british darts organisation (bdo). two-time pdc world champion adrian lewis , two-time bdo world champion ted hankey stoke area. other well-known players or based in stoke include chris mason, andy hamilton , ian white.

world champion squash player, great britain , england international angela smith, born in city , largely responsible ladies game going open. regarded 1 of famous players of british squash. wicket-keeper bob taylor, played derbyshire , england born , still lives in area. represented england 58 times , still holds world record number of dismissals in first class game (1649). in golf, trenthams david lynn, golfer, (born 1973) klm open champion of 2004.

other notable sports people area include footballers turned tv pundits mark bright, garth crooks , robbie earle; tennis player andrew foster; snooker players dave harold , jamie cope; field hockey player imran sherwani; cycling world-record holder tommy godwin, wrestler peter thornley (better known kendo nagasaki), professional strongman eddie hall , european taekwondo champion charlie maddock.