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FOOTBALL The city is home to two of the UK's oldest professional (1874) and Birmingham City (1875) . Nearby West Bromwich Albion 's ground '' The Hawthorns '' used to be divided by the Birmingham/ Smethwick border, but was moved completely into the latter by a minor rationalisation of local government borders in the 1960s and is now in Sandwell . The first Football League was invented, by William McGregor on 22 March 1885, in Aston . ATHLETICS The Birmingham Athletic Club opened a Gymnasium in King Alfred's Place, in Aug 1865/6, and held their annual display and assault-at-arms in the Town Hall. The first festival of the Birmingham Athletic Club was held in 1868. On the 1st of March, 1880, an association was organised of many of the bicycle clubs, cricket clubs, football clubs, and similar athletic bodies in the town and neighbourhood, under the name of "The Midland Counties Amateurs' Athletic Union." The sport was so popular that in January, 1879 the "Midland Athlete," newspaper was first published. Today Athletics takes place at the open-air Alexander Stadium on a national and international level. Recent development has seen addition of a High Performance Centre for indoor intense specialist training. The Stadium is also home to Birchfield Harriers , who have contributed towards Britain's National and International Athletics for many years. The National Indoor Arena is Britain's Premier Indoor Athletics stadium and in 2003 successfully hosted the 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics. The city has been chosen to host the European Athletic Association 's European Indoor Championships in 2007. CRICKET There was a Cricket Club in existence here in 1745, and it has been chronicled that a match was being played on the same day on which the Battle Of Culloden was fought. In legion The Birmingham C.C., started in 1819, the members including the young élite of the town at Ladywood. The Birchfield C.C. was organised in 1840. Among the noteworthy matches of late years are those of the All England Eleven against a local twenty-two, at the Lower Grounds, June 5, 1871, the visitors winning. More recently County Cricket is played at the Edgbaston Stadium , home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club . International test matches are also held there. OTHER TEAM SPORTS Rugby Union Rugby Union is played in Birmingham by Moseley Rugby Football Club promoted as Champions to National League 1 in April 2006. The club was founded in 1873 and reached three cup finals, playing for most of their history at The Reddings. However, in 2000 it relocated to a temporary ground at the University of Birmingham and now have a new permanent home at Billesley Common . The Solihull based, Pertemps Bees and Coventry RFC provide some exciting local derby games. Basketball Basketball is played by the Birmingham Bullets , who are in the top UK basketball league. Hockey Hockey is a very popular sport with Harborne and Bournville competing at professional level. Netball Dozens of junior and senior Netball clubs exist in Birmingham such as the Birmingham City Netball Club (founded in the 1970's) which coordinates Junior and intermediate netball teams (under-18s). The Birmingham (adult) Netball League plays from September to March (approximately) and has roughly 100 teams which are arranged in 13 divisions. The 1st division includes some of England's top clubs like for instance Linden who are based at Nechells Community Centre and are currently the National Clubs League Division 1 leaders. There are several other Netball leagues in the UK of which Birmingham teams contribute considerably. {Link without Title} Volleyball Volleyball takes place on a small scale across various venues in the city, several ameature teams exist such as 'Selly Baskets Volleyball Team' and 'Persian Phoenix Volleyball Club'. 'Birmingham University Volleyball Club' and 'Birmingham Volleyball Club' {Link without Title} who are currently in NVL Div2. Water Polo There are many ground root Water Polo teams in existance across the Greater Birmingham area such as Warley Wasps who were established in 1888 , the team runs both male and female water polo teams. Also Sutton Coldfield Water Polo offers water Polo training for children and Adults with qualified Water Polo coaches. The City of Birmingham Swimming club draws from the local water polo clubs and competes at a national level. Miscellany
RACKET SPORTS Tennis The first ever game of Lawn Tennis was played in Edgbaston in 1859 by Major Thomas Henry Gem and Batista Pereira, both residents of the city. Tennis is not nowadays regularly assosiated with inner city urban areas, however several schemes nationwide are working to rectify this under achievemnet, many local tennis clubs and teams still exist in Greater Birmingham such as the 'Birmingham City Tennis Club', international tennis is still played at Edgbaston's Priory Club. Badminton The National Indoor Arena also hosts many other sporting events, such as the World Indoor Badminton Championships. OTHER INDIVIDUAL SPORTS Golf Golf is a popular sport in the city with many clubs. Boldmere, Cocks Moors Woods, Harborne Church Farm, Hatchford Brook, Hilltop, Lickey Hills and Pype Hayes are all large high quality golf courses within Birmingham city. {Link without Title} Professional Golf is played at the Belfry (4km outside Birmingham) which sometimes hosts The Ryder Cup . Boxing Boxing is popular in the City with many clubs and famous professional boxers such as Pat Cowdell and Robert McKracken who have continued to support boxing in the UK by turning their skills to coaching new up- and- coming boxers. Prize-fighting was long the popular sport of high and low life blackguards, and Birmingham added many a redoubtable name to the long list of famous prize-fighters, whose deeds are recorded in " Fistiana " and other chronicles of the ring. The earliest account of a local prize-fight is of that which took place in Oct. 1782, for 100 guineas a side, between Jemmy Sargent, a professional, and Isaac Perrins, one of the Soho workmen. Jemmy knuckled under after being knocked down thirteen times, in as many rounds, by the knock-kneed hammerman fiom Soho, whose mates, it is said, won £1,500 in bets through his prowess. Snooker/Pool Swimming The Birmingham Leander Swimming Club commenced their aquatic brotherhood in June, 1877, The celebrated swimmer, Captain Webb , visited Brum several times, and the Athletic Club presented him with a gold medal and purse December 4, 1875. More recently team championships 2003-04 and 2004-05. The City Of Birmingham Swimming Club also trains swimmers of all ages and competes professionally at local and national level as does 'Perry Beeches Sutton Swimming Squad', 'Boldmere Swimming Club ', 'Orion Swimming Club' (located at King Edwards High School . OTHER SPORTS AND PASTIMES Greyhound Racing Greyhound Racing is a popular event in the city with two large stadiums at Hall Green and Perry Barr . Bowling Bowling has long been a popular tradition in Brum with bowling greens and Quoit grounds often attached to Public House s. In 1778 there was one at the ''Salutation'' Inn , at the bottom of Snow Hill; at an earlier date there was also one at the ''Hen and Chickens'' in the High Street. In 1825 a bowling green was laid out at the corner of Highfield Road and Harborne Road, for "a very select party" of Edgbaston ians. Bowls is still played in the city today. Ice Skating Ice Skating Rink s were opened at the Lower Grounds May 1, 1875; at Bingley Hall, Oct. 2, 1875; at Moseley , Dec. 6, 1876; and at Handsworth , Oct. 8, 1877; and, for a time, the amusement was exceedingly popular, more than one fortune accruing from the manufacture of patent and other Roller Skates . One of the most noteworthy feats on the slippery rinks was the skating of 200 miles in 24 hours by a Mr. F. Betteridge at Bingley Hall, Aug. 20, 1878. In winter of 2005 one of the largest temporary outdoor ice skate rinks in Britain was errected on Centenary Square . Skate Boarding Skateboarding is popular in the city, many small skate parks exist as well as the EPIC Skate Park based in Moseley , the park opened in 2003 within an old Bus/Tram garage. The park is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and now hosts international skate competitions as well as music videos and film. The skate board wheel was pioneered in Birmingham during the 19th century. Miscellany
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