Table Reservations
Posted on 12.07.2017
There’s no doubt about it, Liverpool is a city in love with sport.
From football to horse racing, we are lucky enough to have some of the best sporting atmosphere, teams, performers, stadiums, tributes and of course the best fans in the world.
With Liverpool’s Commonwealth Games Bid well underway and Birmingham the only other city that could stand in the way, things are looking promising.
At the Shankly Hotel it’s obvious that we are big sports fans, so we’re starting to get excited about the prospect of hosting the 2022 games.
Liverpool is the perfect stage to showcase an amazing event like the Commonwealth Games and here’s why we think our city should win the bid.
The organisers have gone big and bold with their plans for Liverpool, and we’re not surprised.
Everyone knows, hosting a huge sporting event like the Commonwealth Games means transformations will need to happen to accommodate for new venues and the influx of tourists and fans.
Central to Liverpool’s ambitious plans is to accelerate the transformation of the city’s world-famous waterfront and the regeneration of Bramley Moore Dock, which will be home to Everton FC’s new stadium after the event.
This would also promise to be a catalyst for regenerating and transformation of areas like Kirkdale and Vauxhall.
Anfield has also been included in Liverpool’s plans, the club’s stadium is part of a proposal that would see the competition’s opening ceremony and the rugby sevens tournament held in front of the Kop. While Goodison Park will be the venue for the boxing events.
Plus a 5,000-seat swimming arena will be built near the Albert Dock, complete with a floating 50m swimming pool.
A number of other iconic venues will also be utilised, including St George’s Hall, Stanley Park, Goodison Park and the Arena and Convention Centre.
The proposals are predicted to accelerate £1bn of investment and create 12,000 jobs.
This plan is both compelling and deliverable and will be amazing for the athletes, the spectators and the Commonwealth.
Crucially it is designed to leave Liverpool transformed.
Liverpool has hosted numerous large sporting, cultural, musical and artistic events over the years.
Nobody will ever forget the exciting treasure hunt for the Superlambanana statues which captured the city’s imagination.
Or think back to when the Giants took over he city’s streets and pulled in thousands of visitors to witness a remarkable piece of street theatre in action.
There are also the numerous music festivals such as Sound City, LIMF and many more that are planned to perfection each year.
It’s clear Liverpool has a track record of delivering world-class showpiece events and everyone in Liverpool is confident they can deliver a world-class Commonwealth Games too.
Liverpool is a city that loves sport. With a passion for football that runs deep and a host of other brilliant sporting events, without a doubt the people of Liverpool are all sports fans.
When you have two Premier League football clubs with a rich history of success, one of the world’s most renowned racecourses and a pair of golf courses on The Open hosting roster, it’s clear major sporting events have a natural home on Merseyside.
The Shankly Hotel, dedicated to one of the greatest football managers of our time, is just one example of how much the city loves its sports stars.
With a special museum dedicated to footballing memorabilia and various football themed tours that continue to be extremely popular, our Hotel is a brilliant example of the passion Liverpudlians have for great sport.
If Liverpool win the Commonwealth Games Bid, events won’t just be held in Merseyside.
Manchester have stepped up to the mark and offered their services and venues to help strengthen Liverpool’s bid.
Through a creative partnership, they will host T20 cricket at Manchester’s Old Trafford Cricket Ground, plus track cycling in world class velodrome.
Merging two cities that usually have a bitter rivalry, all in the name of sport, what more could you ask for.
The architecture in Liverpool is internationally renowned as being some of the most beautiful in the world, with the River Mersey skyline topping any poles in the most spectacular city spaces.
Recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, this backdrop would provide the classiest of settings for any sporting event. Imagine sweeping shots of the Three Graces with all the spectacle of the medal-contention action going on before them.
Not only that, it provides some fantastic selfie backgrounds for the athletes and spectators to take home with them.
There’s no doubt that it would be an amazing display of everything that makes Liverpool great.
One of the key requirements of any bid is to provide evidence of the legacy that can be created for future generations by the hosting of the event.
There has already been talk of expanding the local rail network to serve the new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock, something that will surely be required for the thousands of blues fans heading there every week when it becomes Everton’s home.
The organisers have also put forward an innovative new way of presenting the jumping events by moving them to spectacular locations along the docks.
If Liverpool host the Commonwealth Games it would trigger a huge regeneration of major areas of Liverpool that are in need of an injection of funds and the new stadiums are sure to have a legacy of sporting achievements long after the games have been and gone.
Liverpool will set the bar for how major games leave a real and tangible legacy.
There’s nothing like home advantage when it comes to an event of this magnitude.
By the time 2022 rolls along, we’ll have Merseyside athletes in their prime and poised to go for gold.
We already have the hugely talented Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Tony Bellew and Michael Rimmer to name but a few.
We all know Liverpool is famous for its music, so just imagine how amazing the music would be for the parade of athletes.
From The Beatles to Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Cast, The Wombats, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Zutons, The Farm, Elvis Costello or even Atomic Kitten, it would be an opening to remember.
While Birmingham is playing it safe, Liverpool are dreaming big and in our opinion that’s the only way to do it.
There is no other UK city with global relevance and profile that better embodies the core Commonwealth principles of consensus and common action, mutual respect, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, legitimacy, and responsiveness.
The Shankly Hotel are proud to support the bid to host the Commonwealth Games, let’s hope we win and make this city even greater than it already is.
