About London Sports

(London, England)

Don't be fooled by the weather, sports plays a big role in the character of the city especially since it was awarded the 2012 Olympic games. Football is the most popular sport and London is proudly home to half a dozen top flight football teams. You'll be lucky to get a ticket to Stamford Bridge to see Chelsea and even luckier to get into Highbury to see Arsenal, but it is realistic to get to one of the Saturday home games of the other teams such as Tottenham Hotspurs, Fulham, West Ham, Charlton, Wimbledon, Queens Park Rangers or Crystal Palace. With the imminent completion of the revamped Wembley stadium you can also take tours of this historic venue.

Rugby fans are treated to regular internationals in the winter at Twickenham stadium, while in the summer Cricket test matches and one-day games are held several times at either the historic Lords grounds or the Oval in Stockwell, though tickets need to be secured well in advance.

Perhaps the best loved of all sporting events in London is the Wimbeldon Lawn Tennis Championships and it is possible to gain entry for unreserved areas in the earlier matches, without much fuss.

Horse racing tends to take place outside of the centre at course located in Ascot, Windsor, Epsom, Sandown and Kempton Park. This includes some of the classic events such as Royal Ascot. Easier to get to, if you like the odd wager, is the dog racing at Wimbledon or Walthamstow.

The London Marathon has limited entries but you can join the enormous crowd that witnesses this classic event in April each year.

For those looking keep fit, there are numerous council and private fitness centres with indoor swimming pools across the city. Joggers will find Hyde Park especially convenient and comfortable. Cycling in London is also very reasonable, with plenty of designated lanes and reasonably considerate drivers.

Leisure Centres and Stadiums / Arenas

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Address: Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 8944 1066
Website: www.wimbledon.com/

Ascot Racecourse
Address: High Street, Ascot, England
Tel: +44 (0)844 346 3000
Website: www.ascot.co.uk/

Chelsea FC
Address: Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)871 984 1955
Website: www.chelseafc.com/

Craven Cottage
Address: Stevenage Road, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)843 208 1222
Website: www.fulhamfc.com/

Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
Address: Ledrington Road, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 8778 0131
Website: www.gll.org/

Emirates Stadium
Address: Hornsey Road, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 7619 5003
Website: www.arsenal.com/

Highgate Golf Club
Address: Denewood Road, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 8340 1906
Website: www.highgategc.com/

Horse Racing at Kempton Park
Address: Staines Road E, Sunbury-on-Thames, England
Tel: +44 (0)1932 782292
Website: www.kempton.co.uk/

Lord's Cricket Ground
Address: St. John's Wood Road, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 7616 8500
Website: www.lords.org/

Marylebone Cricket Club
Address: Lord's Cricket Ground, St. John's Wood Road, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 7616 8500
Website: www.lords.org/

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Address: Olympic Park, Startford Walk, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)800 0722 110
Website: www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/

Queen's Park Rangers Football Club
Address: Loftus Road Stadium, South Africa Road, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 8743 0262
Website: www.qpr.co.uk/

Royal Wimbledon Golf Club
Address: 29 Camp Road, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 8946 2125
Website: www.rwgc.co.uk/

Wembley Stadium
Address: Royal Route, Wembley, London, England
Tel: +44 (0)844 980 8001
Website: www.wembleystadium.com/

Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium
Address: Plough Lane, Morden, England
Tel: +44 (0)20 8946 8000
Website: www.lovethedogs.co.uk/