With new happenings in the world of sports, Harrogate is at the forefront of emerging hubs for sports innovation. The 165th edition of the annually held Great Yorkshire Show has just concluded, with the onboarding of Rachel Coates, the new show director.
As always, the show featured iconic livestock competitions, equestrian events, agricultural exhibitions and innovative talks. The show’s predecessor, Charles Mills, was glad to admit how his time on the show has been not just amazing but something to be grateful for. For the new show director, all involved will be expecting an exceptional performance as anticipation builds for the 2025 edition.
Cricket in Harrogate
Much development in sports, particularly cricket, has contributed to the spotlight being on Harrogate in recent times. For the Yorkshire Dynamo 2025 cricket finals, cricketers from Harrogate’s Oatlands Junior School emerged champions with consecutive wins at each game in the tournament. Cricket fans should buckle up to see older players in action at the 2024 World Cricket Festival, hosted by Golden Oldies Cricket and set to be held in Harrogate from 11 to 18 August.
Football in Harrogate
The city’s football team, Harrogate Town FC (the Sulphurites), experienced its first promotion to League Two in over three years. While many were of the opinion that the team would initially struggle to find their balance in the new league, all expectations were beaten when they emerged as England’s No. 4. In a recent interview, Harrogate Town’s CEO, Sarah Berry, shared how much progress the club is making. In her words:
“This is the first year we’re coming into the fifth year of the EFL. …we’re really pleased that the club is progressing and the attendance is growing. Every year, we see first-generation fans, loads and loads of little children, five and six years olds, supporting Harrogate Town first, which is something we’ve been aspiring to do. We’ve got that family excellence scheme going as well, so we’re really proud of that. We’re renowned now for being one of the friendliest clubs that you can visit in the UK.“
In response to the competitive nature of football in the Yorkshire county, Simon Weaver, Harrogate Town’s manager, had this to say:
“We’ve got to aspire to be like crawlers this year. We’ll not be the only team with those kinds of aspirations, but we have to aim high. It’s a more open league. We have to follow the dream.”
As anticipation builds towards the 24/25 football season, fans are hopeful that the Sulphurites will emerge at the top of the league.
Rugby in Harrogate
In February, the York RLFC Foundation and the Rugby Football League (RFL) partnered on a project to expand rugby league in North Yorkshire. Both organisations agreed that the locale had enormous growth potential.
The York RLFC Foundation aims to establish and promote playing opportunities in Selby, Scarborough and Harrogate, thanks to this relationship.
The foundation has already begun operations in Harrogate and Selby, and plans to extend into other regions starting next year.
The project will begin with junior teams that are in primary school, encouraging young people to play rugby league by providing them with new opportunities. In Harrogate, the community rugby league team, the Harrogate Hawks, is the centre of attention. The collaborative effort of the York RLFC and the Rugby Football League is focused on establishing a new junior department and improving the club’s off-field activities.
More innovation in the world of sports for Harrogate includes the relatively novel Harrogate Rugby Club Foundation. This foundation was launched to eliminate barriers to entry to rugby for everyone in Harrogate. The foundation aims to use rugby as a way to access areas of inequality, deprivation and hardship so everyone can benefit from the rugby game experience.
Esports in Harrogate
While Harrogate may not be the first to come to mind for esports, it’s rapidly building a solid reputation. The Odyssey Gaming Festival is one of the most popular esports events in Harrogate.
The just-concluded epic edition featured esports, including top-tier video games, retro games, including classic arcade games, and other gaming activities that bring back nostalgic memories. Harrogate also features the best new online casinos in the UK for players to experience esports gaming on another level. These casinos offer live esports gaming opportunities with a chance to win massive returns.
Triathlon festival goes green in Harrogate
With an emphasis on boosting recycling at the Ripon Racecourse event next week, triathlon organisers The Brownlee Foundation Events and Yorwaste have teamed up to help the Ripon Triathlon Festival become more environmentally friendly.
This new race combines the NYP Triathlon Club’s Ripon Triathlon with TriHard’s Dalesman race in an attempt to provide a weekend full of varied sporting events and distances for participants of all skill levels, including kid-friendly races. At the Ripon Triathlon Festival, which was held at Ripon Racecourse on 13 and 14 July, Yorwaste had a variety of recycling containers on display to promote their go-green campaign.
