# UK second cities going for gold Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2016-08-24 Category: NEWS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news Meta Title: Liverpool and Birmingham bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games Meta Description: Excitement builds as UK cities bid for chance to follow in London and Glasgow's footsteps and reap economic benefits of major international sporting event. URL: https://financedigest.com/uk-second-cities-going-for-goldhtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/image-3-1736844553798-compressed.jpg) - Liverpool and Birmingham among contenders to host Commonwealth Games in 2026 - **Commonwealth Games added £100m to Glasgow’s economy in 2012 (Scottish Government)** - **Second cities already winners in property investors’ eyes (Property Frontiers)** Now that the action-packed Rio 2016 Olympic Games has come to a close, thoughts are turning to the next major international sporting event – the Commonwealth Games. Gold Coast 2018, the 21st Commonwealth Games, will take place in Queensland, on Australia’s eastern coast. Four years, later, Durban in [South Africa](https://www.financedigest.com/covid-cant-break-south-africas-love-affair-with-shopping-malls.html "COVID can’t break South Africa’s love affair with shopping malls") will host the 2022 Games. Now the competition is hotting up between cities around the world to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the UK is going for gold! Seven cities are currently considering bidding to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Of those, four are located in the UK (a fifth UK city, Cardiff, was planning to bid but pulled out due to uncertainty around funding post-Brexit). Other than the UK, only Edmonton in Canada, Auckland in New Zealand and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea have stepped forward as potential contenders. The UK’s hunger to host the 2026 Games follows London’s highly successful hosting of the Olympic Games in 2012 and Glasgow’s superb hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Indeed, London is one of the cities bidding, along with Belfast, Birmingham and Liverpool. Having [seen the boost](https://www.financedigest.com/subsiding-delta-wave-seen-boosting-u-s-job-growth-worker-shortages-still-a-constraint.html "Subsiding Delta wave seen boosting U.S. job growth; worker shortages still a constraint") that London and Glasgow received from hosting the 2012 Olympic Games and 2014 Commonwealth Games, the bids from second tier cities like Birmingham and Liverpool make complete sense. The [latest legacy report](https://www.financedigest.com/lumens-latest-report-shows-astonishing-levels-of-attention-achieved-by-in-game-advertising.html "Lumen’s latest report shows astonishing levels of attention achieved by in-game advertising") from the Scottish Government shows that £100m was added to Glasgow’s economy as a result of the experience, while official figures reveal that Scotland as a whole benefited from £282m worth of tourism. Host cities continue to reap benefits for [years to come](https://www.financedigest.com/mild-sourness-products-is-expected-to-fuel-growth-of-sour-sugar-market-in-coming-years.html "Mild Sourness Products Is Expected To Fuel Growth Of Sour Sugar Market In Coming Years"). London’s [Queen Elizabeth](https://www.financedigest.com/buckingham-palace-statement-on-death-of-queen-elizabeth.html "Buckingham Palace statement on death of Queen Elizabeth") Olympic Park has provided Londoners with a whole new way to enjoy their city, while the capital’s new and improved sporting venues have left a world-class sporting legacy for all to enjoy. Meanwhile Manchester, which hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2002, continues to enjoy the long-term benefits of doing so. The Games left the city with a range of outstanding sporting venues and cemented its reputation as a [leading global](https://www.financedigest.com/healthcare-information-systems-market-2021-global-leading-companies-analysis-revenue-trends-and-forecasts-2027.html "Healthcare Information Systems Market 2021 Global Leading Companies Analysis, Revenue, Trends and Forecasts 2027") city for sport. The City of Manchester Stadium, which [cost £112m to build](https://www.financedigest.com/untapped-cost-savings-why-smart-building-management-systems-are-a-finance-department-priority.html "Untapped Cost Savings: Why Smart Building Management Systems are a Finance Department Priority") and hosted athletics and rugby, now hosts major sporting events and pop and rock concerts. The £3.5m Regional Athletics Arena has become Manchester’s premier athletics facility. The £32m Manchester Aquatics Centre has given the general public access to Olympic standard pools, as well as hosting international swimming and diving competitions and being the [home of British](https://www.financedigest.com/british-home-secretary-calls-on-other-nations-to-help-take-in-afghan-refugees.html "British Home Secretary calls on other nations to help take in Afghan refugees") Paralympic Swimming. Visitor numbers to Manchester were around 18 [million people per year](https://www.financedigest.com/first-year-of-n-ireland-protocol-required-1-million-customs-declarations.html "First year of N.Ireland protocol required 1 million customs declarations") in 2002. By 2014 (the latest year for which figures are available) that number had risen to 115 million visitors, according to Marketing Manchester. It is no wonder, then, that both Birmingham and Liverpool are keen to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. **Ray Withers, CEO** of specialist international property investment company [**Property Frontiers**](http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VPi-92sjFKTMIeB4maP3ACRmRUvLg-OxQANMITI_FCuf6PZRUtcRLD4Xf5SfaLzfKTSk3o_RBc4sLxbatW29J3RIqgPAslzZeilNcZQzPKYFI_ZLd1_AEq7fUpWTqanKDzeRv9OdizBpjJROMoIzRTh4jeaC4iheb2LMx61tH0XfQpQW0A7p1g==&c=LOwEnqfBdMEACW_gPehuocVbTRA_ulvijOYlYsJo7WRgFuGpyYNevw==&ch=eYbAjMEmgbOTP1p8ch-9iGyI11qdoiQcLRV3i7TDTvKmwH_oVpqARA==), offers buy-to-let apartments for sale in both cities – the stunning [**Parker Street Residences**](http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VPi-92sjFKTMIeB4maP3ACRmRUvLg-OxQANMITI_FCuf6PZRUtcRLDKz_TRKDcptX9wAoV_c4yYI-9oWbTkb7YX2fC9nbDhJVdiIw0gIldjm1a9s8J-qINoBIyxTRDGxW41jIqW2C59Dzi8NCxHjiyvyrPLMFXW3IOuaJhbLrKcZTQ0HhC8e8UC-GDRmAOxhM7Cug6DZ6Wq-klitSdTCXEbUYrrPYqsC5XUGJ04ojHMFdtmH28gNCeJIi77gfGKzYiuNfTJvewwHhEI9ZxnQ7pBjl1x5qm-Hw9ma2qXTo_Bzc6AZeEvUwfQY9k1CzwHcbwKywhq_oWs=&c=LOwEnqfBdMEACW_gPehuocVbTRA_ulvijOYlYsJo7WRgFuGpyYNevw==&ch=eYbAjMEmgbOTP1p8ch-9iGyI11qdoiQcLRV3i7TDTvKmwH_oVpqARA==) in Liverpool (investment from £69,950) and the hand-picked [**Divine Collection**](http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VPi-92sjFKTMIeB4maP3ACRmRUvLg-OxQANMITI_FCuf6PZRUtcRLPe9PAt1SB1pMeNtDTRr0dY9irP9qi2IAoPusL14PObdHoXnYJxDyV2oUmm5SuRaa8Nyad-l6tEimD9ZgrEO81R5_WvfiwxJRzI3bkIumfdBx82NmSqttgP-YEAtqmMltWx_GpF0S_8sgLw993HM08qqZrDsfIpbF-EzAwGvT_PlaJmuGnDS5MV7Kxn1YqMMWzBul6xan-FMz_xeMV115RrZ8q2GBpsohAwcGXdQO8pdMZd7O7br2_BP7Di7ayyRhChDEhnOFkD6&c=LOwEnqfBdMEACW_gPehuocVbTRA_ulvijOYlYsJo7WRgFuGpyYNevw==&ch=eYbAjMEmgbOTP1p8ch-9iGyI11qdoiQcLRV3i7TDTvKmwH_oVpqARA==) in Birmingham (investment from £23,925). He comments, “Birmingham and Liverpool would both make excellent venues for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The cities are already known on the international stage and have the potential to [deliver an outstanding sporting](https://www.financedigest.com/annodata-renews-sponsorship-with-gll-sport-foundation-helping-deliver-support-to-almost-3000-talented-athletes.html "Annodata renews sponsorship with GLL Sport Foundation, helping deliver support to almost 3,000 talented athletes") experience in 2026. The chosen host city will benefit from a lasting legacy, from the addition and expansion of world-class facilities to increased global exposure and [rising tourism numbers.”](https://www.financedigest.com/ryanair-passenger-numbers-rise-in-august-to-11-1-million.html "Ryanair passenger numbers rise in August to 11.1 million") Hosting a sporting event of this nature also provides a city with the chance to breathe new life into entire areas. Both Liverpool and Birmingham have already enjoyed significant spending on regeneration in recent years. Liverpool city centre, where Parker Street Residences enjoys a prime location, has become an increasingly sought after residential area, with young professionals looking to enjoy the [benefits of city](https://www.financedigest.com/town-and-city-regeneration-benefiting-uk-investors.html "Town and City Regeneration Benefiting UK Investors") centre life. In Birmingham, it is the area of Digbeth that has become [home to the city’s](https://www.financedigest.com/us-real-estate-analysis-top-cities-for-retirement-home-buying.html "US Real Estate Analysis: Top Cities For Retirement Home Buying") hottest urban lifestyle, with tenants flocking to contemporary apartments like those in the Divine Collection. --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---