Sport
Leeds has a strong sporting heritage, with the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Leeds Rhinos (the Rugby League team) and Leeds Tykes (the Rugby Union team) playing at Headingley Stadium, and Leeds United F.C. playing at Elland Road.
Teams based in Leeds
Unlike many other local cities such as Manchester and Sheffield, Leeds only has one football team. Leeds United had a turbulent 2004, narrowly avoiding insolvency, and dropped from the Premier League into The Championship. They finished 14th during the 2004/2005 season.
Leeds Rhinos were crowned Super League champions on 16 October 2004 after defeating arch rivals Bradford Bulls 16-8 at Old Trafford. Unfortunately they lost in 2005.
Leeds Tykes won their first ever trophy in 2005 with battling performance to defeat favourites Bath in the PowerGen Cup final.
Leeds City AC is amongst the biggest and most successful athletics clubs in the North of England and has had the most successful men’s harriers section in the country in the 21st century. Since the turn of the millennium the team has never been out of the top 4 in the National Cross Country Championships, winning in 2003 and 2006. In 2006 the team achieved the ‘Grand Slam’ of wins - Yorkshire, North of England and English National Champions.
Other Sport in Leeds
Leeds has a wealth of sports facilities including the 40,000 capacity Elland Road football stadium, a host stadium during the 1996 European Football Championship, 22,000 capacity Carnegie Headingley Stadium, world famous for both Cricket and Rugby League, Leeds International Pool (50m), South Leeds Stadiumused for athletics, bowls, football and tennis. Other facilities include the Leeds Wall (climbing), Xscape (real snow indoor ski and snowboard slope with ice climbing wall) and Yeadon Tarn, sailing centre.