Teesside could become North East's 'sporting hub'

After the success of the Tour de Yorkshire and Boro's promotion, the region is fast becoming to the go-to sporting destination.

Published 9th May 2016

There's claims Teesside is on its way to becoming the North East's premier sporting destination.

Following the Tour de Yorkshire last weekend and Boro's promotion only a matter of days ago, Middlesbrough in particular is running high on sporting success.

The town's Mayor Dave Budd says the weekends events have cemented Teesside's place in sporting history.

He said: "The economic benefits are enormous, not just for the club but for the town.

"Billions of people around the world watch Premier League football and we're now one of 14 towns and cities in the UK that've got it and just just can't buy that.

"The influence that the football club has on this area is enormous but we have some fantastic facilities and we need to make sure that we take advantage of them.

"We've got a wonderful athletics track and we've had some events there and we'll get some more.

"There's lots and lots of things happening now...it's part of a bigger picture."

We went speaking to people in Middlesbrough to find out if they think Teesside is the next sporting hot spot.

One Boro fan said:

"You go right across to watersports I suppose there's the River Tees where Olympian rowers have trained and you've got the Barrage as well."

Another said:

"With what's happened to the area in the last few months, I think it's more than just money, it's a huge boost for everyone in the town."