Sport in Leeds
Yorkshire are the most successful side in County Championship history, having won the title a record 31 times.
Yorkshire has a storied history, and has produced many successful cricketers who have gone on to become England internationals, including Geoff Boycott, Michael Vaughan, Fred Trueman, Darren Gough and Matthew Hoggard.
Seven members of the current Yorkshire side are present or former England internationals, Tim Bresnan, Ryan Sidebottom, Joe Root, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett.
In addition, some of the most famous names in world cricket have played for the county, including Sachin Tendulkar, current Australia Coach Darren Lehmann and current Yorkshire team coach and former Australian international Jason Gillespie.
They entered the Championship in 2004, when a financial crisis and loss of key players cost them their Premiership status and almost put them out of business.
They were promoted back to the Premier League in 2020 following a sixteen-year absence, after winning the Championship the previous season.
They also won the league title in 1992, when Howard Wilkinson was manager, the team's last major top flight trophy.
Under coach Graham Murray they competed in the first Super League grand final in 1998 but were defeated by Wigan Warriors.
In 2005 the Rhinos reached the final of both the Challenge Cup and the Super League but lost both games to Hull F.C.
The team reached the challenge cup final for the first time at the redeveloped Wembley Stadium in 2010, and then again in 2011, losing out 6–30 to the Warrington Wolves and then 18–28 to Wigan Warriors.
Leeds Rhinos are the best supported Rugby League club in the United Kingdom, their Headingley ground holds up to 20,500 spectators and is regularly filled, with sell out's particularly common, at games against Bradford Bulls, St. Helens and Wigan Warriors.
At the end of the 1999 season Bramley resigned from the Northern Ford Premiership to become a feeder team for Leeds Rhinos, but this never materialised.
There are numerous British Amateur Rugby League Association teams based in Leeds.
East Leeds and Oulton Raiders currently play in the top division of the National Conference League.
The club won their first ever trophy in 2005 with battling performance to defeat huge favourites Bath in the Powergen Cup final.
After one season in National Division One they won promotion back to the top flight of rugby union.
They are based at South Leeds Stadium and currently play in the BAFA Division One North.
Currently the ranks of the club boast multiple British, European, Commonwealth and World Champions as well as record holders at each level also.
In 2006 the team achieved the 'Grand Slam' of wins - Yorkshire, North of England and English National Champions.
[12] The UK’s first artificial climbing wall for training and developing technique was established at the University of Leeds in 1964.
[13] More recently, Leeds has hosted the BMC’s British Bouldering Championships,[14] and the Youth Climbing Series Grand Final.
Moortown is also an 18-hole heathland course which has, in the past staged many major events including the 1929 Ryder Cup.
