# Liverpool bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games

The Liverpool bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games was a proposed bid by Liverpool, England and Commonwealth Games England to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. On 7 September 2017, it was announced that the UK Government would be supporting the Birmingham bid meaning Liverpool would not proceed further.

## Background

Liverpool was actually planning to bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. On 13 March 2017, Commonwealth Games Federation stripped Durban, South Africa of their rights to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games and reopened the bid process for the 2022 games. On 16 June 2017, Liverpool announced they would bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Brian Barwick was the chairman of the bid. Liverpool City Council, Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson Everton F.C. CEO Robert Elstone, English footballer Wayne Rooney, Liverpool F.C. CEO Peter Moore and coach Steven Gerrard also supported the bid.

## Cost

The total cost of hosting the Liverpool 2022 Commonwealth Games is anticipated to be in the region of £672 million (US$871 million), with £547 million (US$710 million) expected to come from the public sector. Liverpool City Council will contribute a quarter of this (£137 million) from its “invest to earn” strategy and existing resources as well as through various income steams raised from the Games.

## Plans

Liverpool's "transformational plan" for the 2022 games was predicted to accelerate £1 billion ($1.3 billion/€1.1 billion) of investment up to 10 years ahead of schedule and create more than 12,000 jobs. Liverpool was ranked as the UK's Greatest Sporting City for 2017, according to research from ESPN and the University of Bath.
The new Everton football stadium would accommodate a temporary athletics track for the Games. It is claimed this will be "without any disruption to those features" with the track due to be installed after the final home game of the 2021-2022 season and removed before the first scheduled match of the 2022-2023 campaign.
The city was also proposing to host swimming at a new 50 metres pool within the city centre dock system that would remain in place after the Games and provide both a swimming and visitor attraction legacy. Among the other proposals was triple jump, long jump and pole vault on the dockside by neighbouring Mann Island in the city.
Twenty20 cricket and track cycling, as Liverpool 2022's "optional sports", would take place in Manchester at Old Trafford Cricket Ground and the Manchester Velodrome.
Other key highlights of Liverpool's hosting plan included five existing venues. The Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool, home to the 11,000-seat Echo Arena, BT Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre Liverpool, would stage badminton, artistic gymnastics, judo, netball and wrestling. Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium was cited as the venue for the ceremonies and rugby sevens, while St George's Hall and Goodison Park would host the squash and boxing finals respectively and Stanley Park would stage the lawn bowls.
Athletes’ Village would be beside Everton FC's new stadium in Nelson Dock, within Peel Land and Property's £5.5 billion ($7 billion/€6.3 billion) Liverpool Waters scheme - residential developments that already have outlined planning permission meaning construction could start in the first half of 2018.

## Venues

The venues proposed for the games are the following:

### Venues in Liverpool

| Venue | Sport | Capacity | Status |
| Anfield Stadium | Ceremonies Rugby | 54,000 | Existing |
| Bramley Moore Dock Stadium | Athletics | 50,000 | New |
| Goodison Park Stadium | Boxing | 40,000 | Existing |
| Stanley Park | Bowls | 2,500 | Existing |
| Liverpool Olympia | Weightlifting Powerlifting | 4,000 | Existing |
| St George's Hall | Squash | 2,000 | Existing |
| Mann Island | Triathlon Road Races | 1,000 | Existing |
| Pier Head | Triathlon Cycling | 1,000 | Existing |
| The Docks | Swimming | 2,500 | New |
| ACC Liverpool | Netball Artistic Gymnastics Judo Badminton | 12,000 | Existing |
| Liverpool Tennis Centre | Tennis | 1,000 | Existing |
| Wyncote Sports Ground | Hockey | 1,000 | Existing |

### Venues in Manchester

| Venue | Sport | Capacity | Status |
| National Cycling Centre | Cycling | 3,500 | Existing |
| National Squash Centre | Squash | 1,200 | Existing |
| Old Trafford Cricket Ground | Cricket (Twenty20) | 25,000 | Existing |