A day at a museum: a fun and educational experience
Family Sporting Events
If you’ve ever tried to get tickets for the latest Premiership football match, or been to watch the tennis at Wimbledon, you’ll probably have noticed that you’re wallet has seemed a little empty afterwards. That’s why here at Littlewoods Bingo, we’ve brought our favourite sports together that won’t cost the earth. They still provide all the thrills and spills you’d expect of top class sport. In fact, we think only online bingo beats our selected 5 for enjoyment and excitement!
Speedway
To satisfy the boys, why not check out Speedway. It’s fast and exciting and enjoys a good following all over the country. If you’ve never seen it before, four riders (sometimes 6) on special motorbikes race around an oval dirt track at high speeds, powersliding their way around corners – it’s faster than a quick-fire bingo round!
What’s more, these daredevils ride around without brakes! That’s why you’ll see them stick their legs out when going round corners – to help them balance and control their speed. Riders race individually, in pairs or in teams, with points allocated depending on where you finish – in a similar style to other motorsports like Formula One racing.
Invented in Australia in the 1920s, speedway continues to enjoy a cult following and you’ll also find some excellent pie ‘n pea dishes at the UK tracks to munch on. With leagues in Europe getting good crowds too, you might also see top European teams competing against each other or get to sample the thrills of the Speedway World Championship; the British Grand Prix of which is currently held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Find out more about this high-octane sport at the British Speedway website.
Non-league football
Can’t stand to be away from your beloved football? Why not give your local non-league side a chance. Many top players have come from the often-named ‘conference’ level of football, including ex-player turned Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones who used to play for Wealdstone and Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster, who started out at Racing Club Warwick.
You’ll find conference grounds all over the country, and the standard of football is higher than you think. Many conference players come from the football league, and while they don’t earn the mega-bucks of today’s Premier League stars, they aren’t short of skill.
Some of the most lucrative matches for conference sides come in the much-loved FA Cup. A draw against a big side in the latter stages of the competition can be a real pay day for some clubs – many earning what they would in one season over the course of one game. If you ask any football fan, there aren’t many who don’t enjoy a good ‘giant killing’ – unless it’s their team of course!
So enjoy the exciting action of a football match at a fraction of the cost and enjoy the new season with your family. You can find out much more about the football conference on the league website.
Basketball
While basketball in the UK doesn’t enjoy the same national profile of the NBA in America, it still provides a great night out, with many ex-NBA players now joining the ranks of UK teams in the BBL (British Basketball League). Most cities in the UK have a professional men’s and women’s basketball team, so there’s sure to be some action in your part of the country.
The league and knockout cups are tense affairs, with high-scoring games and plenty of entertainment before and after the games. The 2006-07 BBL champions Guildford Heat will be competing against some of the best teams in Europe after winning the league, so expect some good matchups with teams from Greece, Spain and Russia. Much like football’s Champions League, the European competition brings added excitement to a sport that continues to grow in popularity. Former Celebrity Big Brother contestant Dennis Rodman (an ex-NBA legend) also brought some glitz and glamour to the BBL when he played for the Brighton Bears in the 2005-06 season.
With the 2012 Olympics in mind, British teams are trying to develop home grown talent and the current crop of players coming through the ranks are said to have a real chance of competing in the Olympics in London if they continue to improve.
Basketball really is a family sport and the atmosphere is very friendly, so the kids will enjoy it as much as you will. With very reasonable entrance prices and seasons tickets, taking the family along won’t cost the Earth. Why not spend some of that big bingo jackpot on taking your loved ones to see some slam-dunkin’ fun? Find out more on the BBL website.
Ice Hockey
Much like the BBL, Ice Hockey in Britain is also really accessible for families, wherever you are in the UK. There are 10 teams in the current Elite Ice Hockey League, with representatives from Basingstoke, Belfast, Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh, Hull, Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle and Sheffield.
Coventry Blaze are the current champions and if you like your sports rough and ready, then ice hockey is definitely for you. New rules have been brought in to make the games faster, and to reduce the amount of stoppages for things like tripping (with the hickey stick) and attendances at most league matches are up as a result. Despite the new rules, ice hockey is still a very physical sport, but luckily the crowd are kept out of harms ways whilst still being close enough to the action to really enjoy it.
Several thousand people enjoy the thrills and spills of the Elite Ice Hockey League, so why not join them. Find out about the latest fixtures and ticket prices on the Elite Ice Hockey website.
If the ice hockey has inspired you to get on the ice, why not don your skates and try ice skating? Like all of our featured sports, there are plenty of facilities in the UK, most offering cheap entrance for families and children. Find out more by visiting the National Ice Skating Association website.
The Games
If you’re prepared to wait a few months for a great sporting event (and the possibility of being spotted on the telly) then The Games might be just the thing for you and your family.
Usually held in February/March, The Games is a live Channel 4 programme that takes place at the Don Valley Arena in Sheffield (although some of the water based events take place in Nottinghamshire). Celebrities compete against each other in a variety of sporting events including the 100m dash, hurdles and diving.
Stars that have appeared in previous years include Kirsty Gallagher, Spice Girl Mel C, Pat Sharp, Boyzone’s Shane Lynch and Bernie Nolan.
We think that the 2008 event should include online bingo, but then again, we are biased aren’t we! We’ve got some great online bingo players here at Littlewoods Bingo, so we’re sure that one of you would walk away victorious!
Tickets to The Games are usually under a fiver (cheaper for kids), so if you live in the local area it represents a great evening’s entertainment and you’ll get to spot a few celebrities too.
More information can be found on The Games website.
That’s our pick of the best-value spectator sports, so why not treat the family to some great entertainment the next time you score that big bingo prize. In the meantime, why not get playing for your chance to win. Littlewoods Bingo has all you favourite online bingo games, so you can jump right in. If you’re new to online bingo, our Bingo FAQs are a great place to get started.
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