Sport in Milton Keynes
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Sport in Milton Keynes covers a range of professional and amateur sport in the
City of Milton Keynes The City of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority area with both borough and city status, in Buckinghamshire. It is the northernmost district of the South East England Region. The borough abuts Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and the remainder o ...
unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
area. In 2019,
Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...
was officially designated as a European City of Sport for 2020. There are professional teams in
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
(
MK Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. ...
), in motorsport (
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...
) and in
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
( MK Lightning). The
National Badminton Centre Badminton England is the national governing body for the sport of badminton in England. It aims to govern, encourage and develop the sport throughout England. Originally established in 1893 as the Badminton Association of England in Portsmou ...
, and the
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...
Milton Keynes Athletic Club train professional and amateur athletes. Most other sports feature at amateur level although there are semi-professional teams in
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
and
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
among other sports. There is an international-standard karting track owned by
Daytona Motorsport Daytona Motorsport Ltd is a motorsports company that owns and runs karting circuits in Milton Keynes, Manchester, Sandown Park and Tamworth. (with a location previously in Lydd). It caters for drivers aged 6–80 years old and holds monthly "Ink ...
.


Archery

There are archery clubs in
Newport Pagnell Newport Pagnell is a town and civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The Office for National Statistics records Newport Pagnell as part of the Milton Keynes urban area. It is separated from the rest of the urban ...
and
Shenley Shenley is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, between Barnet and St Albans. The village is located 14 miles from Central London. History The history of Shenley stretches back a thousand years or more – it is mentioned in ...
/
Loughton Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
.


Armwrestling

Milton Keynes Armwrestling club has produced some of the best in the country: in 2011 it came away from the British championships with 1st place left&right 110 kg+ class, 1st place left&right 75 kg class and 2nd place left&right in the 80 kg class.


Athletics

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...
Milton Keynes AC is one of England's leading Athletic clubs. Their members include Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European Champion,
Greg Rutherford Gregory James Rutherford MBE (born 17 November 1986) is a retired British track and field athlete who specialised in the long jump. He represented Great Britain at the Olympics, World and European Championships, and England at the Commonwealth ...
, and Olympians
Craig Pickering Dr Craig Keith Pickering (born 16 October 1986, in Crawley, West Sussex) is an English retired sprinter and bobsleigher. As a sprinter, he was based at the Marshall Milton Keynes Athletics Club; however, he also ran for the University ...
and
Mervyn Luckwell Mervyn Richard Luckwell (born 29 November 1984) is a British javelin thrower. He was the sole javelin thrower on the team for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was born in Milton Keynes. Luckwell represented Great Britain at the Eu ...


Running

The "Milton Keynes Festival of RunningW is held in March every year, attract thousands of runners onto the streets of Milton Keynes. The Milton Keynes Marathon is held annually, as are a number of other running events throughout the year, such as the South of England Road Relays, the Wolverton 5 and the Milton Keynes 10k race, organised by Marshall Milton Keynes AC. Events such as
The Color Run The Color Run is an event series and 5K run, five kilometer paint race, inspired by the Hindu festival of Holi, that is owned and operated by The Color Run LLC, a for-profit company. It takes place in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, N ...
or the
Race for Life Race for Life is a series of fundraising events, organised by charity Cancer Research UK. They involve running, jogging or walking a 5-kilometre, 10-kilometre or 'Pretty Muddy' course and raising sponsorship for doing so. The money raises funds fo ...
are also held frequently.


Badminton

With the
National Badminton Centre Badminton England is the national governing body for the sport of badminton in England. It aims to govern, encourage and develop the sport throughout England. Originally established in 1893 as the Badminton Association of England in Portsmou ...
located in
Loughton Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
just across the A5 from
Central Milton Keynes Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a #Civil parish, civil parish in its own right, with a town council#England and Wales, town council. The district is approximately long by w ...
, badminton is an important sport locally. A number of clubs are based at the Centre, and there are also open sessions during the week. Badminton clubs also meet at other centres such as Stantonbury and Shenley.


Baseball

Founded in 1986, Milton Keynes Baseball Club (Milton Keynes Bucks) is one of the oldest baseball club in the UK. Single-A National champions in 2010 and Triple-A Midlands Division champions in 2013. In 2022, the club is fielding 3 teams in the BBF (British Baseball Federation) Triple-A league and in the East of England Baseball League Double-A and Single-A divisions. Their ballpark is located in
Woughton on the Green Old Woughton ( ) is a district and civil parish in south central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The parish was established in April 2012 by the division into two parts of Woughton parish. The original (undivided) civil parish was its ...
.


Basketball

Milton Keynes originally hosted basketball during the early years of the
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
, they took over the successful Embassy All-Stars franchise during the
1976–77 National Basketball League season The 1976–77 Guinness National Basketball League season was the fifth season of the National Basketball League. The league was sponsored by Guinness and the number of teams participating remained at ten. The Embassy All-Stars relocated to Milt ...
. The team finished National runners-up in both league and cup competitions before disbanding after the 1978-79 season. Milton Keynes hosted basketball again between 1998–2012 before the MK Lions were forced to re-locate after the closure of Prestige Homes Arena and no suitable alternative for hosting professional games in the city was found. In addition to the Lions
British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...
team, the franchise established a ladies team, youth teams at all age groups and the
Milton Keynes College Lions basketball academy The Milton Keynes Lions College Lions, are a basketball academy team from Milton Keynes, England, with all players attending Milton Keynes College.The academy is coached, funded and run by a partnership between Milton Keynes College, and the ' Lo ...
. Amateur teams in the city include the Wildcats and Shenley Scorpions Basketball Club.


Bowls

There are a number of
lawn bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
clubs in the Borough. These include Bletchley BC, Newport Pagnell Lawn Bowls, Olney BC, Bradwell BC, Stony Stratford BC and Wolverton Park BC. Established in 1889, Wolverton Park Bowls Club is the oldest Bowls Club in Buckinghamshire.


Cricket

* Milton Keynes CC is based in Milton Keynes Village and plays in the Morrant Four Counties Cricket League. * Milton Keynes City CC is based in
Woughton on the Green Old Woughton ( ) is a district and civil parish in south central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The parish was established in April 2012 by the division into two parts of Woughton parish. The original (undivided) civil parish was its ...
and plays in the Morrant Four Counties Cricket League. * Bletchley Town CC is based at Manor Fields,
Fenny Stratford Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes " designated area" in 1967. From 189 ...
and play in the Cherwell Cricket League. For a brief time they were known as Milton Keynes Park CC (formed 2003) and were based at
Campbell Park Campbell Park is the name of the central park for Milton Keynes (England) and of a ward of Central Milton Keynes civil parish. (The nearby Campbell Park (civil parish) previously included the park but no longer does so. It did not change its na ...
. It won the
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
Senior Cup in 2004. * Stony Stratford CC is based at Ostlers Lane, Stony Stratford and play in the Premier Division of the
Northamptonshire Cricket League The Hevey Building Supplies Northamptonshire Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Northamptonshire, England, and since 1999 has been a designated ECB Premier League. The league headquarters is based i ...
. * Shenley Church End CC are also based at Manor Fields,
Fenny Stratford Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes " designated area" in 1967. From 189 ...
and play in the Morrant Four Counties Cricket League.


Cycling

Team Milton Keynes and North Bucks Road Club are the leading clubs for racing cyclists, with Team MK also incorporating
Triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...
and
Duathlon Duathlon is an athletic event that consists of a running leg, followed by a cycling leg and then another running leg in a format similar to triathlons. The International Triathlon Union governs the sport internationally. Distance and format ...
as well as
Mountain Biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...
. Milton Keynes Cycling Association also holds circuit racing at the Bowl. In September 2008 Milton Keynes played host to the Race Headquarters for The
Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...
in the buildup to the race. Stage Two of the race began in front of
Milton Keynes Central railway station Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, England. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line about northwest of London. The station is served by Avanti West Coast int ...
, before heading to Newbury.


Fencing

Milton Keynes Fencing Club meet regularly in Oakgrove School and is one of the oldest sports teams in Milton Keynes having been founded in 1978 and has actively competed for much of that time in the
Three Counties The Three Counties of England are traditionally the three agrarian counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Including towns and cities such as Worcester, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Hereford, Leominster, Stourbridge, Evesham, ...
Fencing League which covers
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
,
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
, and
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
. Whilst all three weapons are welcome, the main focus is on épée and sabre.


Fishing

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
is a popular sport: with its miles of river and canal bank and its
balancing lake A balancing lake (also flood basin or Sustainable urban drainage scheme) is a term used in the U.K. describing an element of an urban drainage system used to control flooding by temporarily storing flood waters. The term balancing pond is also ...
s, Milton Keynes is a favoured location for anglers.


Floorball

The local
floorball Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. Men and women play indoors with sticks and a plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three twenty-minute periods. The sport of bandy also played a role ...
club has currently several teams, including a national side under the name MK Phantoms, women's teams and a junior side.


Football


League

The only
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
team based in Milton Keynes is
Milton Keynes Dons F.C. Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
The team is based at Stadium MK in
Denbigh Denbigh (; cy, Dinbych; ) is a market town and a community in Denbighshire, Wales. Formerly, the county town, the Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills. History ...
and, , plays in
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
.


Non-League


Notable active non-league clubs

The better known
non-League Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to d ...
clubs in the Borough include: * Milton Keynes Irish are members of the
Spartan South Midlands League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...
. * New Bradwell St Peter are members of the
Spartan South Midlands League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...
. * Newport Pagnell Town — "The Swans" are currently members of the
Spartan South Midlands League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...
. *Old Bradwell United - are members of the
Spartan South Midlands League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...
. * Stony Stratford are members of the North Bucks & District League Division Two The
North Bucks & District Football League The North Bucks & District Football League, commonly referred to as simply the North Bucks League, is a competition affiliated to the Berks & Bucks County Football Association featuring amateur association football clubs primarily in Northern B ...
and
Sunday league football Sunday league football is a term used in Britain and Ireland to describe the amateur association football competitions which take place on Sunday rather than the more usual Saturday. The term pub league may also be used, owing to the number of ...
attract many smaller teams, which are too numerous to list individually. Under 11's to under 18's play in the Milton Keynes and Border Counties Youth Football League.


Notable former non-League clubs

* Bletchley Town F.C. were members of the
Spartan South Midlands League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...
. After being refounded in 2005, the club only managed to survive nine more years before folding. * Bletchley LMS were a local team founded in 1947, which folded in 1960 * Bletchley BBOB were founded in 1952, playing until 1957 when it changed its name to Bletchley United before eventually folding in 1976 * Loughton Orient was a football club based in
Loughton Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
founded as Abbey National F.C., they joined the
South Midlands League The South Midlands League was a football league covering Bedfordshire and some adjoining counties in England. It was founded in 1922 as the Bedfordshire County League and merged with the Spartan League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midland ...
Division One in 1994 but were disbanded in 2007. * Milton Keynes City F.C., following the demise of the Milton Keynes Borough F.C., Manor Fields in
Fenny Stratford Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes " designated area" in 1967. From 189 ...
was home to the "new MKCFC" playing in the South Midlands Premier Division. They are defunct as a senior football club since mid 2003. This name has been used by at least two clubs—in the first instance Bletchley Town became Milton Keynes City in 1974 before being wound up in 1985, then Mercedes-Benz assumed the name from 1998 to 2003. In the years before their demise, the second incarnation of the team reached the Premier Division of the
Spartan South Midlands League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...
. The name is associated solely for junior football. * Milton Keynes Robins F.C. were founded in 1883 as
Buckingham Town F.C. Buckingham Town Football Club, known as Milton Keynes Robins for the last year of their existence, was a football club based in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England. They were established in 1883 and were one of the founding members of the He ...
Based at Manor Fields in
Fenny Stratford Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes " designated area" in 1967. From 189 ...
from 2012, they played in the
United Counties Football League The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the ''Uhlsport United Counties League'') is an English football league covering Northamptonshire, Rutland and Bedfordshire and most of Leicestershire as well as parts of Buckingh ...
, switching to the
Spartan South Midlands Football League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...
in 2018 and changing name to Milton Keynes Robins in January 2019. In 2020 they merged with Unite MK to form Milton Keynes Irish (see active clubs above). * Unite MK F.C. were founded in 2004 as Wolverton Town F.C. and played at Manor Fields in Fenny Stratford. They reached the
Spartan South Midlands Football League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...
in 2012 and changed name to Unite MK in 2016. In 2020 they merged with Milton Keynes Robins to form Milton Keynes Irish (see active clubs above). * Wolverton A.F.C., the oldest club in the area folded, were re-instigated, but are in abeyance. In the years before going into administration, they reached the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League. Until 2011, it had the oldest (and almost certainly the first) football stand and at one point in the club's history it had the longest name of any football club in the United Kingdom—"Newport Pagnell & Wolverton London & North Western Railway Amalgamated Association Football Club".


Six a side football

Milton Keynes is also home to many five and six-a-side football leagues.


Golf

There are courses at Abbey Hill ( Two Mile Ash),
West Bletchley West Bletchley is a district and civil parish that covers the western part of Bletchley, a constituent town of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. The parish consists of that part of Bletchley which is south of Standing Way/H8 ( A421) ...
and
Wavendon Wavendon is a village and civil parish in the south east of the Milton Keynes urban area, in Buckinghamshire, England. History and geography The village name is an Old English language word, and means 'Wafa's hill'. In the '' Anglo-Saxon Chron ...
. Just outside the city, there are courses in
Aspley Guise Aspley Guise is a village and civil parish in the west of Central Bedfordshire, England. In addition to the village of Aspley Guise itself, the civil parish also includes part of the town of Woburn Sands, the rest of which is in the City of Milto ...
,
Soulbury Soulbury is a village and also a civil parish within the unitary authority area of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Aylesbury Vale, about seven miles south of Central Milton Keynes, and three miles north of Wing. The village nam ...
and Woburn.


Handball

MK Olycats were a
handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
team founded by
Great Britain men's national handball team The Great Britain men's national handball team is the national handball team of Great Britain and is controlled by the British Handball Association which is jointly operated by the England Handball Association and the Scottish Handball Associati ...
player and Olympian Bobby White. The club plays in the Midlands Regional Development League, one division below the top tier, the Super 8. The club has now moved to Stoke-Mandeville under the name Bucks Bullets.


Hockey

There are many all-weather pitches throughout Milton Keynes – most of which are within school grounds, including the two pitches at Stantonbury. There are also two water based pitches at
Woughton on the Green Old Woughton ( ) is a district and civil parish in south central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The parish was established in April 2012 by the division into two parts of Woughton parish. The original (undivided) civil parish was its ...
, which is the home ground of Milton Keynes Men's and Women's Hockey club. Teams from Milton Keynes Hockey Club compete at many levels in leagues covering the South East of England.


Ice hockey

The town has two semi-professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
teams, these being
Milton Keynes Lightning The Milton Keynes Lightning are an ice hockey team founded in 2002 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The Lightning currently play in Britain's second-tier professional league, the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), since the 2019–20 season. ...
(founded in 2002) of the EPL and
Milton Keynes Thunder Milton Keynes Thunder are an ice hockey team from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, they are known stylistically as the Milton Keynes Rightmove Thunder for sponsorship purposes, and the team currently competes in the Britton Conference, of the Na ...
(founded in 2001) of the ENL. Both teams play at the 2,500 capacity Planet Ice Arena which is situated close to
Milton Keynes Central railway station Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, England. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line about northwest of London. The station is served by Avanti West Coast int ...
. The town also used to be home to professional team
Milton Keynes Kings Milton Keynes Kings were an Ice Hockey team based in Milton Keynes. History The MK Kings originally played in various divisions of the British Hockey League (BHL) from 1990 until 1996. In 1998, two seasons after the closure of the BHL, they joi ...
from 1990–1996 and 1998–2002 who played at the same arena, although during 1990–1996 it was known as the bladerunner arena. There are also a number of junior, ladies and recreational adult teams who also play at the arena.


Korfball

Milton Keynes Bucks founded in 2004, and Milton Keynes Lakers, founded in 2012 as merger of several local clubs, are the two significant
korfball Korfball ( nl, korfbal) is a ball sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. It is played by two teams of eight players with four female players and four male players in each team. The objective is to throw a ball into a netless bask ...
teams in the area.


Martial arts

This popular family of sports / traditional arts has clubs in each of the six major disciplines (
Aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 1 ...
,
Ju Jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...
, Judo,
Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
,
Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...
and
T'ai chi Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. ...
). Milton Keynes is the home to the central region of Minakami Bushido Karate Dojo, which practices Shotokan Karate. The club has classes aimed at 4-7yr olds known as the Tiny Tigers, then main classes which students of any age can attended, meaning children and adults train together. There are lessons most days at various leisure centres across Milton Keynes, including Shenley and Stantonbury leisure centres. Lessons and gradings are structured around Khion, Kata, Kumite, weapons training and conditioning to improve strength, control, fitness and co-ordination.


Motorsport


Formula 1

Most notably, the
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
team is based here, in Tilbrook. Prodrive, one of the world's largest motorsport and automotive technology specialists, have a division in Milton Keynes. Previous notable though defunct teams included Arrows,
Brabham Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four ...
,
Stewart Grand Prix Stewart Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor and racing team founded by triple Formula One champion Jackie Stewart and his son Paul Stewart in 1996. The team competed in F1, as the Ford works-supported team, for only three seasons, from 199 ...
and
Jaguar F1 Jaguar Racing is the name given to Jaguar Land Rover's racing interests. It currently competes in Formula E under the name Jaguar TCS Racing as a result of the partnership with Tata Consultancy Services. It was previously a Formula One construc ...
.


Karting

Daytona Motorsport Daytona Motorsport Ltd is a motorsports company that owns and runs karting circuits in Milton Keynes, Manchester, Sandown Park and Tamworth. (with a location previously in Lydd). It caters for drivers aged 6–80 years old and holds monthly "Ink ...
opened a karting venue in Milton Keynes in 1996. The venue has three circuits, ranging from a -long international circuit to a north circuit.


Motorcycle Speedway

Until the late 1990s, MK had a
speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...
team, the
Milton Keynes Knights The Milton Keynes Knights are a Speedway team which originally operated from 1978 until their closure in 1992. The team were revived in 2012 but have had to race at various venues outside of Milton Keynes. History 1978–1988 The inaugural leag ...
. Speedway was staged at Milton Keynes at two venues,
Milton Keynes Greyhound Stadium Milton Keynes Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing and speedway stadium, in Milton Keynes located on the Groveway in Ashland. Origins & opening The stadium opened as an independent track on 25 July 1963 and was called the Groveway Greyh ...
at Ashland and then Elfield Park beside the
National Bowl The National Bowl (originally the Milton Keynes Bowl) is an entertainment venue located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was a former clay pit (for brick-making), filled in and raised to form an amphitheatre using sub-soil ex ...
. However, both sites have closed: the former is now a housing district and the latter is a brownfield site with plans announced by the leaseholders of National Bowl to redevelop it (which, have yet to materialise). In 2012, The Knights were revived, competing in the Midland Development League. The revived team has not competed in Milton Keynes: home matches are staged at the
Rye House Stadium Rye House Stadium is a former greyhound racing and speedway venue in Rye Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. It is situated adjacent to the River Lea Navigation. Origins The name Rye House originates from a collection of medieval buildings on an ...
in
Hoddesdon Hoddesdon () is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River. Hoddesdon is ...
.


Parkour

Milton Keynes boasts a growing
Parkour Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing a ...
or freerunning movement. Due to its urban landscape, the
Central Milton Keynes Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a #Civil parish, civil parish in its own right, with a town council#England and Wales, town council. The district is approximately long by w ...
area is an ideal area for parkour activity.


Pool

There are five long established leagues which cover the borough: Bletchley Friendly, Milton Keynes Clubs, Milton Keynes Sunday, Milton Keynes Tuesday and Newport Pagnell. Two current Interleague teams exist, Milton Keynes 'A' and MK Shooters (Formerly Milton Keynes 'B'), which have dominated the Buckinghamshire Interleague since its reformation in 2003. Milton Keynes has also provided the backbone of the
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
County squad since the early 1990s due to the town being the long time base of the Buckinghamshire County Pool Association, although BCPA currently play from and are based in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire.


Rowing

Milton Keynes Rowing Club operates out of
Caldecotte Walton (historically) was a hamlet that is now a district and civil parish in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. For local government purposes, it is part of the Danesborough and Walton electoral ward. The historic hamlet is located ...
Lake. The club was founded in 1995 and hosted the inaugural annual Milton Keynes Regatta on 22 May 2010.


Rugby League

Milton Keynes Wolves RLFC was a short-lived
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
team established in 2012, playing in the
East Men's League The East Rugby League (East RL) is a tier 5 amateur rugby league competition structure with sides from the East of England. It was previously the ''East Division'' of the Rugby League Conference, which was set up in 1997. Structure The East ...
.


Rugby Union


Local teams

The major Borough clubs are
Bletchley RUFC Bletchley Rugby Union Club is an English rugby union club from Milton Keynes who play at Manor Fields. They routinely put out three Senior XVs, a ladies side and a Vets side. The 1st XV play in Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier and the 2nd XVs in the ...
, Milton Keynes RUFC and
Olney RFC Olney Rugby Football Club is an amateur club playing Rugby Football Union. The club was formed in 1877 in the market town of Olney, near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It is a community rugby club. The club currently fields teams in seniors, l ...
.


Bletchley RUFC Bletchley Rugby Union Club is an English rugby union club from Milton Keynes who play at Manor Fields. They routinely put out three Senior XVs, a ladies side and a Vets side. The 1st XV play in Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier and the 2nd XVs in the ...

Bletchley Rugby Club, who play at
Manor Fields Manor Fields is a cricket ground in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1973, when Young England women played International XI women in the ground's only Women's One Day International. In 1975 the grou ...
, routinely put out three Senior XVs, a ladies side and a Vets side. The 1st XV play in South West 1 East (level 6) and the 2nd XVs in the Berks, Bucks & Oxon 2 North table. The 3rd XV and Vets side play ad hoc friendly local fixtures. Bletchley Ladies is a developing team which is intending to enter the RFUW leagues in the 2011 season. In addition to the 120+ adult section, the club has a Youth (U7s to U17s) set-up with over 200 members. In the 2005/06 season the club's U17 squad were
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
County Cup champions, and finalists in the South West Division Bowl. The playing activities at Bletchley are supported by a large number of volunteers, including the 50+ Vice-Presidents of whom many are ex-players. Bletchley celebrated its 60th anniversary during the 2007/08 season. In 2003 Bletchley RUFC were the first sports organisation in Milton Keynes/North Bucks to gain the
Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...
'Seal of Approval' and
Sport England Sport England is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Its role is to build the foundations of a community sport system by working with national governing bodies of sport, and other funded par ...
Clubmark. In 2006 the club gained Stage 2 accreditation from the same bodies.


Milton Keynes RUFC

Milton Keynes RUFC began as Wolverton RUFC but changed its name in 1973, based in Greenleys. In April 2011, the club transferred to a new ground in
Emerson Valley Shenley Brook End is a village, district and wider civil parish in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. Together with its neighbouring districts of Shenley Church End, Shenley Wood and Shenley Lodge, the districts are collectively known as ...
. The move was opposed by the local community, but planning permission was granted on 6 September 2007. In March 2006, Milton Keynes RUFC won the Bucks Plate against Slough RUFC who are in the league above. Milton Keynes went on to finish as runners up in the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Premier League and were promoted to Southern Counties North. The Club has over 400 members including a mini and junior section with players between the ages of 6 and 18.


Olney RFC Olney Rugby Football Club is an amateur club playing Rugby Football Union. The club was formed in 1877 in the market town of Olney, near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It is a community rugby club. The club currently fields teams in seniors, l ...

Olney has for many years been a rugby town with its rugby team dating back from 1877, called Olney Rugby Football Club, which has four regular senior teams. They also cater for Colts rugby, women's rugby and mini rugby. The club holds many social events for the town, one of these being a Rugby 7's tournament, with competitors coming from all over the country. Olney's Rugby is of a high standard in amateur rugby, winning the Lewis Shield in 2007, the Southern Counties North League in 2008 and the Bucks County Cup in 2010. Olney 1st XV play in the South West 1 East (level 6) league. Olney Women's team compete in the RFUW National Championship.


Other teams

Despite having no Premiership teams, Milton Keynes has previously hosted home games for
Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...
and Saracens F.C. at Stadium MK.


Premiership

Saracens F.C. were the first club to host a rugby match at Stadium MK when
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
visited on 10 May 2008, providing a grand stage for Rugby World Cup 2003 winner Richard Hill's 288th and last appearance for the men in black. A last-minute try from Kameli Ratuvou ensured Hill's 15-year club career finished on a winning note.


The Heineken Cup

On 24 January 2011, the
Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...
Rugby Union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club announced that their
2010-11 Heineken Cup 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
quarter final match against
Ulster Rugby Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Ulster Branch, which is one of ...
would take place at Stadium MK, because their
Franklin's Gardens Franklin's Gardens (currently known for sponsorship purposes as cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens) is a purpose-built rugby stadium in Northampton, England. It is the home stadium of Northampton Saints. The stadium holds 15,249 people. The fou ...
ground is too small to meet the minimum 15,000 seats demanded by the organisers. The Saints had previously indicated that they might play future major games at Stadium MK as their proposal to expand Franklin's Gardens using an enabling (ASDA supermarket) development has encountered planning difficulties. Accordingly, their quarter-final match was played at the stadium on Sunday 10 April 2011 in front of 21,309 supporters, who witnessed the Saints (the 'home' side for the day) beat Ulster 23–13. This secured for the Saints a place in the semi-final of the Heineken Cup where they went on to beat
USA Perpignan Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais, also referred to as USA Perpignan or Perpignan, is a French professional rugby union club founded in 1933 and based in Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. They compete in the Top 14, Franc ...
, again at the Stadium MK. On 21 January 2012, Northampton Saints played their final 2011–12 Heineken Cup pool match at Stadium MK against
Munster Rugby Munster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Mumhan) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU's Munster B ...
. Saints were defeated 36–51 but the game set a new stadium record attendance of 22,220.


Rugby World Cup 2015

On 8 October 2012, the organisers of the
2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...
announced that the Stadium was one of seventeen to be short-listed for detailed appraisal, leading to the final choice of twelve stadiums to be announced in March 2013Stadium mk in the running to host World Cup rugby matches in 2015
Milton Keynes Citizen The Milton Keynes Citizen is the only freely distributed local newspaper in Milton Keynes. The newspaper is part of JPIMedia. The ''MK Citizen'' was founded by Bill Alder and Jerry West on 1 October 1981 and they sold to EMAP in 1987 and the pu ...
, 8 October 2012 It was announced as a venue for the 2015 Rugby World Cup on 2 May, and with the venue capacity to expand to 32,000, it hosted 3 fixtures.


Skiing, Snowboarding & Tobogganing

Milton Keynes is home to the Xscape
indoor ski slope Indoor skiing is done in a climate-controlled environment with artificially produced snow. This enables skiing and snowboarding to take place regardless of outdoor temperatures. Facilities for both alpine skiing and nordic skiing are availabl ...
, which means it has
snowmaking Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliabilit ...
facilities and is therefore not a
dry ski slope A dry ski slope or artificial ski slope is a ski slope that mimics the attributes of snow using materials that are stable at room temperature, to enable people to skiing, ski, snowboarding, snowboard or Tubing (recreation)#Snow, snow tube in pla ...
.


Sky diving

The Airkix indoor sky diving facility is located at Xscape.


Swimming

There are a number of pools in the Borough, with a competition pool at Stantonbury. The performance swimming club is City of Milton Keynes SC.


Table tennis

Table Tennis is thriving in Milton Keynes, which has one of the largest leagues in the UK. With a league that currently boasts over 60 teams and a state of the art, purpose-built Table Tennis Centre in Kingston, which many England ranked players like to call their home venue, the scene is well served. Other club venues in the league include Greenleys,
Newport Pagnell Newport Pagnell is a town and civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The Office for National Statistics records Newport Pagnell as part of the Milton Keynes urban area. It is separated from the rest of the urban ...
,
Woburn Sands Woburn Sands () is a town that straddles the border between Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire in England, and also is part of the Milton Keynes urban area. See map. The larger part of the town is in Woburn Sands civil parish, which is in the Cit ...
, Stony Stratford and the
Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
, amongst others.


T'ai Chi

There is a
T'ai chi Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. ...
club based at the
Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
.


Volleyball

*MK City VC is a volleyball club formed in 2006 from the ashes of corporate team Abbey VC. It plays out of Oakgrove Leisure Centre.In its first season the men's team completed a league double taking by the Herts and Northants crowns. *MKVC is a volleyball club which field men's and women's teams in the Herts and Northants league as well as a men's team in the National Division 3.


Wrestling

Total Action Wrestling (TAW) in a Pro-Wrestling promotion based in Wolverton. Notable guest trainers include Doug Williams,
Alex Shane Alexander Daniel Spilling (born 15 November 1979) is a British professional wrestler and professional wrestling commentator who is best known by his ring name "The Showstealer" Alex Shane. Spilling also works as a promoter, wrestling coach an ...
,
Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-time ...
, Davey Richards and British wrestling legend
Johnny Kincaid John "Johnny" Kincaid (born 4 June 1945) is a former English professional wrestler and author. He was known for wrestling during the golden age of British wrestling as he was a regular on ITV's World of Sport. Kincaid is a former European heavyw ...
. The school was originally in
Bletchley Bletchley is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated in the south-west of Milton Keynes, and is split between the civil parishes of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford and West Bletchley. Bletchley is best known ...
Leisure centre until the final session in December 2009. The promotion runs events in
Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...
,
Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
,
Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...
,
Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce peopl ...
and other towns in the region. The training school moved to Atlas Fitness in Wolverton in January 2010.


References

{{Reflist, 30em


External links


Directory of sports in Milton Keynes at MKWEB
on which this article is extensively based.