Sports Personality may return to Liverpool

Dec 16 2008 by Richard Down, Liverpool Daily Post

THE BBC was so pleased with the successful staging of the Corporation’s annual Sports Personality of the Year awards at the Echo Arena Liverpool that it is planning to bring them back to the venue.

Liverpool council leader Warren Bradley last night said he was hopeful the awards ceremony could return in 2010, 2011, or 2012 – the same year London will stage the Olympics.

The show on Sunday at the waterfront arena was the biggest sports awards ceremony ever staged in the UK, and was hailed a huge success.

Last night, Tim Banfield, general manager of the Echo Arena, said: “The BBC has been very positive and, if the event continues in its current format, we’ve given them every reason to come back, and in fact they have said they will be back.

“The show may not have been seen as an Arena event previously, but it worked.

“Now the other cities have their work cut out in matching what we’ve been able to do.

“There aren’t many places that have that multi-use area to stage a party, as well as the Arena, but there will be lots of cities interested in getting the awards next year.”

Mr Banfield rates the televised showcase as among the most enjoyable in the Arena’s short but successful history.

“It was when the Olympic medal winners went up on stage in rehearsals and the crowd simply responded to them that I got how much of an institution the Sports Personality awards are.

“It’s been a very long week with concerts before, and now we’re gearing up for Elton John, so I could feel myself welling up.”