Sport owes plenty to the West Midlands - with much of what we know and love coming to life in the region.

Sporting Heritage

The birth of the Football League

The Football League - the first league for football in the world - has links with Aston Villa and in particular William McGregor.

McGregor, a Scotsman, was a significant figure at Villa and served as the club's vice-president and then chairman.

He was the first to suggest that clubs play competitive matches against each other and not just friendlies.

Twelve clubs founded the Football League under his direction - including Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers from the West Midlands.

The others were Accrington, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End and Stoke.

The Football League was formerly founded on April 17, 1888 at the Royal Hotel in Manchester.

McGregor, who took inspiration from cricket's County Championship, was appointed as the first chairman of the Football League.

His statue now stands outside Villa Park.

A points system was agreed upon the start of the league, which saw two points awarded for a win and one for a draw.

Lawn tennis comes to life

Lawn tennis, now showcased on the global stage every year at Wimbledon, has its roots in Birmingham.

Harry Gem was a member and club secretary of Bath Streets Rackets Club, who became frustrated at the expense of the indoor sport.

He met Spanish merchant Juan Bautista Augurio Perera and the pair created a new sport, known as lawn rackets or lawn tennis.

They played against each other for the first time on the croquet lawn at Perera's house in Edgbaston.

This was said to have taken place in 1859.

Both Gem and Perera later moved to Leamington Spa, where they formed the world's first club for lawn tennis in 1872.

This was five years before the first Wimbledon tournament in 1877.

The club still exists to this day, while other clubs soon opened as tennis grew in popularity.

A grass court event, the Birmingham Classic, now takes place at the Edgbaston Priory Club every year.

William Webb Ellis and the creation of rugby

Rugby football takes its name from Rugby School in Warwickshire, where the sport has been played in various guises for centuries.

According to legend, William Webb Ellis picked up the ball during a game of football in 1823 which helped lay the foundations for the sport's creation.

Pupils at the school traditionally came up with the rules for the games they were playing, which would change with each new intake.

It was not until 1845 that a set of written rules was created by three students.

A number of teams then began to play based on the Rugby School rules.

In 1871, the first laws of the game were drawn up by three lawyers who had been Rugby School pupils.

Blackheath Football Club, the oldest rugby club in the world, was founded in London in 1858 by the school's alumni.

Today, William Webb Ellis' name lives on in high-level rugby.

The trophy awarded to the winners of the men's Rugby World Cup is called the Webb Ellis Cup.

The Jewellery Quarter and Famous Sporting Trophies

A number of famous sporting trophies and medals were made in Birmingham's acclaimed Jewellery Quarter.

This includes the trophies awarded to both the men's and women's singles champions at Wimbledon - which ties in nicely with Birmingham being the place where lawn tennis was invented.

Both trophies were made by silversmiths Elkington & Co, a company which employed more than 2,500 people at its Jewellery Quarter factory.

The women's Championship Plate, also known as the Venus Rosewater Dish, is a copy of a dish kept at the Louvre. 

It is made from silver and silver-gilt and has a mythological theme.

The two-handled men's trophy is made with silver-gilt and features a floral design, winged helmets and a pineapple at the top.

An early incarnation of the FA Cup - the oldest football competition in the world - was also made in the Jewellery Quarter.

Aston Villa won the trophy in 1895 but it was stolen from a shop window where it had been put on display.

The club was ordered to fund a replacement and they chose Jewellery Quarter business Vaughton & Sons.

This version was used until 1910, with Vaughton still existing today.

The company has also made medals for the Premier League and the London 1908 Olympics.

Another Olympic link can be found in the Jewellery Quarter as the Torches for the London 1948 Games were made by Birmingham designer Bernard Cuzner. The London 2012 Olympic Torches were made by a firm from Coventry.

Lonsdale belts given to British boxing champions have also been made in the Jewellery Quarter, by Thomas Fattorini.

Much Wenlock and the precursor to the Olympic Games

The Modern Olympic Games were inspired by Much Wenlock, a town in Shropshire and home of the Wenlock Olympian Games which date back to 1850.

A multi-sport event was created by Dr. William Penny Brookes, with the first event including sports such as athletics, football, cricket and penny farthing cycling.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin visited the town in 1890 and was impressed by Dr Brookes.

He was inspired to found the International Olympic Committee, with Brookes made an honorary delegate as the organisation was launched in 1894.

The first Modern Olympic Games were then held in Athens in 1896.

The London 2012 Olympic mascot was later named Wenlock in tribute to the pioneering influence of the Shropshire town.

The West Midlands will host some major sporting events going forward, but it already has significant heritage and history. Several of the calendar's major events have already taken place there.

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Past Events

World Indoor Athletics Championships

Birmingham has twice hosted one of the most important events on the track and field calendar - the World Indoor Athletics Championships.

Both the 2003 and 2018 editions were held at Utilita Arena Birmingham, the venue previously known as the National Indoor Arena.

The 2003 staging was the first time that the Championships had been held in the United Kingdom.

Nearly 600 athletes competed from 133 countries, in front of packed crowds.

Highlights included a world record for Russian pole vaulter Svetlana Feofanova, who cleared 4.80 metres to win gold.

United States topped the medal table with nine golds, three silvers and three bronze.

Britain's world champion hurdler Colin Jackson retired after the event, as triple jumper Ashia Hansen and 200 metres sprinter Marlon Devonish won golds for the host nation.

For Devonish it was particularly special as the Championships were local, given he was born in Coventry.

Elsewhere, famous gold medal winners included American Justin Gatlin over 60m and Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie in the 3,000m.

When the Championships returned in 2018, 134 countries and 554 athletes were represented.

The Americans again topped the medal table, this time winning six golds, 10 silvers and two bronze.

There was a world record for Poland's men in the 4x400m relay, as Karol Zalewski, Rafał Omelko, Łukasz Krawczuk and Jakub Krzewina clocked 3min 01.77sec.

Britain again won two golds on home soil, including a notable title for Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon.

Andrew Pozzi replicated Devonish's achievement by winning gold as a local West Midlands boy.

The Warwickshire native triumphed in the 60m hurdles.

All England Badminton/Badminton World Championships

The Badminton World Championships, the most prestigious event in the sport, has twice been held in Birmingham - in 1993 and 2003.

In 1993 at the National Indoor Arena, the competition was dominated by Indonesia.

Joko Suprianto won the men's singles title while the women's singles crown went to Susi Susanti.

Indonesia also tasted glory in the men's doubles to finish top of the medals table.

Hosts England did enjoy some success, winning bronze in the mixed doubles thanks to Nick Ponting and Gillian Clark.

The 2003 event was initially postponed as a result of the outbreak of SARS, eventually going ahead in July and August instead of May.

China was the dominant nation this time, winning the men's singles through Xia Xuanze and the women's title thanks to Zhang Ning.

The Chinese added the women's doubles gold to sit on top of the medals table.

Every year, Birmingham hosts the All England Open Badminton Championships, the oldest tournament in the world and one of the most prestigious in the sport.

It dates back to 1899 and has been held in the city since 2004.

Ryder Cup

Four editions of golf's Ryder Cup - the biennial event pitting teams from Europe and the United States against each other - have been held at The Belfry.

This means the West Midlands course has staged the famous Cup more times than any other venue.

The first edition at The Belfry in 1985 saw Europe famously win the event for the first time, as the US had previously faced Britain and Ireland until 1977.

Europe's 16.5-11.5 victory ended a streak of American wins which stretched back to 1959.

The Europeans led by two points heading into the singles matches on the final Sunday, with Sam Torrance securing the victory by holing a 22 foot putt on the 18th hole of the Brabazon course to defeat Andy North.

In 1989, the Ryder Cup returned to The Belfry and the match ended 14-14, finishing as a draw for only the second time.

The result meant Europe retained the cup as they had won it on American soil in 1987, and the match has not been drawn since.

When the cup returned to The Belfry again in 1993, the US triumphed to successfully defend the title they had won two years earlier.

In one of the event's most dramatic finishes, Europe held a one point lead going into the singles but the US hit back to win 15-13.

Davis Love III earned victory by defeating Costantino Rocca at the final hole, one up.

The Belfry most recently hosted the Ryder Cup in 2002, one year later than planned after the match was postponed due to the September 11 attacks.

With the contest level at 8-8 going into the final singles, Europe triumphed 15.5-12.5 after Paul McGinley holed from 10 feet on the 18th green to earn a half with Jim Furyk.

Gymnastics World Championships

The 1993 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, following an Opening Ceremony at the National Indoor Arena.

This was the first time that the curtain-raising of the flagship event took place at a different venue than the competition itself.

Fifty-seven countries sent teams, which at the time was a record.

Britain had never hosted the World Championships before, with the event notable as it saw former countries of the Soviet Union compete independently for the first time.

Belarus topped the medal table with four golds as Vitaly Scherbo grabbed three titles, the all-around, vault and parallel bars.

American Shannon Miller also left Birmingham with a hat-trick of golds, triumphing in the all-around, uneven bars and floor.

Netball World Cup

The ninth edition of the Netball World Cup - then known as the Netball World Championships - took place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham in 1995.

A record 27 teams took part in the flagship tournament.

Australia won their seventh world title after defeating South Africa in the final.

New Zealand defeated hosts England to win the bronze medals.

World Judo Championships

The flagship event in global judo, the World Championships, called Birmingham home in 1999.

Ninety-one countries competed at the National Indoor Arena, with 619 judoka taking to the tatami in all.

Japan dominated the event, winning eight gold medals to top the standings.

Cuba finished second, trailing behind on four gold medals.

Scottish judoka Graeme Randall won the sole title for hosts Britain, in the men's 81 kilograms division.

Grand Slam of Darts

The Grand Slam of Darts is one of the major events on the circuit for the sport, and is part of the West Midlands sporting calendar.

It has been held every year since 2007, with the first 11 editions at Wolverhampton's Civic Hall.

The 2018 and 2019 events took place at the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton, before the 2020 edition at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

In 2021, the Grand Slam returned to Aldersley Leisure Village.

Qualification to the event is only open to players who triumph at other events, such as the World Championships, although there is a separate qualifier to top up the field. 

The event differs from other tournaments as it starts with a group stage where every player takes on three opponents.

England's darts legend Phil Taylor won the Grand Slam six times, while Dutchman Michael van Gerwen has claimed a hat-trick of victories.

Wheelchair Basketball World Championships

Birmingham became the centre for a major Paralympic sport in 2010 when it hosted the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships.

Both men's and women's tournaments were held at the National Indoor Arena as teams competed for a place at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Australia won the men's event for the first time after beating France in the final.

The women's title went to the United States who saw off the challenge of Germany.