Sport
If you are a lover of sport then Preston is an ideal place to be. As well as all the facilities provided by the University and the city for playing sport, there is also a great deal to watch in the region.

- Leisure centres
In addition to local community leisure centres and private gyms with swimming pools around the city, you can take advantage of the university’s sports facilities at a really low price.

The indoor sports centre in the heart of the UCLan campus has an activities hall, fully equipped fitness room and dance studio, and students can also use Preston's new £12million Sports Arena, just 1.5km away from the University.

Opened in April 2000, the arena provides state of the art facilities. It features a number of sporting facilities including a cycling track, floodlit netball and tennis courts, all weather floodlit pitches, a new 18 station fitness suite and much more.

- Football
For football fans, the city's historic club Preston North End side is one of the founder members of the Football League and currently play in the First Division of the English Football League. They are performing very well and look set for promotion to the Premier League in the next few years.

For Premier League Football, all within easy travelling distance are premiership sides Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton. 

- Rugby
The north-west of England is the home of rugby league and all the top action, at clubs like Wigan and St.Helens, is very close by. For rugby union fans, Preston Grasshoppers and Fylde Rugby Club are the local sides.

- Golf
Royal Birkdale and Royal Lytham, both famous for hosting the British Open tournament, are within 15km of the University. There are several local clubs nearby for those who want to play, and a Students’ Union Golf Club, which has enjoyed some success in recent years.

- Snooker
Preston Guild Hall regularly hosts important sporting events and is most often connected with World Championship Snooker. The LG Cup is regularly held there.

- Cycling
Regionally there is a modern Velodrome and Olympic gold medal winner Jason Quigley is a famous Preston cyclist. For less competitive enthusiasts a cycleway runs around the towns of Preston and South Ribble, passing through parks and other green open spaces and running alongside waterways.

- Walking, rambling and mountaineering
If you want to enjoy a leafy walk in the open air and appreciate the flowers in bloom you can visit one of the three parks within walking distance of the UCLan campus. The city is also enhanced by many smaller areas of green open space, which you may pass through as you go about your daily routine.

For those wishing to travel further afield or to encounter more challenging terrain, the national parks of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales are both within 80km of Preston. You will discover beautiful villages, lakes, mountains and rolling moors.

Entertainment

Most of the entertainment in Preston is within walking distance, or a short bus-ride from the University. The city has two entertainment parks containing multi-screen cinemas, bowling alleys and numerous food outlets.

The Guild Hall complex includes two theatres and offers a programme of local, national and international artists including drama, rock music, orchestral music and top comedians. In the wider region there are larger venues hosting the latest international performers.

Local attractions

- National Football Museum
For a truly memorable family day out, why not visit Preston's newest and most exciting attraction, The National Football Museum. When it opened in 2001, the museum became the first and largest major football museum in the world. Located underneath two stands at Preston North End's Deepdale Stadium, the museum is situated in an area rich in footballing history.

Housing some of the greatest collections of football memorabilia in the world, including the official FIFA, FA, Football League and Wembley collections, the National Football Museum has gained recognition as the 'spiritual home of football', and it's completely free!

Through a number of exciting interactive displays, UK footballing greats Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen invite visitors to take part in a football commentary TV programme, and famous personalities from the world of football bring the game to life through fantastic TV and radio footage.
Go to the National Football Museum website >

- Camelot Theme Park
For a fun-packed day out, the nearby Camelot Theme Park is a magical medieval kingdom with over 100 rides, shows and attractions including live jousting, Merlin's magic show and a new indoor entertainment centre.
Go to the Camelot Theme Park website >

- Other nearby attractions
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Martin Mere provides an ideal family outing with the opportunity to encounter rare, exotic ducks, geese, swans and flamingos and feed them by hand.
Go to the Martin Mere website >

Built in 1565, Hoghton Tower is the ancestral home of the de Hoghton's since William the Conqueror and features the magnificent banqueting hall where James I knighted the beef "Sir Loin".
Go to the Hoghton Tower website >

History literally comes alive at Turton Tower and Gawthorpe Hall giving the opportunity to sample Tudor and Victorian life, and there is also a British Commercial Vehicle Museum.

Extra and related information

Accreditation

Our print and broadcast courses are accredited by the The Broadcast Journalism Training Council and the National Council for the Training of Journalists. Our MA Magazine Journalism is accredited by the Periodicals Training Council.