From the Superbowl to the Olympics, here are 10 of the best budget picks for top sporting events you should attend in 2012.Whether you’re a football fanatic or a golf geek – plan your year of sport here.
1. Rugby – Scotland v. England, Edinburgh, 4 February 2012
Probably the biggest match of this year’s Six Nations is an encounter between age-old rivals on the opening weekend of the tournament. If the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand was a drop-goal too far for you, Edinburgh is just a wee flight away for getting right back into the international rugby action. England will be desperate to move on from their debacle down under, but Murrayfield won’t be a forgiving place for them to go. It is however one of rugby’s classic venues, and the experience as a fan is second-to-none, especially if you go out for a drink or two to celebrate (or forget) in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket after the game. Find flights to Edinburgh
2. American Football, Superbowl XLVI, Indianapolis, 5 February 2012
The Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis hosts the USA’s biggest sporting event for the first time as the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots. Join in the razzmatazz and industrial consumption of hot dogs and root beer in this unsung city that’s well off the USA tourist list. If you can’t make it to ‘Nap Town’, Indiana for the big one, you can sample the all-American action in London, as one of the games in the regular American football season is played every year at Wembley Stadium. Find flights to Indianapolis / London
3. Horse Racing – Irish Grand National, Ireland. 9 April 2012
If you’ve done the Derby and gone to the Grand National, the top horse racing events around the world include the Kentucky Derby, Dubai World Cup, Melbourne Cup and Belmont Stakes, but a more affordable option is the Irish Grand National. Held at Fairyhouse in County Meath, Ireland on Easter Monday, ‘Dubs’ Day Out’, as the locals call it because of its popularity with visitors from Dublin, is one of the highlights of the racing calendar. It’s a lot easier to get to than Louisville, Kentucky, that’s for sure. Find flights to Dublin
4. Football – UEFA Champions League Final, Munich, 19 May 2012
Football fans from across Europe will be flocking to the European Championships held in Poland and Ukraine this summer. While finding a budget hotel in Donetsk may prove a challenge, Poland is more affordable, with low-cost flights to host cities Warsaw, Wroclaw, Poznan and Gdansk, and beer is cheap! Get in the mood with a trip to the Champions League Final in Munich on 19 May. You don’t even need to go to the game (at the incredible Fußball Arena) – just find a bar nearby to watch it and soak up the big match atmosphere. Find flights to Munich
5. Tennis – French Open, Paris, 28 May – 10 June 2012
Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon is more than a little clichéd, so take in a new tennis tournament this year. If the US Open in New York would tug too tightly on your purse strings, how about the French Open? See Rafa, Roger and company on the clay at the très magnifique Stade Roland Garros in Paris. Of course, it’s only a short flight to the French capital, and you can often get even cheaper fares if you fly to Beauvais rather than Charles de Gaulle. That means more spare cash for champers and souvenirs! Findflights to Paris
6. Cycling – Tour de France, Pyrenees, 30 June – 22 July 2012
Le Tour is the undisputed ultimate cycling event. Raced over 20 stages around France (and starting in Belgium), there is a choice of places for catching some action. See the sprint up the Champs- Élysées in Paris, but the final stage is rarely the most exciting. The mountain stages sum up the real essence of the race, so head to the French side of the Pyrenees, where food and accommodation are relatively cheap. Do your best to witness what is perhaps the most legendary section of the whole Tour on the Tourmalet. Find flights to Pau
7. Golf – The Open, Lytham St. Anne’s, England, 19-22 July 2012
Of golf’s four major tournaments, three are in the USA: the Masters in Augusta, Georgia; the US Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California; and the US PGA at Kiawah Island, South Carolina. The Ryder Cup, arguably bigger than any Major, is also held in the USA this year, at Medinah Country Club, Illinois. But if you can’t do the trips stateside, there’s always the other Major – best of the lot, of course! – the British Open at Royal Lytham St. Anne’s near Blackpool, England. Find flights to Manchester
8. The Olympic Games, London, 27 July – 12 August 2012
You may have heard that London is set to host the Olympics this year? If you would like to see some sport but can’t manage, or would rather avoid, a trip to London, some events are contested elsewhere. The football competition is spread across the UK, in cities such as Coventry, Cardiff and Glasgow, while the sailing will be held at the seaside resort of Weymouth in Dorset. Find flights to London
9. Formula 1 – Belgian Grand Prix / Hungarian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps / Budapest, 29 July / 2 September 2012
Formula 1 fans dream of watching the Monaco Grand Prix from a yacht in Monte Carlo or the stupendous Abu Dhabi Yas Marina, but two more affordable options are the Belgian and Hungarian races. Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium is close to a choice of airports served by low-cost carriers, while Budapest is a relatively cheap city for accommodation – just make sure you book early for the GP weekend. Find flights to Brussels / Budapest
10. Cricket – Twenty20 World Cup, Sri Lanka, 18 September – 7 October
Cricket gets exciting this autumn as the Twenty20 World Cup comes to Sri Lanka. It’s certainly not old men on village green on a Sunday afternoon in Surrey. Experience the spectacle of the World Cup in this cricket-mad country, and see if champions England can retain their title. Instead of taking an expensive organised tour, book flights yourself and see some of this incredible country while you’re there. Find flights to Colombo
