Editing Belfast (section)

=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Belfast}}

[[File:Windsor Park redevelopment .jpg|thumb|[[Irish Football Association]] stadium Windsor Park|left]]

Belfast has several notable sports teams playing a diverse variety of sports such as [[association football|football]], [[Gaelic games]], [[Rugby football|rugby]], [[cricket]], and [[ice hockey]]. The [[Belfast Marathon]] is run annually on May Day, The 41st Marathon in 2023, with related events (Wheelchair Race, Team Relay and 8 Mile Walk) attracted 15,000 participants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Moy Park Belfast City Marathon |url=https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/events/the-moy-park-belfast-city-marathon |access-date=3 February 2024 |website=Belfast City Council }}</ref>

The [[Northern Ireland national football team]] plays its home matches at [[Windsor Park]]. Football clubs with stadia and training grounds in the city include: [[Linfield F.C.|Linfield]], [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]], [[Crusaders F.C.|Crusaders]], [[Cliftonville F.C.|Cliftonville]], [[Donegal Celtic]], [[Harland & Wolff Welders F.C.|Harland & Wolff Welders]], [[Dundela F.C.|Dundela]], [[Knockbreda F.C.|Knockbreda]], [[PSNI F.C.|PSNI]], [[Newington Youth F.C.|Newington]], [[Sport & Leisure Swifts F.C.|Sport & Leisure]] and [[Brantwood F.C.|Brantwood]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Northern Ireland |url=http://crankshaw-sports-stats.com/directories/dir_northern_ireland.htm |access-date=11 November 2022 |publisher=Crankshaw Sports Stats }}</ref>

Belfast is home to over twenty [[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]] clubs.<ref>[http://antrim.gaa.ie/clubs/?2 South Antrim Clubs] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009201454/http://antrim.gaa.ie/clubs/?2|date=9 October 2007}}. CLG Aontroim. Retrieved 11 November 2007.</ref> [[Casement Park]] in west Belfast, home to the [[Antrim GAA|Antrim]] county teams, had a capacity of 31,500 making it the second largest [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] ground in [[Ulster]].<ref>{{cite news |date=13 March 2005 |title=Antrim chief in protest at Maze games |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20050313/ai_n12944637 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118070631/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20050313/ai_n12944637 |archive-date=18 January 2008 |access-date=17 September 2007 |newspaper=Sunday Mirror }}</ref> Listed as one of the venues for the UK and Ireland's successful [[UEFA Euro 2028]] bid, with co-funding from the Irish government there are plans for a complete rebuild.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Murray |first=Ewan |date=27 February 2024 |title=Work starts at Belfast's Euro 2028 ghost ground with clock ticking |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/27/casement-park-belfast-northern-ireland-euro-2028 |access-date=28 February 2024 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077 }}</ref> In May 2020, the foundation of [[East Belfast GAA]] returned Gaelic Games to East Belfast after decades of its absence in the area. The current club president is Irish-language enthusiast [[Linda Ervine]] who comes from a unionist background in the area. The team currently plays in the Down Senior County League.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Conway |first=Gail |date=18 July 2020 |title=GAA returns to Unionist East Belfast |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0718/1154137-gaa-east-belfast/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721225215/https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0718/1154137-gaa-east-belfast/ |archive-date=21 July 2020 |access-date=21 July 2020 |website=rte.ie }}</ref>

The 1999 [[Heineken Cup]] champions [[Ulster Rugby]] play at [[Ravenhill Stadium]] in the south of the city. Belfast has four teams in rugby's [[All-Ireland League (rugby union)|All-Ireland League]]: [[Belfast Harlequins]] in Division 1B; and [[Instonians]], [[Queen's University RFC|Queen's University]] and [[Malone RFC|Malone]] in Division 2A.

Belfast is home to the [[Stormont (cricket ground)|Stormont cricket ground]] since 1949 and was the venue for the [[Irish cricket team]]'s first ever [[One Day International]] against [[England cricket team|England]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 July 2015 |title=Civil Service Cricket Club |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/ground/58588.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128223957/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/ground/58588.html |archive-date=28 January 2017 |access-date=4 January 2017 |website=ESPNcricinfo |publisher=ESPNSports Media }}</ref>

The 9,500 capacity [[SSE Arena, Belfast|SSE Arena]] accommodates the [[Belfast Giants]], one of the biggest [[ice hockey]] clubs in the UK. Featuring Canadian, ex-[[National Hockey League|NHL]] players, the club competes the British [[Elite Ice Hockey League]].

Belfast was the home town of former [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] player [[George Best]], the 1968 [[European Footballer of the Year]], who died in November 2005. On the day he was buried in the city, 100,000 people lined the route from his home on the Cregagh Road to Roselawn cemetery.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCann |first=Nuala |date=3 December 2005 |title=A city mourns for the Belfast Boy |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4495026.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061219212141/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4495026.stm |archive-date=19 December 2006 |access-date=18 May 2005 |work=BBC News Northern Ireland |publisher=BBC }}</ref> Since his death the [[George Best Belfast City Airport|City Airport]] was named after him and a trust has been set up to fund a memorial to him in the city centre.<ref>{{cite web |title=George Best Memorial Trust |url=http://www.georgebesttrust.com/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929121852/http://www.georgebesttrust.com/ |archive-date=29 September 2007 |access-date=18 May 2007 |publisher=George Best Trust }}</ref> Other sportspeople celebrated in the city include double world snooker champion [[Alex Higgins|Alex "Hurricane" Higgins]]<ref>{{cite news |date=16 April 2007 |title=Snooker on the ropes – Hurricane |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/4913768.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821230132/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/4913768.stm |archive-date=21 August 2007 |access-date=17 September 2007 |publisher=BBC }}</ref> and world champion boxers [[Wayne McCullough]], [[Rinty Monaghan]] and [[Carl Frampton]].<ref>{{cite web |title=WBA History |url=http://www.wbaonline.com/dates/dates03.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011113939/http://www.wbaonline.com/dates/dates03.asp |archive-date=11 October 2007 |access-date=17 September 2007 |publisher=World Boxing Association }}</ref>