By Dan Ball

Sport is a massive part of our lives. Even if you aren’t interested in watching or taking part, you will still be affected by it. Whether that’s planning your weekend specifically to avoid the traffic on a matchday or finding yourself kicking the ball back to that group of kids in the park, sport is everywhere. Even at DMU, we are right in the middle of a whole host of world class sports teams and facilities. So, if you are looking forward to another great year of competition, here’s a breakdown of all the fantastic events you can enjoy in 2025. Buckle up, because there’s a lot.

January

The year kicks off right away on 3 January with the World Darts Championship final at Ally Pally, where the English contingent, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler and Michael Smith, will all be hoping to play.

The first Tennis major of the year will be running from the 12 to the 26 January down under in Melbourne, with Novak Djokovic desperate to win a record-breaking 25th grand slam.

January ends with the start of the Six Nations, opening with France vs Wales, before England open their campaign against Ireland in Dublin on 1 February.

February

More darts will be taking place in February, with the return of the Premier League Darts, starting it’s 17-week marathon in Belfast.

We get more action on 9 February with one of the biggest events of the sporting calendar, the Super Bowl. This is the 59th edition of the showpiece, and will be held at Caesars Superdrome in New Orleans, Louisiana, home of the Saints. Kendrick Lamar will headline the half-time show.

A week later, the NBA All-Star Game will be played at the Chase Centre in San Francisco Bay Area, California, home of the Golden State Warriors.

March

If you’re a betting person, you might be interested in a wager during Cheltenham across the 11 to 14 March. But if not, it doesn’t matter, because there are even more events going on in March!

How about the beginning of the new Formula 1 season with the Australian Grand Prix on the 16 March? You’ll see Lewis Hamilton there beginning his career as a Ferrari driver.

But if that’s still not enough, there also happens to be the Carabao Cup final taking place at Wembley Stadium on the same day.

April

April has even more horse racing action for you. What’s happening on the 3-5 of this month? Oh, it’s the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse, of course!

That’s then followed by The Masters, professional golf’s first major of the year, held every year at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia, USA. It will be in full swing between the 10 and 13 April.

Not enough golf for you? Then, tune in to the PGA Championships from the 15 to 18 May at Quail Hollow, North Carolina.

May

May is a hectic month if you like football. Likely in the first half of the month, there will be the EFL Championship Play-Off Final. On the 17 May, the FA Cup Final will be held at Wembley, always a glorious day. Then on Sunday 25 May, it’s the finale of the Premier League season. Who will be lifting the title? Will Leicester survive? It’s all to play for. But wait, it gets even better because the Champions League final in Munich will take place on 31 May.

As well as the football, you’ll also see the Monaco Grand Prix on 25. That same day Roland Garros gets underway in Paris, and with no Rafa Nadal, who will be crowned the next king of clay?

It’s going to be an exciting month!

June

Into the summer months now. The NBA finals start on June 5. On June 7, it’s the Derby at Epsom Downs and the day after that, it’s the French Open final. And from the 12-15 June, there’s more golf at the US Open in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.

Pretty stacked right? But surely you didn’t think that was it, I haven’t even mentioned the Stanley Cup finals or the new and improved FIFA Club World Cup in the USA, yet which starts on 14 June, with the final being played on 13 July at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This will bring together the most successful football clubs from the last four years across the entire world to battle it out to be the official greatest in the world.

July

The first two weeks of July is the festival of tennis we love, Wimbledon. Can Jannik Sinner win his first grand slam on grass? Or will Carlos Alcaraz make it three in a row?

In the meantime, the British Grand Prix goes lights out on 6 July at Silverstone.

From 11 July until August 3, it’s the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

And by the end of the month, if you’re still hungry for some more sports, there will be some golf waiting for you at the Open Championship, this year in Portrush, Northern Ireland.

August

July will keep you occupied before the Premier League returns on 16 August.

The Hundred is also back, with all England test cricket stopped so our best can play at the tournament.

On 22 August, England will host the Women’s Rugby World Cup, getting underway at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland and culminating at Twickenham on September 27.

There’s also the US Open Tennis running from 25 August through to 8 September.

September

The day before the tennis final, it’s the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

The World Athletics Championships get off their marks on 13 to 21 September in Tokyo.

Then…wait for it….more golf! The Ryder Cup is back, the best players from Europe against the best players from America tee off at Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York from the 26-28 September.

You can also expect to see the World Series on the September/October crossover point.

October

October looks fairly quiet, but you can still enjoy the World Track Cycling Championships between the 15 and 19.

November

We’ll be rounding off the jam-packed year with the next instalment of The Ashes, the first test coming on the 21-25 November, and the series will go right through until early January 2026.

Phew. Well, I’m out of breath and none of these events have even happened yet. This just goes to show how much sport there really is to enjoy in 2025. Have a great year!

Photo Credit to Pixabay on Pexels