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The world is always watching Merseyside with good reason, but there's just one thing missing

The Open Golf Championship is another of the world's great events to come to Merseyside and it's important we don't take this for granted

[Liverpool is a destination for anyone arranging a summer event]

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Liverpool is a destination for anyone arranging a summer event(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

American, Australian and Norwegian. These are just three of the many accents I have heard as I've spent time chatting to people over the past four days.

Merseyside welcomed people from all over the world for the 154th edition of The Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale. The original golf tournament is one of the globe's great sporting occasions, so it naturally attracts fans from all of its corners.

An estimated 300,000 people descended on Hillside and Birkdale to watch the world's premier golfers navigate their way around the links course. It says it all about our region that this is the second time in four years we have staged The Open Golf Championship, after Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake hosted the event in 2023.

Although Liverpool is a city renowned for its appetite for football, golf is not the only major sport to have come to the city region this summer. The Hill Dickinson has successfully hosted both Rugby League and Rugby Union over recent weeks.

Liverpool's ability to attract the world's biggest sporting events is showing no signs of waning either, as the Tour de France is set to stop off in 12 months' time for the stage two finish of the famous cycle race. Although football is part of this city's DNA, it's important to not take for granted that so many huge occasions come to the city.

And it's easy to see why the city is selected, as nowhere embraces big events quite like Liverpool. The infectious Scouse nature always brings a vibrant energy to whatever we host and the personality of the region gives the event an added depth you don't get anywhere else.

Of course, I will be biased about this, but the many tourists I've spoken to at the golf over the previous four days have strengthened my belief in what I've always thought to be true.

Jason Burris had travelled with his wife, Kelly, and their two children from Orlando. They loved the welcome they received, as he told the ECHO onsite at Royal Birkdale: "Gorgeous country here.

"Everybody is so nice. Manners, just being friendly, we've really appreciated that on our trip."

Zach Sykes travelled in from Ontario and he agreed as he said: "The people have have been lovely and the weather has been great so we've been really lucky."

[Kelly Burris, 37, and Jason Burris, 38, from Orlando, Florida are in Merseyside for the first time]

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Kelly Burris, 37, and Jason Burris, 38, from Orlando, Florida are in Merseyside for the first time

It's not a tired cliche to praise the Liverpool welcome, as people have shared similar sentiments to me over recent weeks at the Anfield summer concerts.

The home of the Reds' transformation to a summer concert venue has been become one of the big events on the Liverpool social calendar and it's been another few weeks to remember as Zach Bryan, My Chemical Romance and Foo Fighters all played the iconic sporting stadium in memorable style.

While it has been brilliant to see, and cover, the events in the city over recent weeks, it's sad how this will soon come to an end when the seasons change and the colder weather means outdoor gigs are not feasible.

While we still have In The Park to look forward to, and Creamfields a bit further afield in Daresbury, the strength in depth of big venues we have in the warmer months is simply not there when it comes to winter. The M&S Bank Arena is a great addition to Liverpool's waterfront and has successfully hosted many major events since it opened in 2008.

One of its most notable achievements in recent years is the way it hosted Eurovision in 2023. It also boasts a conference facility that is a significant boost to the city's economy and remains an important part of the city's landscape.

However, the 11,000 capacity means it serves a different purpose than some other venues around the UK. Away from the summer months, our neighbours down the M62 regularly host the biggest acts in the world who are attracted to the 23,500-capacity arena Co-op Live.

The arena has recovered from a difficult start to life to now regularly attract some of the biggest acts in the world. The Strokes are just one the big names that will be coming to the arena later this year.

As soon as the Premier League season returns, it's hard for Liverpool to attract some of the world's biggest acts to its indoor spaces.

As we've previously written about before, one of the most telling occasions of this was when Sir Paul McCartney took his Got Back tour to the Co-op Live for two nights in 2024, instead of playing in his home city.

The M&S Bank Arena serves an important role in the city and has itself played host to some huge acts over recent months. But it can't be the only indoor venue of scale we have and it would benefit the region if we had another so the two could work together.

Merseyside's wealth of outdoor spaces means it is a premier destination for summer events.

Hosting big events is part of Liverpool's DNA and it's important to celebrate how well we do this when we can. But it'd be nice if there were some more indoor spaces where we could do it all year around.

[Ryan Paton]

Ryan Paton

Ryan is a senior journalist who specialises in Liverpool culture, features and entertainment news. He regularly secures exclusive interviews with the biggest names in TV and film and has profiled some of the most notable stars across our region. He has also fronted on the ground coverage for major events in Merseyside such as The Grand National, the summer concerts at Anfield and the Labour Party Annual Conference. Ryan leads red carpet coverage of events in Merseyside including for premieres of shows such as The Responder, Time and This City Is Ours. Ryan was nominated for Feature Writer of the Year at the 2026 Regional Press Awards.

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