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Leicesters fairytale year continued after it was ranked as the UKs Greatest Sporting City for 2016, according to research from ESPN and the University of Bath. Wholesale NFL Jerseys Authentic .Propelled by a historic Premier League title for Leicester City FC, the city beat the likes of London and Manchester to the award after it scored highly in the most of the 12 factors fans were asked to identify as key to a great sporting city.The city climbed 17 places from 18th last year and earned a maximum score in five factors -- success, matchday atmosphere, local talent, community and social.Leicester City captain Wes Morgan said: Its hard to explain exactly what impact last season had on this city but just by walking around the streets you can see theres blue in almost every shop window, which just goes to show the support the people of Leicester have given to us.To see 250,000 people turn out for our Premier League trophy parade was a moment I and every person there will never forget and I know the pride the people of Leicester showed at our title win extends across the citys rugby, cricket and basketball teams too.Here at the football club, I know there are lads who regularly attend Tigers games and we often see players from the Foxes and Riders at King Power Stadium, which shows what a brilliant sporting city this is.Im involved in a tattoo shop in the city centre and since we won the league Id say around 70 per cent of the tattoos we do are LCFC-themed. That underlines just how much the people of Leicester love sport and their teams, so its great to see the city recognised for that.Leicester is followed in the rankings by 2015s top two -- Manchester dropping from first to second and London from second to third. Liverpool in fourth and Leeds in fifth rounds out the top five.At the other end of the table, Blackpool ranked bottom for the second year in a row, behind York in 48th, Luton in 47th and Bournemouth in 46th. Full results for the research, conducted in collaboration with the University Bath, are available here.Leicesters City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: Leicester Citys success last season has given the whole city a huge boost, and that positivity is clearly reflected in this research. Were obviously enormously proud of our football club, but Leicester is also home to one of Englands most successful rugby clubs, the countrys oldest basketball club, an ambitious cricket club, and a very successful womens hockey club.I think its fair to say that, when it comes to sport, Leicester -- a city of just 330,000 people -- enjoys punching above its weight. Being recognised as the best place in the country to be a fan is a huge accolade, so I am delighted that ESPNs research has confirmed Leicester as the UKs Greatest Sporting City.This year, ESPN also divided the research into individual sports to reveal the best places to be a fan of football, cricket, rugby union and rugby league. On the back of Leicester Citys historic title-winning season, Leicester received the accolade of the best city to be a football fan. Leeds ranked as the best city for both cricket and rugby league fans, while Cardiff is the top town for rugby union lovers.Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: This has always been a sporting city, with great local support for all of our teams and sportspeople, and it is good to see that status earning recognition from a wider audience.Our neighbours at Leicester City have obviously enjoyed a memorable year and all of the citys sports have been extremely proud of each others achievements in representing this part of the country in major competitions in the UK and further afield.At Tigers, we have enjoyed consistent success over very many years backed by a very committed and loyal support. It is always our ambition to be at the forefront of our sport while also recognising and cheering the successes for our teams and sportspeople across the county.Wasim Khan, CEO, Leicestershire County Cricket Club, added: The recent successes of Leicester City FC, coupled with the significant progress made by Leicester Tigers and the Cricket Club, further illustrates the heritage and pedigree of sport in the city. The sporting family in Leicester has some of the most passionate and loyal collective fans in the country and this recognition is for them as much as the clubs themselves.As part of the research, ESPN asked fans to rank 12 factors that help make up a great sporting city, in order to provide weightings for each citys results. This year, fans ranked Value for Money as the most important factor, as it received 19% of the vote. A citys Matchday Atmosphere was ranked by 17% of fans as the most important, while Club Success for a citys professional teams received 15% of the votes.Commenting on the research, Professor Thomas Curran, University of Bath, said: It is not easy to earn the accolade of ESPNs Greatest Sporting City, so the city of Leicester deserves all the congratulations it receives. To rank highly, a city must perform well in a variety of key factors which rely on a combination of fan opinion and third party data. To score top marks in five factors is a great achievement.Steven Saunders, Senior Editor of ESPN.co.uk, said: Leicester topping the rankings as ESPNs Greatest Sporting City 2016 is another amazing achievement for the city, especially considering the traditional sporting powerhouses such as London and Manchester that it has beaten to the top spot. Cheap NFL Jerseys Paypal . 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Shaun Johnson admits silencing his critics was a motivating factor in his match-winning Four Nations performance against England and his New Zealand teammates are delighted to see him return to form ahead of Saturdays clash against Australia.Johnson said after Saturdays 17-16 win at Huddersfield he had been stung by criticism following a poor NRL season with the Warriors and an under-par display against Australia in the Kiwis recent defeat in Perth.The 2014 Golden Boot winner is the one of the games true talents but the weight of expectation upon his shoulders at club and international level has often affected his game.But after laying the foundations for the Four Nations win against an England side that went in full of confidence following last years series win against the Kiwis with a 70-metre try and then winning the match with a field goal, Johnson seems to have rediscovered his mojo.We all know hes a great player and he showed that against England, New Zealand prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves told AAP..Shauun can do things other players cant and that little bit of magic can make all the difference in tight matches. NFL Jerseys Supply. When he is confident and happy he is great player to have in your team.We have another tough game coming up against the Aussies but well take a lot from the England win.Johnson has been the scourge of the English before, winning the 2013 World Cup semi-final with a last-second try and kick, and said he will go into the Kangaroos clash at Coventry in a great headspace following a much improved performance.We were very disappointed in Perth with how we finished our sets, we didnt need outside influences to tell us that, Johnson said.Defence was the key to the win. We let in 26 points in Perth due to us coughing up the ball and we needed to play smarter and we did that.Well be much better next week against the Aussies and go to Coventry with a lot of confidence. ' ' '