The summer may be drawing to a close, but for sports fans, autumn can often be the best time of the year. With so many sporting competitions getting up and running again after the summer break, it can be a great time to tune in and get absorbed in your favourite sports or to discover something new.
October brings plenty of sporting action to look forward to, and we’ve identified three sports that have a particularly exciting few weeks to look forward to. Read on, and see if we can whet your appetite for the following sports’ cracking October schedules.
Greyhound racing
While greyhound racing might not be the first sport that comes into your head, there is plenty to love about this classic old-school pursuit. October is one of the busiest months on the calendar, featuring many of the sport’s top events and races, and with spectators returning to racetracks following the coronavirus pandemic, the upcoming month of action on the greyhound circuit should be extra exciting.
The standout fixtures for October include the Kent Derby at Central Park Stadium in Sittingbourne, the Champion Stakes in Romford, the Scurry Gold Cup in Essex and the Steel City Cup in Sheffield. These races will provide plenty of drama, so don’t be afraid to make a greyhound bet and keep abreast of the action throughout October!
American football
The autumn brings with it the return of the NFL, and the new season promises to bring plenty of excitement, with stadiums back to full capacity after crowds were limited last year due to the pandemic. The season has already got underway, but October is always the month where we begin to see which teams emerge as the favourites to make it to the Super Bowl.
Sundays are simply made for NFL action, and there’s nothing better than settling down on your sofa on a Sunday evening and taking in hours upon hours of top-class American football. All eyes are on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season to see if quarterback Tom Brady and co. can defend the crown they earned back in February. You don’t want to miss it!
Golf
The 2020-21 PGA Tour season has only just concluded, with Patrick Cantlay getting his hands on the FedEx Cup and the $15 million bonus prize for topping the standings. That money could pay for more than a few Golf Club Head Covers. But the relentless nature of modern golf game means that the 2021-22 PGA Tour gets underway just weeks after the previous campaign finishes.
October brings four events in total — the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, the Nevada-based Shriners Children’s Open and CJ Cup at Summit, the Zozo Championship in Japan, and the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in, you guessed it, Bermuda.
The opening stages of the season often see some left-field winners, as some of the bigger names prefer to take an extended break, but this can bring the best stories of the season. Certain players’ campaigns can be defined by how they perform in the early stages of the campaign, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the leaderboards!