Sport in Milton Keynes covers a range of professional and amateur sport in the City of Milton Keynes unitary authority area. In 2019, Milton Keynes was officially designated as a European City of Sport for 2020. There are professional teams in football (MK Dons), in motorsport (Red Bull Racing) and in ice hockey (MK Lightning). The National Badminton Centre, and the Marshall Milton Keynes Athletic Club train professional and amateur athletes. Most other sports feature at amateur level although there are semi-professional teams in rugby union and football among other sports. There is an international-standard karting track owned by Daytona Motorsport.
Archery There are archery clubs in Newport Pagnell and Shenley/Loughton.
Armwrestling Milton Keynes Armwrestling club has produced some of the best in the country: in 2011 it came away from the British championships with 1st place left&right 110 kg+ class, 1st place left&right 75 kg class and 2nd place left&right in the 80 kg class.
Athletics Marshall Milton Keynes AC is one of England's leading Athletic clubs. Their members include Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European Champion, Greg Rutherford, and Olympians Craig Pickering and Mervyn Luckwell
Running The "Milton Keynes Festival of Running" is held in March every year, attracting thousands of runners onto the streets of Milton Keynes. The Milton Keynes Marathon is held annually, as are a number of other running events throughout the year, such as the South of England Road Relays, the Wolverton 5 and the Milton Keynes 10k race, organised by Marshall Milton Keynes AC. Events such as The Color Run or the Race for Life are also held frequently.
Badminton With the National Badminton Centre located in Loughton just across the A5 from Central Milton Keynes, badminton is an important sport locally. A number of clubs are based at the centre, and there are also open sessions during the week. Badminton clubs also meet at other centres such as Stantonbury and Shenley.
Baseball Founded in 1986, Milton Keynes Baseball Club (Milton Keynes Bucks) is one of the oldest baseball clubs in the UK. Single-A National champions in 2010 and Triple-A Midlands Division champions in 2013. In 2022, the club is fielding 3 teams in the BBF (British Baseball Federation) Triple-A league and in the East of England Baseball League Double-A and Single-A divisions. Their ballpark is located in Woughton on the Green.
Basketball
Milton Keynes originally hosted basketball during the early years of the National League, they took over the successful Embassy All-Stars franchise during the 1976–77 National Basketball League season. The team finished National runners-up in both league and cup competitions before disbanding after the 1978–79 season.
Milton Keynes hosted basketball again between 1998 and 2012 before the MK Lions were forced to re-locate after the closure of Prestige Homes Arena and no suitable alternative for hosting professional games in the city was found. In addition to the Lions British Basketball League team, the franchise established a ladies team, youth teams at all age groups and the Milton Keynes College Lions basketball academy.
In 2022, Milton Keynes Breakers joined the National Basketball League.
Bowls There are a number of lawn bowls clubs in the Borough. These include Bletchley BC, Newport Pagnell Lawn Bowls, Olney BC, Bradwell BC, Stony Stratford BC and Wolverton Park BC.
Established in 1889, Wolverton Park Bowls Club is the oldest Bowls Club in Buckinghamshire.
Cricket Milton Keynes CC is based in Milton Keynes Village and plays in the Morrant Four Counties Cricket League. Milton Keynes City CC is based in Woughton on the Green and plays in the Morrant Four Counties Cricket League. Bletchley Town CC is based at Manor Fields, Fenny Stratford and play in the Cherwell Cricket League. For a brief time they were known as Milton Keynes Park CC (formed 2003) and were based at Campbell Park. It won the Buckinghamshire Senior Cup in 2004. Stony Stratford CC is based at Ostlers Lane, Stony Stratford and play in the Premier Division of the Northamptonshire Cricket League. Shenley Church End CC are also based at Manor Fields, Fenny Stratford and play in the Morrant Four Counties Cricket League.
Cycling Team Milton Keynes and North Bucks Road Club are the leading clubs for racing cyclists, with Team MK also incorporating Triathlon and Duathlon as well as Mountain Biking. Milton Keynes Cycling Association also holds circuit racing at the Bowl.
In September 2008 Milton Keynes played host to the Race Headquarters for The Tour of Britain in the buildup to the race. Stage Two of the race began in front of Milton Keynes Central railway station, before heading to Newbury.
Fencing Milton Keynes Fencing Club meet regularly in Oakgrove School and is one of the oldest sports teams in Milton Keynes having been founded in 1978 and has actively competed for much of that time in the Three Counties Fencing League which covers Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire. Whilst all three weapons are welcome, the main focus is on épée and sabre.
Fishing Fishing is a popular sport: with its miles of river and canal bank and its balancing lakes, Milton Keynes is a favoured location for anglers.
Floorball The local floorball club has currently several teams, including a national side under the name MK Phantoms, women's teams and a junior side.
Football
League
The only Football League team based in Milton Keynes is Milton Keynes Dons F.C. The team is based at Stadium MK in Denbigh and, plays in
Non-League
Notable active non-league clubs The better known non-League clubs in the borough include: Milton Keynes Irish are members of the ]. New Bradwell St Peter are members of the Newport Pagnell Town – "The Swans" are currently members of the Stony Stratford are members of the Old Bradwell United – are members of the Spartan South Midlands League.
The North Bucks & District Football League and Sunday league football attract many smaller teams, which are too numerous to list individually.
Under 7's to under 18's play in the Milton Keynes and District Development League.
Notable former non-League clubs Bletchley Town F.C. were members of the Spartan South Midlands League. After being refounded in 2005, the club only managed to survive nine more years before folding. Bletchley LMS were a local team founded in 1947, which folded in 1960 Bletchley BBOB were founded in 1952, playing until 1957 when it changed its name to Bletchley United before eventually folding in 1976 Loughton Orient was a football club based in Loughton founded as Abbey National F.C., they joined the South Midlands League Division One in 1994 but were disbanded in 2007. Milton Keynes City F.C., following the demise of the Milton Keynes Borough F.C., Manor Fields in Fenny Stratford was home to the "new MKCFC" playing in the South Midlands Premier Division. They are defunct as a senior football club since mid 2003. This name has been used by at least two clubs—in the first instance Bletchley Town became Milton Keynes City in 1974 before being wound up in 1985, then Mercedes-Benz assumed the name from 1998 to 2003. In the years before their demise, the second incarnation of the team reached the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League. The name is associated solely for junior football. Milton Keynes Robins F.C. were founded in 1883 as Buckingham Town F.C. Based at Manor Fields in Fenny Stratford from 2012, they played in the United Counties Football League, switching to the Spartan South Midlands Football League in 2018 and changing name to Milton Keynes Robins in January 2019. In 2020 they merged with Unite MK to form Milton Keynes Irish (see active clubs above). Unite MK F.C. were founded in 2004 as Wolverton Town F.C. and played at Manor Fields in Fenny Stratford. They reached the Spartan South Midlands Football League in 2012 and changed name to Unite MK in 2016. In 2020 they merged with Milton Keynes Robins to form Milton Keynes Irish (see active clubs above). Wolverton A.F.C., the oldest club in the area folded, were re-instigated, but are in abeyance. In the years before going into administration, they reached the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League. Until 2011, it had the oldest (and almost certainly the first) football stand and at one point in the club's history it had the longest name of any football club in the United Kingdom—"Newport Pagnell & Wolverton London & North Western Railway Amalgamated Association Football Club".
Six a side football Milton Keynes is also home to many five and six-a-side football leagues.
Golf There are courses at Abbey Hill (Two Mile Ash), West Bletchley and Wavendon. Just outside the city, there are courses in Aspley Guise, Soulbury and Woburn.
Handball MK Olycats were a handball team founded by Great Britain men's national handball team player and Olympian Bobby White. The club plays in the Midlands Regional Development League, one division below the top tier, the Super 8. The club has now moved to Stoke-Mandeville under the name Bucks Bullets.
Hockey There are many all-weather pitches throughout Milton Keynes – most of which are within school grounds, including the two pitches at Stantonbury. There are also two water based pitches at Woughton on the Green, which is the home ground of Milton Keynes Men's and Women's Hockey club. Teams from Milton Keynes Hockey Club compete at many levels in leagues covering the South East of England.
Ice hockey
The town has two semi-professional ice hockey teams, these being Milton Keynes Lightning (founded in 2002) of the NIHL and Milton Keynes Thunder (founded in 2001) of the NIHL 1. Both teams play at the 2,500 capacity Planet Ice Arena which is situated close to Milton Keynes Central railway station. The town also used to be home to professional team Milton Keynes Kings from 1990 to 1996 and 1998–2002 who played at the same arena, although during 1990–1996 it was known as the bladerunner arena. There are also a number of junior, ladies and recreational adult teams who also play at the arena.
Korfball Milton Keynes Bucks founded in 2004, and Milton Keynes Lakers, founded in 2012 as merger of several local clubs, are the two significant korfball teams in the area.
Martial arts This popular family of sports/traditional arts has clubs in each of the six major disciplines (aikido, jujutsu, judo, karate, taekwondo and tai chi).
Milton Keynes is the home to the central region of Minakami Bushido Karate Dojo, which practices Shotokan Karate. The club has classes aimed at 4-7yr olds known as the Tiny Tigers, then main classes which students of any age can attended, meaning children and adults train together. There are lessons most days at various leisure centres across Milton Keynes, including Shenley and Stantonbury leisure centres. Lessons and gradings are structured around Khion, Kata, Kumite, weapons training and conditioning to improve strength, control, fitness and co-ordination.
Motorsport
Formula 1
Most notably, the Red Bull Racing Formula One team is based here, in Tilbrook. Red Bulls' other F1 team Visa Cash App Racing Bulls have an aerodynamics facility in Milton Keynes. Previous notable though defunct teams included Arrows, Brabham, Stewart Grand Prix and Jaguar F1.
Endurance Racing LMGT3 class European Le Mans Series team GR Racing are based in Milton Keynes.
Karting Daytona Motorsport opened a karting venue in Milton Keynes in 1996. The venue has three circuits, ranging from a -long international circuit to a north circuit.
Motorcycle Speedway Until the late 1990s, MK had a speedway team, the Milton Keynes Knights. Speedway was staged at Milton Keynes at two venues, Milton Keynes Greyhound Stadium at Ashland and then Elfield Park beside the National Bowl. Both sites have closed: the former is now a housing district and the latter is a brownfield site.
Parkour