There are many international sports stars who have their roots in the area, and here is our own small tribute to just some of the well-known sporting names we can call our own.

. Scott McTominay
Scott McTominay plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and the Scotland national team. Born in Lancaster, McTominay has been with the Old Trafford club since he was a youngster at Halton St Wilfrid’s Primary School. Photo: Michael Regan/PA Wire

. Graham Hicks
Morecambe-born Hicks was the 2019 Britain's Strongest Man. He was a keen sportsman in his childhood and teens although his main interest was football. He started training in the gym as a bodybuilder and at the age of 25, a friend asked him to try strongman training with him. The rest is history Photo: Marisa Cashill

. John McGuinness
Born and raised in Morecambe, John McGuinness's father owned a motorcycle repair shop, but advised John to train as a bricklayer. Graduating in 1990, the resultant recession forced him into cockle fishing with his future father-in-law. McGuiness's first race was an endurance road race at Aintree in 1990, at age 18. Known as the Morecambe Missile, John is the second most successful TT rider of all time behind the late Joey Dunlop. poses with the senior trophy during the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Races on June 7, 2007 in Douglas, Isle of Man. Photo: Ian Walton/Getty Images

. Alan Warriner
Born in Lancaster in 1962, Alan Warriner is a former professional darts player. Nicknamed The Iceman, he is a former World Grand Prix champion and a former runner-up at the World Professional Darts Championship. Before coming to prominence as a darts professional, Warriner appeared as a contestant in a 1987 edition of the ITV gameshow Bullseye whilst working as a State Enrolled Nurse on Ward 13 Upper at Lancaster Moor Hospital. He went on to make his World Championship debut two years later. Photo: Ian Walton/Getty Images

. Tyson Fury
Although born in Manchester, current world heavyweight champ Tyson Fury lives in Morecambe with his wife Paris and their six children - with another on the way. In September 2015, he expressed an interest in running as an independent candidate to be the MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, but the plan never materialised. Named after American boxer Mike Tyson, who was the heavyweight world champion at the time, Tyson was born three months premature and weighed just 1 pound and wasn't expected to survive. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire

5. Tyson Fury
Although born in Manchester, current world heavyweight champ Tyson Fury lives in Morecambe with his wife Paris and their six children - with another on the way. In September 2015, he expressed an interest in running as an independent candidate to be the MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, but the plan never materialised. Named after American boxer Mike Tyson, who was the heavyweight world champion at the time, Tyson was born three months premature and weighed just 1 pound and wasn't expected to survive. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire

6. Alan Spavin
Alan Spavin was an English footballer born in Lancaster. A product of Preston North End's youth system, he featured in more than 400 league games for the side. Spavin moved to the United States in May 1974 to play for Washington Diplomats. He then joined Morecambe in August 1975, followed by a spell with Dundalk from February to April 1976 where he helped them win the League of Ireland Championship. Spavin passed away in 2016 at the age of 74. Photo: Ian Rigby

7. Polly Swann
British rower Polly Swann (pictured left) was born in Lancaster, although she grew up in Edinburgh. She is a former World and European champion in the women's coxless pairs, and at the 2016 Summer Olympics she won a silver medal in the women's eight. During the Covid pandemic she took a break from rowing to work as a doctor at St John's Hospital, Livingston, but in 2021 she regained the European Coxless Pair title in Italy, with partner Helen Glover. She and Glover finished fourth in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images

8. James Beattie
Former footballer and coach James Beattie was born in Lancaster. He attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Blackburn, and went on to represent the school, and play for Blackburn Schools, before joining Blackburn Rovers as a trainee in 1995. Beattie later had spells at Southampton, Everton, Sheffield United, Stoke City, Rangers, and a short spell on loan at Blackpool, before eventually returning to Sheffield United for a second term. His most recent coaching role was one of the assistant managers at Championship club Wigan Athletic. Photo: Daniel Martino