Hometown Heroes: The Most Popular Sportspeople in Every English County

Every county in the country is home to numerous local sporting heroes. Just who, however, is the most popular? To answer that question, researchers at Harrod Sport analysed the Wikipedia profile views of tens of thousands of athletes.

We can now reveal that F1 superstar Sir Lewis Hamilton tops the list in England. Born in Stevenage, Hamilton flies the flag as Hertfordshire's and England's most popular hometown hero. Hamilton began his journey to seven F1 championships at the historic Rye House Kart Raceway in Hoddesdon, just half an hour's drive from his hometown.

F1 superstar Sir Lewis Hamilton
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons: Liauzh

F1 is clearly a sport full of hometown heroes, as Bristol-born Lando Norris comes in 2nd place, while up-and-coming MMA fighter Paddy Pimblett represents Merseyside with pride in 3rd.

Local pride matters for many – especially for smaller counties that, due to factors like population size, sporting infrastructure, or level of economic development, may not produce as many high-profile athletes as places like London or Greater Manchester. This makes it extra special when 'one of your own' reaches the top, such as Alan Shearer, who has almost become a deity as Tyne and Wear's number one hometown hero (although maybe not in Sunderland!).

Explore the table below to discover who your hometown hero is.

On the ball: Over 60% of England's most popular athletes are footballers

It should not be a surprise, given football's overwhelming popularity in England, that a significant majority of hometown heroes are footballers. One of the reasons for this is the accessibility of football. As well as being a staple of school PE and playgrounds, all you need to play is a ball, a makeshift goal, and a park or street. Compare this to prohibitively more expensive sports like motorsport, or sports typically more associated with private education like rugby, and it's no wonder that out of 47 English counties (the City of London was folded into Greater London for the purposes of this research), footballers are number one in 29 of them.

Out of the thousands of footballers Harrod Sport profiled, it was former Tottenham striker Harry Kane who came out on top. Although the Londoner now plays for Bayern Munich, a statue of him was unveiled in his birthplace of Walthamstow in 2024, cementing the England man as a true North London sporting hero.

England striker Harry Kane
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons: Кирилл Венедиктов

Other counties to have a footballer as their most popular sporting export include Greater Manchester, where Marcus Rashford's tireless community work in helping secure free school meals for thousands of vulnerable children made him a hero to so many. This, in addition to his lifelong commitment to Manchester United, that was only severed in January 2025, has earned him an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester.

Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham continues to represent the West Midlands in Madrid, while Devon representative Ollie Watkins started his professional career at Exeter City before hitting it big at Brentford and Aston Villa.

Although this research was conducted in 2025, giving a potential bias to players who are currently prevalent, there are still a number of ex-pros on the list. Leicestershire's Gary Lineker, who retired in 1994, is beloved in Leicester for a spell that yielded 95 goals at the beginning of his career, as well as his decades-long stint as the face of Match of the Day. Similarly, Nottingham-born Andy Cole was his home county's top pick despite retiring in 2008.

Wrestling and race cars dominate Norfolk

Norfolk has no shortage of local heroes to be proud of. Here are the top 10:

• 1. George Russell

The F1 driver is Norfolk's most popular hometown hero, with over 133,000 monthly page views. Currently with team Mercedes alongside the Italian Kimi Antonelli, Russell was born and raised in King's Lynn. He has a number of karting titles to his name, although he has yet to claim the top prize of an F1 championship – despite three race wins and 19 podiums as of the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

F1 driver George Russell from King's Lynn
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons: Wastrick

• 2. Saraya Bevis

The Norwich-born wrestler comes from wrestling royalty. Her mother, Sweet Saraya, is Cornwall's most popular sports star, while her father, Ricky Knight, and brother, Zak Zodiac, are both wrestlers featured later in this list. The family as a whole run numerous Norwich-based wrestling promotions, although Saraya herself now resides in Los Angeles.

• 3. Martin Brundle

Another King's Lynn-born race car driver, Brundle competed in 12 F1 championships[PW2] over the course of the 80s and 90s. Although he never won a race, he did achieve a podium finish on nine occasions. He had more success at the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race, where he finished 1st in 1990. He now features prominently in the Sky Sports F1 coverage.

• 4. Alex Brundle

Like father, like son, Alex Brundle is the third motorsport representative from King's Lynn on this list. Not ready to rest on his family name, Alex carved out his own career, competing in a variety of different series including British Formula 3 and FIA Formula Two. He has also followed his father into broadcasting, known for his commentary on F1TV as well as F2 and F3 races.

• 5. Zak Zodiac

The second member of the wrestling Bevis clan to appear on this list, Zak Zodiac is the brother of Saraya and the son of Ricky Knight. He helps run various Norwich-based wrestling promotions and even featured in a 2012 documentary on Channel 4 alongside the rest of the family.

• 6. Danny Mills

The first footballer in the Norfolk top 10, Danny Mills was born in Norwich and began his career with the Canaries before going on to play for clubs like Leeds and Manchester City. He played all five games for England at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Outside of football, his dedication to charity work and broadcasting has made him a recognisable figure not only in Norfolk, but also the country.

• 7. Alex Windsor

Another representative of Norfolk's evidently excellent wrestling scene, Alex hails from the small village of Happisburgh, with just under a thousand residents according to the 2021 census. Partly trained by other Norfolk wrestling luminaries like Zak Zodiac and Ricky Knight, Alex has several of championship belts to her name including the Bellatrix World Championship (twice) and the Undisputed British Women's Championship.

• 8. Ricky Knight

The patriarch of Norfolk's wrestling royal family, Ricky Knight hails from Norwich. His career spanned over 40 years, during which he picked up numerous accolades, including the British Open Tag Team Championship five times. He was even played by Nick Frost in the feature film Fighting with My Family, based on the Channel 4 documentary of the same name.

• 9. Todd Cantwell

Hailing from Dereham, the long-haired midfielder quickly became a fan favourite at Norwich after being handed his debut in 2018 under Daniel Farke, thanks to his creativity and flair in a team dominated by academy players. He scored 14 goals during his time with the club, featuring in two Championship title victories and notably netting in a 3-2 victory over Manchester City. Cantwell now plies his trade in Blackburn after stints with Bournemouth and Rangers.

10. Jack van Poortvliet

The only Rugby Union player to crack the Norfolk top 10, Jack van Poortvliet started his rugby career playing for North Walsham Rugby Club. His talent was obvious, and the Norwich-born scrum half soon found himself at Leicester Tigers and has over 15 caps for the England national rugby team at the time of writing.

When it comes to producing hometown heroes, local funding and sponsorships are essential. This is why the Ron Harrod Foundation exists: to give young, up-and-coming athletes the financial support they need to help excel at their chosen discipline. This support helps cover essential costs such as equipment, travel, and accommodation. Previous winners include the likes of Serena Grace, a runner who earned a full sporting scholarship in the US, and Paralympic swimmer William Ellard, who competed at Paris 2024. Look out for these local heroes and other Ron Harrod Foundation recipients on a list like this in the future!

Solo stars: Seven sports have just one representative

The domination of football, and to a lesser extent motorsport, leaves many sports with just one representative as a hometown hero in their county.

These sports and their representatives are:

MMA: Paddy Pimblett

The Liverpool native Paddy Pimblett is royalty on Merseyside. Known as "Paddy the Baddy", he is just as known for his trademark haircut as he is for his fighting prowess.

Powerlifting: Eddie Hall

Eddie Hall's nickname of 'The Beast' says all you need to know about the Staffordshire strongman. He was crowned the UK's Strongest Man six years in a row and even took the title of World's Strongest Man in 2017.

Rugby Union: Will Carling

Will Carling, from Wiltshire, is famous for being England's youngest-ever rugby captain. His time with the Red Roses included four Five Nations Championships in the 90s, as well as reaching the final of the Rugby World Cup in 1991 turning him from a Wiltshire icon into a national one.

Ski Jumping: Eddie the Eagle

Eddie the Eagle is rather unique in this list in that it was his failure, rather than success, that made him a hero. Born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Eddie the Eagle's last-place finish at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics earned him worldwide attention and even the subject of a 2017 biopic starring Taron Egerton.

Snooker: Shaun Murphy

Born in Harlow, Shaun Murphy became just the fourth snooker player to hit a tenth perfect 147 break in his career. He is also famous for becoming the lowest-ranked player to win a World Championship after beating John Higgins and Steve Davis on his way to victory in 2005.

Squash: Simon Parke

Rutland is the second-smallest English county after the City of London, and the smallest used in Harrod Sport's research. It's unsurprising, then, that its representative – former squash player Simon Parke – is among the lesser-known athletes on this list. Parke's career highlight came in 1998 when he earned a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in the mixed doubles event.

Weightlifting: Sheli McCoy

Sheli McCoy was already a well-known figure in weightlifting circles before she joined the cast of Gladiators as 'Sabre' in 2024. This brought the Berkshire native to national prominence, and she has since appeared on Comic Relief, helping raise millions for charity.

There were also a number of sports that didn't have a single representative, despite boasting nationally known figures. For example, England cricket stalwart Joe Root missed out to AC Milan full-back Kyle Walker in South Yorkshire. Meanwhile, up-and-coming tennis player Sonay Kartal's London origins meant that it would be near-impossible to dislodge the likes of Harry Kane and David Beckham.

It is also important to remember that just because an athlete is not number one in their county, it does not mean their community is not immensely proud of them. Bukayo Saka, for example, is the 5th most popular footballer in the country and is loved by many in London. It just so happens that three of the people above him also happen to be Londoners.

How does the rest of the UK compare?

Looking at the entirety of the UK opens up some interesting questions about national pride. For example, legendary Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy chose to represent Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics. McIlroy, who topped the entire UK list, has identified as Irish, Northern Irish, and British during his career and went to a mixed Catholic and Protestant school. His success and national identity have led him to be seen as a symbol of unity, making him a national hero to many on both sides of the border. In fact, McIlroy's popularity is so high that he had over four times the profile views of the next nine Northern Irish men and women on the list.

Legendary football manager Sir Alex Ferguson is Scotland's man of choice. Although best known for his transformative spell as Manchester United manager that lasted over two decades, his stunning achievements north of the border with Aberdeen should not be forgotten. Beating Real Madrid in the Cup Winners' Cup final cemented his place in Scottish sporting folklore, regardless of the achievements that were still yet to come. The 1984-85 season remains the last time a team other than Celtic or Rangers has lifted the Scottish Premier title.

Wales. Golf. Madrid. This infamous flag, waved by Welsh superstar attacker Gareth Bale, may have contributed to a breakdown with fans in the Spanish capital, but it cemented his place as the greatest Welsh footballer – and perhaps sportsperson – of all time. It's no surprise, therefore, that the man from Cardiff, who has godlike status in his country, comfortably beat out the likes of Ryan Giggs and Phil Salt for the Welsh top spot.

Harrod Sport: Supplying your hometown heroes for over 70 years

Behind every hometown hero is a first goal, a game at school, a local club, and the equipment that helped shape their dreams. For over 70 years, Harrod Sport has been proud to provide the goals, nets, and gear that power grassroots sport across the UK. Whether you're training the next great England striker or Rugby superstar, start strong with Harrod Sport – and help inspire the next generation of sporting legends.

The Finesse range brings another layer of expertise to the field. Built with performance in mind, this range of performance training equipment could make all the difference for the next great hometown hero.