In the sporting field, Birmingham has two professional football clubs in Birmingham City and Aston Villa, both of whom have had, following promotion in 2009 to the Premiership, a successful season and will be joined in the 2010-2011 season by local rivals West Bromwich Albion following their promotion from the Championship. Birmingham is also home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club, based at Edgbaston, the Edgbaston ground also hosts tests and international one day matches. There is also the Birmingham Brummies Speedway team based at skyward fbisd , Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Union Club and Moseley Rugby Union Club, both currently playing in the Championship League. Horse Racing is also available a short distance away at Warwick. In athletics, international track and field meetings take place at the Alexandra Stadium, the home of Birchfield Harriers Athletic Club. International lawn tennis also takes place at Edgbastons Priory Club. Birmingham is also home to the professional basketball team, Birmingham Panthers, with Greyhound racing also available in the city.
Birmingham's National Indoor Arena, internationally acclaimed as one of the World's finest indoor venues, holds a number of Athletic meetings during the year. It has also played host to World and European Championships. In the field of leisure Birmingham is perhaps second to none, with virtually everything in the field of leisure and sport available to the keen amateur, with Athletics, Paintballing, Golf, Tennis, Table Tennis, Squash, Badminton, Basket Ball, Net Ball, Bowls, Ten Pin Bowling, Hockey, Boxing, Course Fishing, Gym & Fitness Facilities, Golf, Soccer, Cricket, Rugby Union etc., available to anyone interested.
In rock music, Birmingham has often been described as the birthplace of heavy metal music, with Magnum, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and two members of the great Led Zeppelin, lead singer Robert Plant and drummer, the late John Bonam being local. Duran Duran, ELO & UB40 are also from the Birmingham area. For places of interest, again Birmingham provides it all, either within the city or locally. Birmingham itself boasts Millennium Point, with its Think Tank, which replaced the former Science & Industry museum, the most modern of science museums, and also its Planetarium and Imax Cinema. The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery contains leading displays of art work which includes a collection of work by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the largest collection of works by Edward Burne-Jones. Other museums include Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Soho House and Sarehole Mill, a popular attraction for J.R.R.Tolkien fans. The Barber Institute is both an art gallery and concert hall. It also contains a large coin collection, said to be one of the World's most detailed.