The North of England is pushing to host the 2040 Olympics games, with Andy Burnham backing the proposal in a letter to culture secretary Lisa Nandy earlier this month.

The proposal would see a UK games hosted outside of London for the first time, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan also pushing for the capital to host the games.

But what role would Manchester and Liverpool play in a northern games, and how much of the infrastructure is already in place?

Liam Fogerty has researched the possibility of a joint Manchester-Liverpool bid for the Heseltine Institute.

He said: “The reason I suggested Liverpool and Manchester together is because there is an obvious synergy between the two cities, who both have so much in common, but they often need to be reminded of that.

“To treat the two city regions as a single economic entity gives you so much more heft and impact in a very competitive world, and I think there’s a complementarity between the two.

“The most important thing, from my point of view, is that the mayors are making a very strong political case for looking at a UK bid anchored in the north, and I think if the government accepts that principle that is a huge step forward.”

The letter details how “the case for the North is compelling”, with a great deal of sporting infrastructure in place.

It says the bid would not be about “starting from scratch” and that “the north already has many of the foundations in place to deliver a world beating games.”

Fogerty’s proposal echoes this, believing the infrastructure is “80% there.”

According to the proposal, events would take place at the Etihad stadium, Old Trafford, AO arena, the newly built Hill Dickinson stadium, and would even see speed climbing taken to the façade of Liverpool Cathedral.

The Etihad stadium would have capacity to host the athletics, with the training centre next door providing a warm up space.

The Times even suggested earlier this month that swimming could take place in Lake Windermere.

The focus, however, would be on how to distribute events across the North without bias.

Fogerty said: “I would hate to think that this would get bogged down early doors in a ‘oh well there’s not enough going on in Newcastle’, or ‘why doesn’t anything happen in Leeds’ or something like that.

“Ultimately you have to frame a bid that us going to convince the IOC, and they do value compactness, and the idea of a destination.

“You have to persuade people that if the actual Olympic Games spend two weeks in the north of England, there would be massive benefits on businesses and local economies.

“If there’s a big bidding war nobody wins, because the bids that don’t get anywhere near consideration by the IOC are those bids where there is popular opposition at home.”

With all Northern Mayors signing the open letter to Lisa Nandy, it seems the north is politically unified on hosting the Olympics.

It appears it would be more about convincing the residents of each region.

Another aspect to consider would be how the games benefit those same residents.

The 2012 Olympics led to short term infrastructural improvements and regeneration efforts, but also led to demographic shifts in East London, meaning the local communities were not necessarily the beneficiaries of investment, and were in some cases forced out by the gentrification the games brought.

It undoubtedly had it’s positives, and it’s negatives for the area and the locals.

When poorly planned, the Olympics can be a blight on the local community, with Montreal famously bankrupting themselves in 1976.

Fogerty discussed how the recent Milan Winter Olympics has itself been criticised for sustainability and gentrification, having taken an ‘old school’ approach.

Fogerty said: “My philosophy is that we can do things differently.

“If the North of England is the home of cooperation as a philosophy, and if you hardwire those qualities, it’s favourable however you choose to fashion your bid.

“Everybody who secured the Olympic Games, it’s about projection, it’s about projecting your country, your culture, and I think for the North of England, we’ve been talking about levelling up now for eleven years.

“Progress in some areas has been pretty non-existent.”

It would also speed up the development of high-speed railway infrastructure across the North, and would particularly quicken the Manchester-Liverpool railway.

A Northern Olympics would undoubtedly bring eyes to the North and would bring Levelling up a reality.

Fogerty said: “We’re showcasing the region and this half of the country, it’s the biggest marketing tool in the world, of you’ve got something to say, or something to sell.

 “So let’s say it, and let’s sell it.”