Norwich has been named as the Greatest Sporting City in East Anglia as Ipswich falls to second bottom in the country.

In a report by sports website ESPN.co.uk and the University of Bath, the Fine City tops the table in the East for the search for the UK's top city and towns to be a fan.

Rising 21 places to 21st out of 49 UK cities, the home of the Canaries overtook Ipswich to receive the title in East Anglia for the first time. The city recorded the highest national score for economic impact and saw a significant rise in value for money.

The cities and towns were ranked on 12 factors which fans said are key to a great sporting city. Among the categories were success, atmosphere, history and venues.

Ipswich and Peterborough fared poorly in the national rankings with Peterborough ranked 41st, while Ipswich fell to 48th. The town was ranked poorly for both value for money and atmosphere compared to last years results.

Liverpool was crowned the Greatest Sporting City nationally, replacing Leicester in top spot, with 2015 winner Manchester in second and London taking third place.

At the other end of the table, Blackpool have completed an unwanted hat-trick, coming last once again, behind Ipswich in 48th and Swindon in 47th.

Liverpool also claims the title of best city to be a football fan, and Leeds maintains its position as the best city for both cricket and rugby league fans.

Assistant Professor Thomas Curran, University of Bath said: 'We are now in our third year of research and it continues to provide fascinating insights for both professional clubs and cities to consider. The factors range from classic sporting themes, such as success and history, to more consumer-focused concerns, such as value for money and venues, which shows that it is possible for cities to improve their ranking if they focus on the right areas.'

Steven Saunders, Senior Editor of ESPN.co.uk, said: 'One of the results has remained consistent over the years – fans continue to rank value for money as the most important factor.'

The top 15

1. Liverpool

2. Manchester

3. London

4. Leeds

5. Sheffield

6. Glasgow

7. Newcastle

8. Brighton

9. Cardiff

10. Edinburgh

11. Birmingham

12. Leicester

13. Reading

14. Nottingham

15. Hull