THERE won't be any fanfare and few people other than players, parents, referees and organisers will notice, but Bolton's junior football league starts today.

Almost seamlessly, it comes on the same day that the last league games in the Bolton Cricket League are played.

It's like a circle of sporting life that those who play both sports can put the bat down after a summer of hitting balls and dust off their football boots for a winter of kicking them.

The Bolton, Bury and District Football League is no ordinary league, but one of the biggest in the country of any sports.

It has more than 100 clubs, approaching 600 teams and around 8,500 players and provides organised football for youngsters aged under-7 right up to u21s.

That's one big league and, also given that by far the most well known sporting entity in town is Wanderers, one could be forgiven for assuming Bolton is predominantly a football town.

But is it? When it comes to watching sport Bolton can certainly be regarded as football-dominated based on the 13,000 or so people who go to support the Whites every home game.

But in terms of taking part many sports can lay claim to playing a big part in the town's rich sporting tapestry.

In my role as a sports reporter on The Bolton News since the long forgotten days when I didn't have grey hair I have covered practically every sport one can imagine.

And while football is the one most people talk about, a good 95 per cent of that time the discussion will be about Wanderers.

There is no shortage of football going on outside of the town's professional club, of course, but you have to go a fair way down the league pyramid to find the next best team.

Tempest United, who play in the West Lancashire League Premier Division, take that accolade as the highest ranking of the amateur clubs located within the geographical borders of Bolton.

The lack of a Saturday open-age league in the town since the demise of the old Bolton Combination 20-odd years ago means the top amateur sides compete in Lancashire leagues.

Where there used to be five open-age leagues in Bolton back in the day – the Combination, Horwich Sunday League, Bolton Pioneer League and Bolton Sunday League – now only the latter exists – and is thriving by the way.

So, no shortage of people playing football in Bolton by a long stretch. But is it really a football town?

In cricket Bolton does have its own league with 20 clubs, 15 of which are located within Bolton with four right on the doorstep, and another three clubs who don't play in the Bolton League.

They all have at least two senior teams and as many as four junior sides.

So big and vibrant is the cricket scene in Bolton that it can certainly claim to being a cricket town.

Boxing, too, is huge with about eight amateur clubs and some professional gyms in the town.

Halliwell is the epicentre of the boxing scene with world professional stars Amir Khan and Tyson Fury both having clubs there along with trainer Joe Gallagher's world-class stable of pros and another top-quality pro and amateur club in Elite/Halliwell ABC.

Khan, who fights tonight, is known throughout the world while there are a number of highly-rated up-and-coming pros in town.

Bolton also has a rich history of success in another combat sport, wrestling, and there are two thriving clubs in Bolton Olympic and Sharples.

Golf is well represented with 14 clubs in the Bolton Golf Association and an annual championship dating back more than 100 years which is a very special prize to win indeed.

Similarly, tennis has its own thriving Bolton league and annual championship, while rounders is simply enormous in Bolton.

Predecessors on The Bolton News sports desk used to tell of the Bolton Rounders League being the biggest sporting league in the country with more than 3,000 players.

And these days it remains a major part of the Bolton sporting summer with 13 divisions.

There are many other sports which are big in Bolton, too, such as table tennis, badminton and hockey, all with their own town leagues.

In the latter's case, there are also a couple of clubs playing in regional leagues, as there is in rugby union and rugby league.

So, on the day 8,500 youngsters kick off the new Bolton, Bury and District Football League season, football can lay claim to being huge in Bolton in terms of participation. But it's not the only one that can.