New Birmingham Stadium

[treadwater1]

Last night the first images emerged of what the redeveloped stadium will look like come 2022

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/news/article/434/plans_revealed_for_alexander_stadium_redevelopment?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialSignIn&utm_content=Birmingham2022#Birmingham2022

[treadwater1]

I’m very impressed by the design, the roof looks very elegant. I notice a few changes from the original proposals. The stadium capacity will now be 18,000 after the CWG. Looks like the pole vault area has been moved from outside the existing stand to the infield, and the long jump pits have been reorganised

Another story emerged yesterday, it looks like UKA are considering winding down use of the Olympic Stadium, once the Birmingham stadium is up and running, a travesty if it comes to fruition

https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1080988/birmingham-targets-taking-athletics-off-london-as-72-million-alexander-stadium-redevelopment-plan-for-2022-commonwealth-games-unveiled

[Ursus]

Birmingham looks good. Only issue is that they’ve struggled to get crowds there in the past, will that change? In the interests of fairness to all I like the idea of a Midlands base, but I’d wager that a redeveloped Palace would draw greater crowds / use.

Apart from the financial aspect, I don’t give two hoots about athletics moving from the Olympic stadium. Unless you have premium tickets the size makes it a dreadful place to watch athletics.

[trickstat]

I can live with the track going from the Olympic Stadium if it is coupled with an improved facility somewhere in Greater London. Either an improvement to an existing track or a new one. I don't necessarily mean a Diamond League level venue but somewhere that could host something like a National age-group Champs or a South of England Champs.

[RunUnlimited]

There's precedent for this sort of move to facilities more fitting for the purposes of athletics... Look at the 80,000 seater Stade de France in Paris that hosted the 1998 World Cup final. It had an athletics track around the pitch and was the home of the Paris Golden League/Diamond League events for years. But dwindling attendances and growing complaints from fans of other sports using the same stadium, forced the authorities to consider their options and eventually moved the Diamond League to a smaller (20,000 seats) stadium which had an athletics track (Paris FC's home which has hosted the 1994 and 2002 IAAF Grand Prix Finals), while the track in the Stade de France was ripped up. And I think it's worked out pretty well for all parties in the long run, as the Paris Diamond League meeting in the new home have been pretty much sell outs in the 3 years they've gone to this venue and some memorable performances have occurred there.

If the Olympic Stadium is to get fully turned over to football, then fair enough. As long as the powers that be have a working plan for upgrading existing athletics facilities in the London area (Crystal Palace being the obvious example, but there are other alternatives), then I don't have a problem if UKA want to move the big event athletics to the refurbished Alexander Stadium.

[Sovietvest]

Meanwhile, the British Champs / Trials is returning to Manchester. How about this for a quote: "British Athletics major events director Cherry Alexander says: “It’s brilliant to be returning to Manchester with our British Championships from 2020. The sport has enjoyed some iconic moments at the facility and we have wonderful memories of our athletes warming up for their Commonwealth Games races on that very track."

Personally I remember those years when the champs were held in Manchester as the nadir of the sport in the UK.

I love watching athletics at the Olympic Stadium and will be sad to see it go. I don't think we should underestimate the impact of holding major champs and this will presumably reduce our chances of getting a Worlds again.

Hope the British Masters returns to Birmingham after it's refurbished - an incentive to keep training for a few more years!

[treadwater1]

I’m pretty sure the Paris stadium (St Denis) has kept the track but they’re just not using it at the moment, it will host the athletics at the 2024 Olympics. I think retaining the Olympic Stadium is worth pursuing, from BAs perspective and the governments. If they are seriously considering hosting the multi sport euros in 2026, retaining it will be crucial. I would rather see the WCs return to London, sorry but Birmingham doesn’t have that wow factor for me

I understand it’s expensive to move the seating every year but it’s the same all over the world, athletics stadia struggle to break even when it comes to running costs, so they have to be subsidised in some way. I think West Ham can lump it, they moved into a brand new stadium virtually for free and pay a pittance in ground rent. You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone

[RunUnlimited]

I’m pretty sure the Paris stadium (St Denis) has kept the track but they’re just not using it at the moment, it will host the athletics at the 2024 Olympics. I think retaining the Olympic Stadium is worth pursuing, from BAs perspective and the governments. If they are seriously considering hosting the multi sport euros in 2026, retaining it will be crucial. I would rather see the WCs return to London, sorry but Birmingham doesn’t have that wow factor for me

I understand it’s expensive to move the seating every year but it’s the same all over the world, athletics stadia struggle to break even when it comes to running costs, so they have to be subsidised in some way. I think West Ham can lump it, they moved into a brand new stadium virtually for free and pay a pittance in ground rent. You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone

Ahh, thanks for correcting me about the track at the Stade de France Treadwater.

And I agree with your feelings about what the government should do with the stadium and the West Ham situation.

[carterhatch]

For those who share an interest in sporting infrastructure i have attached a link to a useful site with an update on Alexander Stadium (Looking at the pictures i wonder if they could squeeze in an indoor 200m track close by)

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/alexander-stadium-cwg-2022-redevelopment-birmingham-30-000-underway.2051873/page-5

and this

https://www.mclh.co.uk/our-projects/alexander-stadium-redevelopment-birmingham/

Also, noted on the BBC that London Stadium capacity to be increased by 2,500 (for the good of footie and West Ham)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59048668

Bringing the two bits together - and not wanting to upset some on this forum - but I would urge UK Athletics to gracefully withdraw from the 'London Stadium' and redevelop Crystal Palace as the home of athletics in London.

[Bendy]

Would West ham or the stadium operators offer a good sum to buy out the remining 40 years of UKA's one month a year access ? This could then be used to invest in somewhere like Crystal Palace

[carterhatch]

My thoughts exactly, Bendy, though unlikely to be West Ham. If London were to need a stadium to deliver a future World Champs or indeed another Olympics, then a one-off return could be arranged.

[philipo]

Birmingham looks good. Only issue is that they’ve struggled to get crowds there in the past, will that change? In the interests of fairness to all I like the idea of a Midlands base, but I’d wager that a redeveloped Palace would draw greater crowds / use.

Apart from the financial aspect, I don’t give two hoots about athletics moving from the Olympic stadium. Unless you have premium tickets the size makes it a dreadful place to watch athletics.

The new stadium in Birmingham will never equal for me the thrills of Crystal Palace. London will not have a decent stadium for track and field very soon.. How sad !!.

[philipo]

The Americans will have a overrated stadium of 12500 seats permanent and they got the worlds so who knows the future. They hold ncaa, national champs,Diamond League etc there cos Nike boss Phil Knight did nt think his billions would stretch to a decent stadium.!!

[philipo]

Monaco is only got 18000 seats but then they have great conditions and somehow Birmingham not quite as good. Which way is the prevailing winds likely to blow in Stadium.?

[trickstat]

I think one problem with the old Alexander Stadium was that you often got strong winds blowing through the gap between the back straight stand and the stand by the top bend which sheltered the home straight quite well. This meant that in races of 400m and above you often had a strong headwind on the back straight but a much lighter tailwind in the home straight.

[RunUnlimited]

Just saw an ITV London News report talking about the Mayor's plans to renovate the Crystal Palace swimming and diving centre, and the report included an interview with former long jumper Jade Johnson who expressed her wish that Sadiq Khan's promise of the money also going to help renovate and renew the athletics track and stadium too.

[carterhatch]

A related article.

https://insidecroydon.com/2021/11/14/mayor-khan-agrees-to-repair-crystal-palace-swimming-pools/

[trickstat]

I would like to think that ensuring the swimming pool is in a decent condition is good for the future of the sports centre and thereby may be good news for the track.

[Laps]

The Diamond League calendar announced yesterday has one British Grand Prix set for 21st May 2022.
The venue is stated as Birmingham/London (tbc) on the calendar and elsewhere Birmingham (London).
West Ham are to have their last Premier League home match of the season against Manchester City on Sunday 15th May.
15th to 21st inadequate time to transform the London Stadium from Football mode into Athletics mode I would have thought.

So perhaps the Grand Prix is intended as a test event for the Commonwealth Games and also signifies a permanent switch away from the London Stadium?