| Alexander Stadium | |
| Fullname: | Alexander Stadium |
| Location: | Perry Park, Birmingham |
| Coordinates: | 52.5303°N -1.9056°W |
| Broke Ground: | 1975 |
| Expanded: | 2009 GMAC2011 East Stand 2020 West Stand |
| Owner: | Birmingham City Council |
| Operator: | Birmingham City Council |
| Capacity: | 18,000 30,000 (2022 Commonwealth Games) |
| Tenants: | UK Athletics Birchfield Harriers England Monarchs (NFL Europe) (1998) Birmingham City University Midlands Hurricanes |
| Website: | |
Alexander Stadium is an athletics stadium in Perry Barr, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is the largest athletics stadium in the United Kingdom.[1] The stadium has four stands with a total seated capacity of 18,000. The stadium site has four buildings which include the Gymnastics and Martial Arts Centre (GMAC), High Performance Centre, East Stand and newly built West Stand.[2] [3] Original construction began in 1975, and the stadium opened in 1976.[4] [5] It is owned and operated by Birmingham City Council.[6]
In May 2020, the stadium underwent a £72 million redevelopment which was completed in April 2022 ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.[7] The venue hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the athletics and para-athletics competitions of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.[8] The main stadium has a nine lane category 1 IAAF certified track. The stadium has an additional 6 lane warm up track and separate throws field.[9] The West Stand offers 6 hospitality boxes, hospitality lounge with a capacity of 450 with track views and a multitude of track level spaces for hire.
Other events held there include the annual British Grand Prix between 2011 and 2019 and in 2022, the Amateur Athletics Association Championships, the 1998 Disability World Athletics Championships, and the English Schools' Athletics Championships. The Stadium also hosts Midlands Hurricanes rugby league team from 2023. It is the home Stadium of Athletics Club Birchfield Harriers replacing their former home at Alexander Sports Ground.[10]
The stadium currently has a seating capacity of 18,000. Seating capacity is split between Lower, Upper and VIP Box Level seating of the West stand, Lower and Upper seating in the East Stand and Lower Seating stands in the North and South.
Before redevelopment, there were 7,000 covered seats in three separate stands called Main, Knowles (after Dick Knowles), and Nelson (after Doris Nelson Neal OBE), and a 5,000-seater stand on the rear straight.
| Event type | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|
| Sporting events | 18,000 (seated) expandable to 40,000 for major events. | |
| Live music events | Approx 20,000 |
Since May 2023 Alexander Stadium has offered a wide range of rooms to hire for corporate, community and sporting events.
Private Hire is available for the following spaces:
| Room Name | Capacity | Layout | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box 1 | 15 | Boardroom | |
| Box 2 | 15 | Boardroom | |
| Box 1 & 2 combined | 34 | Boardroom | |
| Box 3 | 8 | Boardroom | |
| Box 4 | 8 | Boardroom | |
| Box 5 | 15 | Boardroom | |
| Box 6 | 15 | Boardroom | |
| Annex | 50 | Theatre | |
| Hospitality Lounge | 450 350 | Theatre Style Banqueting | |
| South Lounge | 70 | Café | |
| Track Level Rooms | Various | Various |
Alexander Stadium is open to the public as a Birmingham City Council run Leisure Centre. Alexander Stadium offers a range of activities such as Fitness Classes, Martial Arts, Athletics and Gymnastics. Leisure access is available:
Monday to Friday: 7:00am to 9:00pmSaturday and Sunday: 8:30am to 5:00pmClasses can be booked via the website or contacting the Stadium directly. Birmingham City Council also offer a variety of memberships and free activity sessions inline with government initiatives such as Be Active and Passport to Leisure for lower income households within Birmingham
Since 2011 Alexander Stadium has hosted the prestigious world athletics Diamond League tour until 2019 ahead of the redevelopment. Birmingham held the 2nd series of the 2022 tour on May 21, 2022.[11]
The stadium has held many music events, including a one-day festival called Party in the Park run by BRMB (now Free Radio Birmingham) radio that featured acts including Nelly Furtado, Westlife, Natasha Bedingfield, Blue, Sugababes, Debbie McGee, Girls Aloud and The Calling. The event was later moved to Cannon Hill Park where it was in a more central part of the city and so made it easier for people from south Birmingham to attend.
In 2011 Alexander Stadium underwent a £12.5 million expansion and refurbishment, including the building of a 5,000-seater stand opposite the current main stand. This took the capacity to 12,700.[12] The new stand has also become home to the offices of UK Athletics.[13] The stand was completed in June 2011, in time to host the Diamond League British Grand Prix in July 2011.[14]
In June 2017, during the preparation of the Birmingham bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Birmingham bid committee proposed to renovate Alexander Stadium and use it for hosting the athletics and ceremonies of the Games.[15]
On 11 April 2018, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that £70 million (approx. USD $90 million) of investment would be earmarked to transform the Alexander Stadium into a world-class athletics venue for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, during which it will seat 40,000 spectators.[16] In October 2018, British engineering and designing firm Arup was chosen by the Birmingham City Council to redesign the stadium.[17] British construction firm Mace was chosen to manage the stadium renovation project.[18]
On 21 June 2019, Birmingham City Council released the images and plans for renovating the Alexander Stadium and claimed that it would create a legacy asset for the Perry Barr area.[19]
On 30 January 2020, Birmingham City Council's planning committee approved the renovation plans of the Alexander Stadium which would cost £72 million. After the games, the temporary stands around the track bends were removed, leaving the two permanent stands seating 18,000, with the option of extending to 40,000 for major events.[20] [21] [22] In March 2020, the city council chose the Northern Irish firm McLaughlin & Harvey to redevelop the stadium.[23]
Alexander Stadium was the main venue for athletics, para-athletics as well as holding the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.[24] The redeveloped stadium included temporary seating and facilities to accommodate the Games.
Following the awarding of the 2026 European Athletics Championships to Birmingham, Alexander Stadium will serve as the venue for the championships.[25]
On 22 March 2016 fell-runner Lauren Jeska from Lancaster attacked UK Athletics official Ralph Knibbs at the stadium, stabbing him multiple times. Jeska had feared her records in women's events would be quashed due to her transgender identity. She later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment.[26] [27] She was also convicted of causing actual bodily harm to two bystanders who tried to defend Knibbs.