West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has fired the starting pistol on a new era for sport in the region – with a plan to use the success of Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games to attract major sporting events.
Andy unveiled his plans as the leaders of the sports world arrived in Birmingham for SportAccord, the globe’s biggest conference for international sports federations – and as newly released Government data confirmed the 2022 Games had provided a massive boost to the region’s economy, while setting a new benchmark for creating a lasting legacy for the community and inspiring grassroots sport.
Now the Mayor is pledging to bid to bring more major sporting tournaments to the West Midlands, once again placing the region in the global spotlight.
Top of Andy’s list are pitches for two major events: he pledged to bid for Birmingham to host the 2027 Invictus Games – the international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women – and to bring golf’s Ryder Cup back to the Belfry.
But the Mayor also outlined other opportunities, from maximising the impact of events already set to happen, to developing grassroots sport, building new facilities and improving transport to venues.
Other sporting goals outlined included:
- Develop the business case and win funding for the West Midlands Velodrome – including a new 3,000-5,000 indoor venue for sports such as netball, table tennis, basketball, snooker and hockey.
- Support Edgbaston’s plans for improvements to the iconic cricket stadium – and provide financing support for other clubs and sports venues where there is a clear business case and public benefit to improvements.
- Deliver an upgraded rail station at Witton in time for the 2028 UEFA European Football Championship matches held at Villa Park.
- Support the all-new Gratitude Games, a multi-sports event for emergency responders across the UK, raising money for emergency responders’ mental health charities.
- Explore bidding for the World Police and Fire Games to come to the region.
- Support the new proposed ice rink in Dudley.
- Develop a new programme to encourage grassroots cricket in the West Midlands, working with the ECB, Warwickshire County Cricket Club, encouraging the sharing of facilities for example between primary and secondary schools in the region.
The new analysis of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, carried out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, confirmed that the event contributed £1.2 billion to the UK economy, with nearly half of that in the West Midlands alone. It said the Games also contributed £79.5 million in social value, including increases in wellbeing and earnings of those who were employed as part of the event.
The Games were also delivered on time and under budget, with Andy negotiating to ensure the £70 million of surplus funding was reinvested in the region through the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund.
Andy said: “This week we have the most important people in world sport right here in Birmingham, providing us with the ideal opportunity to show them what we achieved with the Commonwealth Games and to make our case to host more and more major events.
“Sport brings people together like nothing else and, as we saw in 2022, has an incredible ability to lift civic pride and unite the whole of a region.
“Big events also provide us with the opportunity to show the world what we are capable of, and to put us in the spotlight in a way that brings investment, jobs and important international connections for our businesses.
“And, as today’s Government data has shown, we have proven that huge events like this can result in very real economic benefits, while leaving behind a lasting legacy. This provides a powerful example to sporting federations around the world that proves they can trust us to deliver a brilliant event.
“It’s time to go for gold. We have shown what we can do – and now we need to bid for more, starting with the Invictus Games and the Ryder Cup if I am re-elected.
“This is the part of the world where the idea for the first ever football league was dreamed up, where modern lawn tennis was invented, where rugby was born, where the first district cricket league was created – and it can be a central part of the future of UK sport too.”