Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: full list of West Midlands venues - from Alexander Stadium to Sandwell

The Commonwealth Games 2022 is fast approaching with England’s second city Birmingham hosting.

The Games sees the best athletes from countries in the Commonwealth compete in an international multi-sport spectacle.

This is the third time that England has hosted the Commonwealth Games with the previous tournaments held in London 1934 and Manchester in 2002.

Over the course of this year’s competition there will be a total of 19 sports and eight para sports - making it the biggest sporting programme ever for a Commonwealth Games.

Ahead of the games, here is everything you need to know about each of the venues that will play host to events throughout the summer.

Where will the Commonwealth Games 2022 be held?

During the 11 day competition, 15 venues in Birmingham and the surrounding area will host major events.

These include

• Alexander Stadium, Birmingham
• Birmingham Arena
• Cannock Chase Forest
• Coventry Stadium and Arena (Ricoh Arena)
• Edbaston Cricket Ground
• Lee Valley VeloPark
• The National Exhibition Centre (NEC)
• Sandwell Aquatics Centre
• Smithfield
• Sutton Park
• University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre
• Victoria Park
• Victoria Square
• Warwick
• West Park

Alexander Stadium

The Alexander Stadium will be the main venue for the Commonwealth Games and it will host both the opening and closing ceremonies.

Athletes will compete in track and field events from August 2 to 7 at this venue. The stadium will be able to hold 18,000 in its permanent configuration, while additional temporary stands will allow the capacity to increase to 30,000.

Arena Birmingham

The Arena Birmingham will host athletics and a number of other indoor events during the games.

It is a multi-purpose venue and the arena’s capacity can vary from 15,800 down to 2,464 for more intimate events.

Cannock Chase Forest

Sports such as Mountain Biking and cycling events will take place in Cannock Chase Forest. Those who buy tickets for these events will watch from a viewing area at the start and finish line of the track.

Coventry Arena and Stadium

Coventry City Football Club’s stadium will be used for sports such as judo and wrestling.

The football ground holds 32,600 seats in total and has been the home stadium for the Sky Blues since 2005.

Edgbaston

This year’s Commonwealth Games will see the introduction of Women’s T20 cricket and all the games will be played at Edgbaston.

Edgbaston has a capacity of 25,000 and it is the home for Warwickshire County Cricket Club and its T20 team Birmingham Bears.

Lee Valley Velopark

The park, which first opened in 2014, will host the indoor cycling events. The Velopark is a venue which brings together the four Olympic cycling disciplines: Velodrome,BMX, road and mountain biking.

The NEC

The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is an indoor arena located near Birmingham airport. It will play host to events such as badminton, boxing and table tennis.

Sandwell Aquatics Centre

Built specifically for this year’s Commonwealth Games, the Sandwell Aquatics Centre is a brand new venue. The centre has a swimming pool and diving competition pool.

Smithfields

Smithfileds is located in the heart of the Birmingham City Centre, south-east of the Bull Ring Markets. It will showcase events such as basketball, wheelchair basketball and beach volleyball.

Sutton Park

Sutton Park will be the venue for triathlon and para triathlon events with Powell’s Pool, the park and local roads being used to host the three triathlon disciplines.

University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre

The University of Birmingham has a purpose-built arena designed to host all of the hockey and squash games. Temporary seating will be able to accommodate crowds of up to 6,000.

Victoria Park

The Leamington Spa park will play host to the lawn bowls and para lawn bowls during the Commonwealth Games; it is expected to hold a capacity of around 5,000.

Victoria Square

The Birmingham Square will be used as a landmark for the start and finish points of the marathon events.

Warwick Road Race

The best cyclists in the world will assemble at Myton Fields during the penultimate day of the Commonwealth Games to take part in the road race.

West Park

Wolverampton’s West Park will play host to the start and finish of the cycling time trial. The historic park, which opened in 1881 has been described by Ian Reid, CEO of Birmingham 2022, as the perfect setting for the time trials and felt that it was vital to bring the games to the whole of the West Midlands.