Villa Park no longer a venue for Birmingham 2022
Villa Park will no longer be used as a venue for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, organisers have announced.
The 42,785-capacity stadium had been scheduled to host the Rugby Sevens when Birmingham holds the Games three years from now.
But an anticipated earlier start to the football season that summer, due to the winter World Cup in Qatar, means the club can no longer commit to the July and August dates required.
Instead the rugby tournament will be relocated to the smaller Coventry Stadium, the home of Premiership club Wasps.
Birmingham 2022 chief executive Ian Reid said: “As is common practice for all major multi-sport events, we have been considering how best to optimise the mix of venues available to us, making sure we’re being as efficient as possible in terms of usage and cost, and ensuring that we are developing a fantastic experience and showcase for the sport, the athletes, the spectators and the host city and region.
"We're disappointed Villa Park will unfortunately no longer be part of our venue portfolio. However, we hope to continue working closely with Aston Villa in the run-up to the Games."
Villa’s chief commercial officer, Nicola Ibbetson, added: “Although Villa Park will unfortunately no longer be a Games venue, we are continuing to discuss ways Aston Villa can help support Birmingham 2022 in hosting this prestigious event.”
A statement released by the Birmingham 2022 organising committee claimed venue assessments, included in the bid, had also revealed a number of challenges in operating Villa Park during the Games.
In a further change, it was announced netball will be moving from Coventry’s Indoor Arena to the larger capacity NEC.
Liz Nicholl, president of the International Netball Federation, said: “We are delighted by Birmingham 2022’s decision to relocate netball for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and fully support this decision.
“While the Coventry Arena is an excellent venue, this move to the NEC will increase the capacity significantly. This will be welcomed by the netball family and the significant fan base that our sport now attracts.”
