Birmingham 2022: the local sports facilities where athletes will train

The official training venues for the 2022 Commonwealth Games have been announced.

The list has been unveiled by organisers of the international event, which will see thousands of athletes from across the globe travel to the West Midlands next year.

The announcement comes following the news that the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Smethwick - the only brand new venue for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games - is beginning to take shape.

The Games, which get underway in July, will see 286 sessions of sport held across 19 different sports over 11 days of competition.

The local authority’s, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, Councillor Paulette Hamilton said: “It’s great to see facilities in our community are able to play a part in preparing athletes for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – the event is about much more than the main competition venues, and this shows how the benefits of being the Proud Host City are extending beyond the sporting action next summer.

“The investment at some of these training venues, such as Wyndley Leisure Centre in Sutton Coldfield, will leave a meaningful legacy for the residents and local sporting clubs that use them. It is providing a platform for people to lead more active and healthy lives, whilst also giving emerging talent the facilities and infrastructure to be the next generation of elite athletes.”

Here are the training venues which will be used by the athletes.

• Wyndley Leisure Centre, Sutton Coldfield
• Moseley Cricket Club, Solihull
• Broadstreet Rugby Football Club, Coventry
• King Edward’s School, Birmingham
• University of Birmingham
• University at Warwick
• The NEC, Solihull

What sports are the venues being used for?

Wyndley Leisure Centre, Sutton Coldfield

Wyndley Leisure Centre in Sutton Coldfield has been announced as the training venue for triathlon, Para triathlon and hockey, with the existing hockey pitch being upgraded to a Federation International Hockey (FIH) standard pitch, to replicate the playing surface at the University of Birmingham, the hockey competition venue.

The leisure centre is owned by Birmingham City Council and operated by Birmingham Community Leisure Trust.

Moseley Cricket Ground

Moseley Cricket Ground will be the official training venue for the eight women’s Cricket T20 teams participating at the Games.

This venue is also being upgraded ahead of the Games, thanks to support from the England and Wales Cricket Board (the ECB). This investment is to ensure that the playing surface at Moseley Cricket Club perfectly replicates the environment the athletes will be competing on at Edgbaston Stadium, the official competition venue for Birmingham 2022.

Broadstreet Rugby Football Club, Coventry

Broadstreet Rugby Football Club in Coventry was chosen as the Rugby Sevens training venue due to the fantastic facilities they have available for athletes.

The ground has four World Rugby standard pitches, recovery areas, changing areas and large internal spaces for teams to utilise before or after training. The ground also has an ideal location as it is situated close to where the Rugby Sevens players will be staying.

King Edward school, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham

King Edward school will welcome Birmingham 2022’s rhythmic gymnasts, as well as some of the Athletics and Para Athletics competitors.

University of Birmingham

The swimming pool and athletics track at the University of Birmingham will now be used by the competing nations and territories.

University of Warwick

The University of Warwick will provide elite training facilities for Rugby Sevens, judo and wrestling.

The NEC, Solihull

A state-of-the-art boxing and netball training venue will be created within a hall at the NEC, providing athletes with elite boxing rings, training equipment and recovery areas. The netball players will also have access to two world standard netball courts.

What else has been said about the venues?

Matt Kidson, Director of Sport for Birmingham 2022, said: “Following our public search for venues which we launched last year, it’s great to be able to confirm the facilities that we have now selected as official training venues for the Games.

“We had a great response with more than forty applications from facilities across the region. We would like to thank everyone that applied, and we look forward to working with the venues that have been selected, to ensure that we provide the world-class training facilities for all of the athletes taking part in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.”

Commonwealth Games Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “This is fantastic news for all the sites and community groups – from Wyndley to Warwick – that will help athletes achieve their best at Birmingham 2022.

I hope that having world-class athletes training in schools, universities and sport clubs on their doorstep will inspire West Midlands residents to get active and involved in the Games next summer.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.