Cricket tournament could net Birmingham £25m windfall

BIRMINGHAM’S economy will benefit by more than £25m as a result of Edgbaston Stadium’s role in hosting five major international cricket fixtures next year.

The stadium has been chosen as one of three venues to host games in the ICC Champions Trophy.

The top eight ranked international cricket teams will contest the trophy between June 1-18, with Edgbaston hosting four matches in the group stages matches – England v Australia, India v Pakistan, Australia v New Zealand and Pakistan v South Africa – as well as the tournament’s second semi-final.

According to a new study by Marketing Birmingham Regional Observatory the city’s visitor economy could benefit to the tune of £25.3m from the tournament.

Neil Snowball, chief executive of Edgbaston Stadium, said: “Edgbaston played a leading role as one of the hosts of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, which showcased the city to a combined TV audience of 2,580m people across 228 countries.

“We’re thrilled that Edgbaston will once again play host to some of cricket’s biggest names and most iconic rivalries for the 2017 tournament. England versus Australia and India versus Pakistan are two of the biggest contests in world sport, but we expect all five games to be sell-outs and attract more than 120,000 spectators to Birmingham across the tournament.”

All tickets for the tournament are available through the official ICC Champions Trophy ticket ballot, which closes at 8pm on Friday (September 30).

“With such a high demand for these fixtures, we recommend that fans apply now and only purchase tickets from the official ticketing site to avoid disappointment,” said Mr Snowball.

Applicants for the ICC Champions Trophy ticket ballot will be informed as to whether they have been successful in early October. Any tickets that have not been allocated through the ballot will be released on general sale on Thursday October 27.

Emma Gray, director of marketing and communications at Visit Birmingham, the city’s leisure tourism programme, said: “Birmingham has a proven track record of successfully delivering major global championships and events. Sport has played a key role in Birmingham’s 17% increase in tourists since 2010, with the city demonstrating over the past 12 months that it possesses the infrastructure and unrivalled connectivity to host fans at the prestigious Diamond League athletics, Davis Cup tennis and Rugby World Cup.

“There is always a special atmosphere, not only around Edgbaston Stadium but across Birmingham, when there is a Test Match or international cricket tournament in the city. We look forward to welcoming more fans than ever to next year’s ICC Champions Trophy and hope that they enjoy an exciting five days of cricket in Birmingham, plus our increasingly popular leisure offer, just as they did in 2013.”

The Oval in London and the Cardiff Wales Stadium will be the other two host venues, staging six and four games, respectively.

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