21,000 capacity boost for Edgbaston ahead of major cricket tournament
Edgbaston Stadium is to install a temporary stand to boost crowd capacity for this summer’s ICC Champions Trophy tournament.
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the three grounds – alongside Cardiff and The Oval – staging games in this year’s competition, which starts in June.
Edgbaston hosts five of the tournament’s biggest matches: Australia v New Zealand, India v Pakistan, Pakistan v South Africa, England v Australia and a semi-final.
An additional 21,000 tickets for these games are being released on general sale at midday today (Wednesday) following confirmation of the temporary stand.
The move will please cricket fans as the initial take-up of tickets has been very strong.
Gareth Roberts, Commercial Director at Edgbaston, said: “We successfully boosted the capacity of Edgbaston by more than 800 seats by using a temporary stand at the Investec Ashes Test Match and NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day in 2015.
“With such high demand for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, we were keen to secure its return and give even more people the chance to see one of the greatest international cricket tournaments in Birmingham.
“Major redevelopment projects at Edgbaston and in the city centre have helped the stadium and Birmingham be great hosts for cricket’s marquee fixtures. We’re very excited to host the ICC Champions Trophy again and look forward to welcoming fans from around the world in June.”
Edgbaston is the second biggest cricket venue in the UK, after Lord’s, and has been one of the three chosen ICC Champions Trophy host venues on the previous occasions that the tournament has been staged in England and Wales – in 2004 and 2013.
Steve Elworthy, ICC Champions Trophy Tournament Director, said: “Edgbaston is a fantastic ground to watch cricket and we are delighted to welcome the additional attendance the temporary stand offers.
“The love of cricket in the Midlands always leads to a high demand for tickets and it’s a real boost to open the doors to over 21,000 more fans to enjoy the unique atmosphere of a ICC global event.”
