Alexander Stadium
Encyclopedia
Alexander Stadium is an international athletics stadium located within Perry Park
in Perry Barr
, Birmingham
, England
, at . It has staged the Amateur Athletics Association Championships, and was the venue of the 1998 Disability World Athletics Championships. It hosted one England Monarchs game in 1998 with an attendance of 8,000.
The construction of the stadium began in 1975 and it opened in 1976. It is the home of Birchfield Harriers
, one of the best known athletics clubs in the United Kingdom
, replacing their former home at Alexander Sports Ground
.
) and Nelson and a 5,000 seater main stand in the rear straight.
, Westlife
, Natasha Bedingfield
, Blue, Sugababes
, Girls Aloud
and The Calling
. The event was later moved to Cannon Hill Park where it was in a more central party of the city and so made it easier for people from south Birmingham to attend. This event, however, was later cancelled although it returned in 2010.
It has also played host to the well known BBC Radio 1
's One Big Week End with acts such as Joss Stone
, Razorlight
and Natasha Bedingfield
.
.
The stand was completed in June 2011, in time to host the Diamond League British Grand Prix
in July 2011.
Perry Park (Birmingham)
Perry Park is a park in Perry Barr, Birmingham, England, at .The park houses Alexander Stadium and Perry Reservoir , a small canal feeder reservoir for the Tame Valley Canal, and is bounded by the canal, the M6 motorway, the A34 and local roads....
in Perry Barr
Perry Barr
Perry Barr is an inner-city area in north Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Perry Barr ward and the wards of Handsworth Wood, Lozells and East Handsworth, and Oscott, which elect three councillors to...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, at . It has staged the Amateur Athletics Association Championships, and was the venue of the 1998 Disability World Athletics Championships. It hosted one England Monarchs game in 1998 with an attendance of 8,000.
The construction of the stadium began in 1975 and it opened in 1976. It is the home of Birchfield Harriers
Birchfield Harriers
Birchfield Harriers is an athletics club, founded in 1877. Its home is at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium, England.Named after the Birchfield district of Birmingham, their previous home , at nearby Perry Barr, was Alexander Sports Ground. It still carries their badge, a running stag, rendered in...
, one of the best known athletics clubs in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, replacing their former home at Alexander Sports Ground
Perry Barr Stadium
Perry Barr Stadium is a stadium and racetrack on Aldridge Road in Perry Barr, Birmingham, England....
.
Structure
It has an eight-lane synthetic surface track with a ten lane straight. There are 7,000 covered seats in 3 separate stands called Main, Knowles (after Dick KnowlesDick Knowles
Sir Richard Marchant Knowles , known as Dick Knowles, was a British politician known for his work in local government in Birmingham. He led the Labour Party administration on Birmingham City Council from 1984 to 1993....
) and Nelson and a 5,000 seater main stand in the rear straight.
| Event type | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Sporting events | 12,700 (seated) |
| Live music events | Approx 20,000 |
Music event
The stadium has held many music events, including a one-day festival called Party in the Park run by BRMB radio that featured acts like Nelly FurtadoNelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
, Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
, Blue, Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
, Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
and The Calling
The Calling
The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go." The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2005.-Band history:...
. The event was later moved to Cannon Hill Park where it was in a more central party of the city and so made it easier for people from south Birmingham to attend. This event, however, was later cancelled although it returned in 2010.
It has also played host to the well known BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's One Big Week End with acts such as Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
, Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
and Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
.
Expansion
Alexander Stadium has recently undergone a £12.5 million expansion and refurbishment, including the building of a 5,000 seater stand opposite the current main stand. This has taken capacity to 12,700. The new stand has also become home to the offices of UK AthleticsUK Athletics
UK Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics officials....
.
The stand was completed in June 2011, in time to host the Diamond League British Grand Prix
British Grand Prix (athletics)
The British Grand Prix is an annual athletics meeting. It is part of the IAAF Diamond League series of track and field meets and it is sponsored by Aviva...
in July 2011.