National Indoor Arena
Encyclopedia
The National Indoor Arena (NIA) is a large indoor arena and is owned by the NEC Group
. It is situated in central Birmingham
, England
and was opened in 1991, as the largest indoor arena at the time in the UK. The NIA hosts a range of events ranging from sporting events, to musical concerts, and has a capacity to seat up to 12,700 using both permanent seating and temporary seating configurations.
It was officially opened on 4 October 1991 by the athlete Linford Christie
.
The NIA is located alongside the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line's
Old Turn Junction
and opposite the National Sea Life Centre
in Brindleyplace
. Close to the NIA, is The ICC
which is also owned by the NEC Group.
The seating is arranged into upper-tier, lower-tier and flat floor seating sections. The lower-tier and flat floor sections are made up of removable seating whilst the upper-tier is made up of fixed seating. Areas for disabled visitors is provided between the upper-tier and lower-tier flooring, on the Atrium level.
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
. It is situated in central 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...
and was opened in 1991, as the largest indoor arena at the time in the UK. The NIA hosts a range of events ranging from sporting events, to musical concerts, and has a capacity to seat up to 12,700 using both permanent seating and temporary seating configurations.
It was officially opened on 4 October 1991 by the athlete Linford Christie
Linford Christie
Linford Cicero Christie OBE is a former sprinter from the United Kingdom. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games...
.
The NIA is located alongside the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line's
BCN Main Line
The BCN Main Line, or Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line describes the evolving route of the Birmingham Canal between Birmingham and Wolverhampton in England....
Old Turn Junction
Old Turn Junction
Old Turn Junction is a canal junction in Birmingham, England, where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal meets the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line Canal....
and opposite the National Sea Life Centre
National Sea Life Centre (Birmingham)
The National Sea Life Centre is an aquarium with over 60 displays of freshwater and marine life in Brindleyplace, Birmingham, England. Its one-million-litre ocean tank houses giant green sea turtles, blacktip reef sharks and tropical reef fish, with a fully transparent underwater tunnel. The...
in Brindleyplace
Brindleyplace
Brindleyplace is a large mixed-use canalside development, in the Westside district of Birmingham, England. It is often written erroneously as Brindley Place, the name of the street around which it is built...
. Close to the NIA, is The ICC
International Convention Centre, Birmingham
The International Convention Centre is a major conference venue in central Birmingham, England. The centre includes Symphony Hall and it faces Centenary Square. The building has another entrance leading to the canals of Birmingham. The Convention Quarter area, which includes Brindleyplace, is...
which is also owned by the NEC Group.
The seating is arranged into upper-tier, lower-tier and flat floor seating sections. The lower-tier and flat floor sections are made up of removable seating whilst the upper-tier is made up of fixed seating. Areas for disabled visitors is provided between the upper-tier and lower-tier flooring, on the Atrium level.
Notable events
Over the years it has hosted many notable events:- 1993 and 2003 World Badminton Championships
- 1995 Netball World Championships1995 Netball World ChampionshipsThe 1995 World Netball Championships was the ninth staging of the World Netball Championships, the premier tournament in international netball, held every four years. The 1995 tournament was held in Birmingham, England and was contested by a record 27 teams. Among them were the South African team,...
- 1998 Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest 1998The Eurovision Song Contest 1998 was the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1998 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The presenters were Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson...
- 1999 World Judo Championships1999 World Judo ChampionshipsThe 1999 World Judo Championships were the 21st edition of the World Judo Championships, and were held in Birmingham, England in 1999.-Men:-Women:- Medals table :-60 kg:-66 kg:-73 kg:-81 kg:-90 kg:-100 kg:-+100 kg:-Open class:...
- WWF Rebellion 1999
- 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships2003 IAAF World Indoor ChampionshipsThe 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, UK from 14 March to 16 March 2003. It was the first time the Championships had been held in the UK...
- Davis CupDavis CupThe Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
matches - BBL CupBBL CupThe BBL Cup is one of two peripheral competitions operated by the British Basketball League during the regular season, the other being the BBL Trophy...
and BBL Finals WeekendBBL Finals WeekendThe Finals Weekend is the British Basketball League season showpiece finale, where the Playoff finals of the BBL, English Basketball League and Women's EBL take place. For the 2006-07 season the Finals Weekend will be played on 28 April and 29 April 2007 at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle upon...
matches - Many basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, powerliftingPowerliftingPowerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
, table tennisTable tennisTable tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, and wrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
competitions - The British games company Games WorkshopGames WorkshopGames Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
used the arena to stage their Games Day and Golden DemonGolden DemonThe Golden Demon competition is the miniature painting and modelling competition run by Games Workshop, and is held during the Games Day Event in the UK, USA and other countries.-History:...
events until 2003, when they moved to the larger National Exhibition CentreNational Exhibition CentreThe National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
. - The British Indoor Rowing ChampionshipsBritish Indoor Rowing ChampionshipsThe British Indoor Rowing Championships is an indoor rowing event organised by Concept2. It first began in 1991 with the first event held in Henley-on-Thames attracting 200 competitors. Over the years it outgrew all of its venues and has been held since 2000 at the National Indoor Arena in...
since 2000 - The Gladiators television programme from 1992 to 2000
- The All England Open Badminton ChampionshipsAll England Open Badminton ChampionshipsThe All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898...
from 1994 to present day. - WWEWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
RawWWE RAWWWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
on the Survivor Series 2005Survivor Series (2005)Survivor Series was the 19th annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
Tour. - WWE Raw, ECW and SmackDown television taping on 15 October and 16 October 2007
- 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships
- Michael FlatleyMichael FlatleyMichael Ryan Flatley is an American Irish dancer, choreographer, actor, musician and occasional television presenter. He became internationally known for Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger...
's Stage Show, Celtic TigerCeltic TigerCeltic Tiger is a term used to describe the economy of Ireland during a period of rapid economic growth between 1995 and 2007. The expansion underwent a dramatic reversal from 2008, with GDP contracting by 14% and unemployment levels rising to 14% by 2010...
- DVD recording - UFC 89UFC 89UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 18, 2008 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. The event was headlined by a middleweight bout between Michael Bisping and Chris Leben...
- BAMMA 4BAMMA 4BAMMA 4: WATSON vs. REID was a mixed martial arts event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on September 25, 2010 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. The event was televised on Bravo in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
- 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship2010 Wheelchair Basketball World ChampionshipThe 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship was held in Birmingham, Great Britain from 7 to 17 July 2010. Both the men's and women's tournaments were held...
- 2010 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships
- 2011 Trampoline World Championships2011 Trampoline World ChampionshipsThe 28th Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships were held in Birmingham, England, from November 17–20, 2011 at the National Indoor Arena. This event was the first qualifying round for the 2012 Olympics which was held in London. The top 8 men and women automatically earned their nation quota...