Thousands of empty seats at Birmingham Europeans draw criticism
Amy Hunt won the women's 100m final on Monday evening at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium during the European Athletics Championships, while nearly 10,000 seats remained empty.
A crowd of 13,623 watched in a stadium with a capacity of 23,000 as Britain's 24-year-old sprinter Amy Hunt stormed to her first senior international title; it is Britain's first time hosting the championships in their 92-year history.
Ticket pricing drew criticism from supporters after organisers confirmed Category A tickets for the home straight cost £150 on Monday with no concessions for juniors, and the same seats for the men's 100m final on Tuesday were priced at £110 with no concessions; a similar ticket for that final in Rome two years ago was 88 euros (£75).
Chris Brown, 40, who photographed rows of empty seats on Monday evening, told the BBC: "I think they have the pricing for the weekdays a little off. The cheapest tickets are £26, which is reasonable and most people have bought those and the back rows are full." He added: "But also, the Commonwealth Games may have had an impact, as not many will attend both and both are in the UK within the same fortnight. "There are many fans in attendance in Birmingham who are international, which is great to see, but it's disappointing that many Brits haven't bothered."
Adam Hilton, who travelled from Manchester and paid £120 for two tickets, said he "doesn't feel [it was] value for money" and that he would consider no longer going if there was an option to get a refund. He described the opening day as disappointing: "Seeing the opening day [Monday] felt very disappointing to see the empty seats, especially in the evening session." Hilton also joined others in criticising transport links around the stadium — the nearest train station is a mile's walk away and shuttle buses are operating from the city centre — and said he could only find a parking space two miles (3km) away.
Organisers' figures showed the Alexander Stadium at 55% capacity on Monday morning, 59% by the evening and 56% on Tuesday morning. Jenny Meadows posted on social media: "Believe it's full for some final evenings but a shame we couldn't fill the stadium for the duration." British Olympian Sharron Davies wrote: "We must bid for more events but we must make it affordable, so we get to enjoy it first hand, fill stadiums, support our athletes, promote our country & inspire generations to come to love sport," and criticised stadium food prices, citing pork rolls at £18.50 and hot dogs at £15. During coverage of the women's 100m final BBC commentator Steve Cram said: "Little disappointing in terms of spectators I have to say that, particularly down the back straight there. "There's not many people at all in those stands. I'm sure Birmingham is going to get to grips with these champs pretty quickly." Fans on social media urged organisers to "fill the place" with "cheap door tickets," and one said buying tickets would cost his family "more than a holiday" once travel and overnight accommodation were included.
A Birmingham 2026 spokesperson said they were "delighted" with ticket sales, which "have far surpassed our targets", adding: "Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening sessions are approaching sell-out, with several other sessions close to capacity. After a fantastic opening day of competition, we're looking forward to welcoming many more spectators to Alexander Stadium throughout the week and sharing more memorable moments of world-class athletics."