NETBALL: BIRMINGHAM 2022 announced last week that Coventry’s Ericsson Indoor Arena will host netball as part of its Commonwealth Games bid proposal.
Measuring at 6,000 square metres, the venue will host all preliminaries and finals with 5,000 temporary seats installed should the games come to Birmingham.
The Coventry and Warwickshire LEP is backing the Birmingham 2022 bid, and the partnership opens up opportunities to work with Coventry on its bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021.
Part of the Ricoh Arena, the Ericsson Indoor Arena is the current home of Wasps Netball – winners of the Vitality Netball Superleague in 2017.
Tamsin Greenway, who skipped Wasps Netball to championship glory earlier this year, said she cannot describe her excitement at the thought of the Ericsson Indoor Arena playing host to the Commonwealth Games.
She added: “Netball is my passion and the opportunity to return to my roots in the midlands and play week in week out with the team at Wasps was a dream come true.
“We have seen a huge increase in the sport since we started Wasps Netball earlier this year and I know the west midlands would put on the most fantastic Commonwealth Games ever.”
Jonathan Browning, chairman of Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), said: “Hosting the Commonwealth Games in the West Midlands would bring huge benefits to the region and Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership is pleased to support the Birmingham 2022 bid.
“We’re delighted that the Ericsson Indoor Arena at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry has been selected as one of the venues included in the bid.
“We witnessed the array of positive impacts bringing the London 2012 Games to Coventry and Warwickshire brought to the region, and it would be fantastic to welcome visitors from across the Commonwealth back to our area.”
