Coventry is backing Birmingham’s prospective bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games and will offer sporting venues like the Ricoh Arena for events it has been revealed.
Tentative conversations have already taken place between council bosses over the possibility as part of wider talks over more joint working between the cities.
The cities’ chief executives Mark Rogers and Martin Reeves are believed to be keen on establishing a closer relationship after the formation of the West Midlands Combined Authority - and they believe this would be a good opportunity to show how the whole region can benefit from the revamped local government model.
Watch Below: Find out which Birmingham sports venues could host Commwealth Games
Birmingham boasts the Alexander Stadium, Villa Park, the new University of Birmingham swimming pool and the NEC’s Barclaycard and Genting arenas all capable of hosting top level sport.
While Coventry’s Ricoh Arena could be lined up for for rugby sevens. Rugby could be hosted at one of Birmingham’s football stadiums but, with no Premiership rugby club in the city, the ease of utilising the home of Wasps and their facilities is likely to be much more appealing and less costly.
Birmingham is also be keen to secure the support of Coventry and surrounding towns and cities for its bid, something which would be easier if surrounding areas were seen to be directly benefiting.
It is also understood that Birmingham could be set to offer its formal backing to Coventry’s bid to become UK City of Culture in 2021 as part of the mutual back-scratching arrangement.
Birmingham has not yet confirmed it will bid for the games, but has come under increasing pressure to do so with the likes of sporting stars Mark Lewis-Francis and Katherine Merry, along with a clutch of MPs and the former Prime Minister David Cameron , calling on the city to be ambitious and put in a bid for the 2026 Games.
In June the city council’s deputy leader Ian Ward gave the strongest indication yet that they are seriously considering the Games bid as long as they can cover the substantial cost without hitting council’s under pressure finances.
He said: “Seventeen sports across 11 days in Birmingham, it would be fantastic. What’s not to like? But it cost Glasgow £500 million and, in the current environment the city council does not have that kind of money to invest.”
The Glasgow Games were partly covered by the Scottish Parliament and in a similar way organisations like the fledgling West Midlands Combined Authority and Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, as well as private sponsors, are being sounded out.
