Birmingham: A City Ready To Make Some Noise
[Written by Stephen Wright]
If major cities in England were ranked in a league table, Birmingham, the host of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, would probably be unfairly placed towards the bottom of the pile.
After all, it does not boast the rich culture and iconic architecture of London, the capital of England, which endlessly fascinates and attracts millions of tourists.
Nor does it have the musical heritage of Liverpool, the home of the Beatles, whose famed canon of work remains influential more than half a century after the Fab Four split.
Nor is it home to arguably the most famous football club in the world, Manchester United, so dominant throughout the Nineties and Noughties, whose “noisy neighbours” Manchester City have also emerged as a domestic and European powerhouse during the past decade.
That is not to say Birmingham does not have a charm of its own; it is just that Britain’s “second city” has not always done the best job of selling itself.
Once the greatest industrial city in the world in the 18th century, Birmingham was among the British cities heavily bombed by the German Luftwaffe during World War Two and rebuilt with brutal efficiency during a time of austerity.
Each decade has left its architectural footprint on the city, with highlights including the wedge-shaped Alpha Tower and cylindrical skyscraper, the Rotunda, which has graced the skyline since the 1960s.
With large populations from the Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent inhabiting the city, Birmingham is a mix of heritage and cultures. A place where several Bermudian athletes call home, including Solihull Moors footballer Justin Donawa and professional boxer Tyler Christopher.
Birmingham might not boast the sporting success stories of London, host of the Olympic Games in 2012, Manchester, the host of the Commonwealth Games in 2002, and Liverpool, whose flagship football team is one of the most revered in the world.
It is, however, certainly a city passionate about sport.
The Ryder Cup, often held at The Belfry, Test Match cricket at Edgbaston, the home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, and the Rothesay Classic women’s tennis tournament are familiar events to the city.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa, the city’s leading football club, won the European Cup in 1982 and are an established Premier League team.
Birmingham, however, has never hosted an event as grand as the Commonwealth Games – the biggest sporting and cultural competition to be staged in the UK for a decade.
Around 6,500 athletes and team officials from 72 nations and territories will descend on the city for the 12-day celebration of sport – the largest event ever held in the West Midlands region.
It is the moment Birmingham has been waiting for to step out of the shadows of the country’s more celebrated cities.
Now is the time for Brum, a city with almost an aversion to self-promotion, to start banging its drum with a little more conviction.
