Editor’s notes: Stuart Weir and I always have these conversations. We have seen superb crowds at track meets in Europe and Asia and modest crowds in the U.S. My beef with the U.S. is that, on some occasions, the major U.S. events run by the federation are underwhelming in terms of marketing. At the European Champs this year, it was the perfect storm of a 20-minute walk to the stadium, expensive water and snacks, and some American big-event pricing on seats. Add those together, and you keep one of the most vociferous countries for track fans staying away from one of the most exciting meets of the year!
Are the crowds OK?
In 2022, Birmingham hosted the Commonwealth Games, and we boasted that while Oregon could not fill the stadium for the evening sessions of the World Championship, Birmingham was filling the 30,000-capacity stadium for most of the morning sessions and all the evening sessions. Why has it been so different at the 2026 European Championships, with the 23,000-capacity stadium often just above half-full? It was certainly disheartening on the first evening to see nearly 10,000 seats were empty at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.
$200 for the best seats in the house and $135 for a mid-price ticket do seem too high. More than Premier League soccer at the local club. It is argued in defense that an evening program is 3 and a bit hours compared to 90 minutes of soccer. But tonight, for example, there are five track events plus several field events, but, of course, the field events may be at the opposite end of the stadium from where you are sitting.
I’ve also read criticisms of the transport system. I cannot say, as I am in a hotel 15 minutes’ walk from the stadium. To be fair, it was taking me an hour to get to and from the stadium in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games, which I found really frustrating. I have also read that food and drinks in the stadium are substantially overpriced – $20 hot dogs – and that any local car parks or park and ride systems are charging inflated prices.
Everyone has an opinion!
Birmingham 2026 organizers said they were “delighted” with ticket sales, which have “far surpassed” their targets with “Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening sessions approaching sell-out, with several other sessions close to capacity”. The Alexander Stadium was 55% full on Monday morning, 59% full by the evening and 56% full on Tuesday morning, according to figures from the organizers.
British Olympian swimmer, Sharron Davies, also took to social media: “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 and inspire generations to come to love sport.”
Chris Brown, a well-known supporter of our sport, commented: “I think they have the pricing for the weekdays a little off. The cheapest tickets are $35, which is reasonable; most people have bought them, and the back rows are full. Maybe they should invite everyone down to the lower seats to at least make it look good on TV.
“The view from the $55 to $35 tickets is pretty much the same, so that price category has become rather redundant. $150 for the best seats I think is reasonable for a weekend evening session, but not on a Monday. But also, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last week may have had an impact, as not many will attend both and both are in the UK within the same month. 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.”
One athletics fan urged organizers on social media to “fill the place” with “cheap door tickets”.
Another said they decided against buying tickets as it would cost his family “more than a holiday” when travel and accommodation for one night were factored in.
UK government Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she expected attendances to increase as the championships continued, adding: “It is true that over the past few days we haven’t sold out the stadiums but we are seeing those numbers rising steadily”.
There was an interesting exchange between Justin Bryant and commentator Tim Hutchings. Bryant was arguing, based on the experience of the sold-out London Diamond League, that the event should have been in London. Hutchings replied: “Well, I know what you mean, e.g. London’s size guarantees good crowds, and the London Stadium is super-easy to get to, with fabulous rail links – but Birmingham delivered a fabulous Commonwealth Games in 2022, so the city does have some very positive and recent HUGE EVENT form……
A final anecdote from me. I had dinner in a restaurant 10 minutes’ walk from the stadium last night. The lady serving me asked if there was an event at the stadium. If even she did not know…
