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Arena Birmingham (known for sponsorship reasons as Utilita Arena Birmingham, and previously as The Barclaycard Arena and originally as the National Indoor Arena) is an indoor arena and sporting venue in central
The arena was officially opened, as the National Indoor Arena, on 4 October 1991 by the athlete Linford Christie. When it was opened, the arena was intended to be an indoor sporting venue. However, the venue began to host entertainment events shortly after opening.
The arena currently hosts a variety of events including concerts, sporting events and conferences. It has a capacity of up to 15,800 using both permanent seating and temporary seating configurations.
The arena was renamed after it underwent an extensive renovation which was completed at the end of 2014. Michael Bublé opened the renovated arena on 2 December 2014.
In 2018 the arena had ticket sales of 497,443, which was the 4th highest in the United Kingdom.
In 2012 plans to refurbish and renovate the NIA were approved by Birmingham City Council. The plans included creating a showpiece entrance from the canal-side, three "sky needle" light sculptures, a new glazed facade fronting the canal and new pre-show hospitality elements. The design was by the architecture firm Broadway Malyan and the building contract was awarded to Royal BAM Group in 2013 with an projected finishing date of Winter 2014.
The £26 million redevelopment began in June 2013. The redeveloped arena was officially opened with a performance by singer Michael Bublé on 2 December 2014. It was renamed the "Barclaycard Arena" in November 2014 after Barclaycard won the naming rights for five years, but in May 2016 it was announced that the naming deal would end early, and from September 2017 it would be named Arena Birmingham.
On 16 January 2020, it was announced that the arena will be renamed Utilita Arena Birmingham from 15 April 2020.
The arena has been used for several major events in the past, including counting no less than eight constituencies in the hall for the 1992 general election.''Election 92'', BBC, 9 April 1992
*'' Gladiators'' was recorded at the arena from 1992 to 1999.
* 1993 IBF World Championships
*
Construction of the arena's roof
{{Authority control Basketball venues in England Indoor arenas in England Sports venues in Birmingham, West Midlands Badminton venues Indoor track and field venues Darts venues Sports venues completed in 1991 1991 establishments in England Judo venues Netball venues in England 2022 Commonwealth Games venues Gymnastics at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
, United Kingdom. It is owned by parent company the NEC Group. When it was opened in 1991, it was the largest indoor arena in the UK. The arena was renamed Utilita Arena Birmingham on 15 April 2020.
The arena is located alongside the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line's Old Turn Junction and opposite the National Sea Life Centre in Brindleyplace. The building straddles the main Birmingham to Wolverhampton Intercity railway line (originally the Stour Valley Line), but does not have a station of its own. There are three adjoining car parks with a total of 2,156 spaces. Close to the arena is The ICC which is also owned by the NEC Group.
It is currently the third-largest indoor arena in the United Kingdom by capacity. In 2019, the arena had ticket sales of 530,597, which was the 4th highest in the United Kingdom.
Background
The arena was officially opened, as the National Indoor Arena, on 4 October 1991 by the athlete Linford Christie. When it was opened, the arena was intended to be an indoor sporting venue. However, the venue began to host entertainment events shortly after opening.
The arena currently hosts a variety of events including concerts, sporting events and conferences. It has a capacity of up to 15,800 using both permanent seating and temporary seating configurations.
The arena was renamed after it underwent an extensive renovation which was completed at the end of 2014. Michael Bublé opened the renovated arena on 2 December 2014.
In 2018 the arena had ticket sales of 497,443, which was the 4th highest in the United Kingdom.
Naming history
* National Indoor Arena * Barclaycard Arena * Arena BirminghamRenovation
In 2012 plans to refurbish and renovate the NIA were approved by Birmingham City Council. The plans included creating a showpiece entrance from the canal-side, three "sky needle" light sculptures, a new glazed facade fronting the canal and new pre-show hospitality elements. The design was by the architecture firm Broadway Malyan and the building contract was awarded to Royal BAM Group in 2013 with an projected finishing date of Winter 2014.
The £26 million redevelopment began in June 2013. The redeveloped arena was officially opened with a performance by singer Michael Bublé on 2 December 2014. It was renamed the "Barclaycard Arena" in November 2014 after Barclaycard won the naming rights for five years, but in May 2016 it was announced that the naming deal would end early, and from September 2017 it would be named Arena Birmingham.
On 16 January 2020, it was announced that the arena will be renamed Utilita Arena Birmingham from 15 April 2020.
Notable events
The arena has been used for several major events in the past, including counting no less than eight constituencies in the hall for the 1992 general election.''Election 92'', BBC, 9 April 1992
*'' Gladiators'' was recorded at the arena from 1992 to 1999.
* 1993 IBF World Championships
*1995 Netball World Championships
The 1995 World Netball Championships was the ninth edition of the INF Netball World Cup, a quadrennial premier event in international netball. It was held in Birmingham, England and featured a record 27 teams. South Africa returned to competiti ...
* Eurovision Song Contest 1998
* 1999 World Judo Championships
* WWF Rebellion 1999
* 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
*Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
Davis Cup tennis matches (vs. United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
in 1999, vs. Sweden and Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
in 2002, and vs. Japan in 2016)
*BBL Cup
The British Basketball League Cup, often shortened to the BBL Cup, is an annual cup competition for British basketball teams organised by the United Kingdom's top professional league, the British Basketball League. It is one of two peripheral com ...
and BBL Finals Weekend
The British Basketball League Championship, often shortened to the BBL Championship, is the top-level men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. Established in 1987, the competition is administered by the British Basketball Leagu ...
matches
*2003 IBF World Championships
The 2003 IBF World Championships (World Badminton Championships) were held in the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, United Kingdom, between 28 July and 3 August 2003. The championships had originally been planned to take place from 12 May-18 May ...
* 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
*The Premier League Darts every year since 2007
*2010 European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 29th European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held from 21 to 25 April 2010 at the National Indoor Arena
Arena Birmingham (known for sponsorship reasons as Utilita Arena Birmingham, and previously as The Barclaycard Arena ...
*2010 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 28th European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships held from 28 April to 2 May 2010 in Birmingham.
Timetable
Medal Winners
Detail results
Seniors
Team
‡ Romania's Ana Porgras injured herself on her dismount on beam. ...
* BAMMA events in 2010, 2011 and 2012
*2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship
The 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship was held in Birmingham, Great Britain from 7 to 17 July 2010. Both the men's and women's tournaments were held. The Championships was a qualifying event for the London 2012 Paralympic Games ...
* 2011 Trampoline World Championships
* Lee Evans performed here from 17 to 21 September 2014 to record his final stand-up show tour Monsters before his retirement.
* Linkin Park performed here as part of the One More Light Tour
The One More Light World Tour was the ninth headlining (eleventh overall) concert tour by American rock band Linkin Park. The tour supported their seventh studio album, ''One More Light'' (2017). Beginning in May 2017, the tour visited 21 cities ...
on 6 July 2017. This was the band's last performance of the European leg, as the remaining show in Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
were cancelled due to a bombing at the Manchester Arena, where the band was supposed to perform. It was also the final performance of lead singer Chester Bennington before his death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
on 20 July 2017.
* 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships
* 2022 Commonwealth Games
Ticket sales
NEC Group
Parent company The NEC Group also owns and operates the ICC Birmingham in central Birmingham, and the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Resorts World Arena (previously The NEC Arena, LG Arena and Genting Arena), based on The NEC site in nearby Solihull.References
External links
*Construction of the arena's roof
{{Authority control Basketball venues in England Indoor arenas in England Sports venues in Birmingham, West Midlands Badminton venues Indoor track and field venues Darts venues Sports venues completed in 1991 1991 establishments in England Judo venues Netball venues in England 2022 Commonwealth Games venues Gymnastics at the 2022 Commonwealth Games