Venue Information: Edgbaston
EDGBASTON
Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham, B5 7QU
OVERVIEW
The land that now makes up Edgbaston Stadium was originally owned by the Calthorpe Estate, who had developed the manor of Edgbaston into an exclusive Birmingham suburb over the course of the 19th century and a cricket ground would be a great asset to add to the area. Club secretary, William Ansell believed that Birmingham’s large population and comprehensive railway connections would make Warwickshire a first-class county headquarters as well as giving the ground test status.
Initially favouring the Wycliffe Ground on Pershore Road, Warwickshire were offered a 12-acre ‘meadow of rough grazing land’ in an undeveloped area on the banks of the River Rea by the Calthorpe Estate, who considered the less attractive development land to have more to gain from association with the cricket ground. With the site only 20 minutes’ walk from New Street Station, Warwickshire agreed in 1885 to lease the land and developed the site and building a wooden pavilion.
On the 7th June 1886 - the new ground’s first match took place against the MCC, watched by 3,000 spectators over two days, with 6,000 turning out. On the 9th and 10th August 1886 - to watch Warwickshire play Australia. In 1902 - Edgbaston’s held their first test match in the Ashes series. In July 1997 - Edgbaston was the scene of the first competitive floodlit day-night cricket match in Britain.
Edgbaston is considered to be one of England’s leading cricket grounds. The atmosphere at Edgbaston is reputed to be the most hostile in England for visiting teams. Former England captain Alec Stewart recalled, ‘‘On a world level I would put it up there with Eden Gardens in Calcutta, which holds about 100,000. It inspires a team. It’s like having another man in your side.’’ And the former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones describes how ‘‘the crowd here makes such a big noise when you are doing well... it’s a unique environment.’’
Record attendance at a County Championship match at Edgbaston is 28,000 against Lancashire in the championship-winning season of 1951, and the record for a single day of a Test Match is 32,000 against the West Indies in 1957.
Of all England’s Test Grounds Edgbaston is the least disrupted by rain - losing an average of fewer than 90 minutes of play per match between 1979 and 1988, compared to over 8 hours per match at other grounds.
Edgbaston is just outside Birmingham City Centre. There are several transport options:
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**Train:**New Street Station is the nearest mainline station, just 2 miles away. Cricketeers will be at the station to point you in the right direction. Moore Street station is 3.1 miles away and Snowhill station is 3.4 miles away. For more information, visit [www.nationalrail.co.uk](http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/)
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**Shuttle Bus:**501 shuttle bus goes from New Street Station to the drop off point outside the stadium. There is a charge for this service and the bus stop is outside Boots Chemist, opposite the main station entrance. Cricketeers will at the station and bus stop to assist you
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**Bus:**Buses 45 and 47 go from Carrs Lane in Birmingham City Centre and stops on Pershore Road, just a 2-minute walk from the stadium
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**Coach:** To book your travel, visit [www.nationalexpress.com/iccct17](http://www.nationalexpress.com/iccct17)
- On **Foot:**It is a 40 minute walk from New Street Station to the stadium. Cricketeers will be handing out walking route maps at the station and will be along the walking route to point you in the right direction
- **Taxis:**There is a taxi rank at New Street Station
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**Parking**: Due to demand, unless you have already pre-booked your car parking, we advise all spectators to make use alternative transport to get to the stadium, such as the shuttle buses from New Street Station, public transport, taxi or walking.
GENERAL SPECTATOR INFORMATION
- Download the official ICC app from May 7
- Share the excitement and get your friends to sign up to receive tournament information https://www.icc-cricket.com/register
- Show your colours and support your team by buying official merchandise https://www.icccricketstore.com/
- Visit the ticketing site to buy tickets https://championstrophy.tickets.icc-cricket.com/
- Use #CT17 to share your experience now and on a match day
- Gates open two hours before the start of scheduled play
- There will be a good variety of food and drinks on offer for adults and children
- Visit the Fanzone in the stadium and have a go at the activities on offer
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Have a go at bowling and batting, watch a masterclass in the mid innings break and live footage of the match shown throughout the day in the ‘Champions Corner’
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Take a photo with your heroes at the ‘Wall of Champions’
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Take a photo of you in action at the stadium in the ‘At the Crease’ photobooth
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See 3D street art of you and the Champions Trophy
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Visit the giant Hashtag #CT17
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Listen to live music performances throughout the day
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ICC sponsors will also be running fun activities in the FanZone so head over to take part!
- Keep an eye on the big screens throughout the match for competitions, prizes and activities to add to your day without moving from your seat.
- Celebrate with your team and watch the post-match presentation before leaving.
Birmingham****CITY OVERVIEW
Attracting over 39m visitors last year, including over 1 million international visitors, Birmingham is a must-visit destination. Birmingham is diverse, exciting and acclaimed for its cultural offering - it is home to the UK’s busiest theatre the Birmingham Hippodrome and the internationally renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. With over 2,000 shops within a 20 minutes walk of each other shopping is also one of the city’s major draws.
With more sporting events than any other UK city, sport is big business in Birmingham with the globally known Edgbaston Cricket ground at the centre of its offering as well as hosting golf, football, badminton and tennis championships.
Birmingham’s food scene is also outstanding - with 5 Michelin starred restaurants (more than any other UK city outside of London), award winning street food, independent and brand restaurants and obviously, the famous Birmingham Balti.
CHAMPIONS TROPHY CITY ACTIVITY
During the opening weekend of the Champions Trophy, cricket will take over the city! Victoria Square will host the city Fanpark from the 2nd – 4th June with live match screenings, pop-up cricket activity, food and beverage and cultural activities and entertainment.
Activity will also take place along New Street and by the Bullring Bull.
On the 4th June, an additional screening area will be installed on Edgbaston St by the city Ragmarket to screen the biggest match of the pool phased India v Pakistan.
OTHER EVENTS/THINGS TO DO
Birmingham Weekender
22-24 September
Birmingham’s biggest arts festival, Birmingham Weekender, will return with dance, drums, music and a mechanical elephant transforming the city-centre!
It promises a packed weekend of free outdoor theatre, music, art installations and performance. The festival will feature well-known local arts organisations and invited international artists, including a number of significant new commissions.
Dinosaurs in the Wild
June 24 - August 24
Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre is gearing up to welcome a new multi-million-pound attraction – Dinosaurs in the Wild. The unique, immersive live adventure combines theatre, theme park fun and the very latest scientific research, and will be the first time an event of this kind has been hosted in the UK.
Dinosaurs in the Wild has been created by award-winning producers behind one of the most successful dinosaur productions of all time, Walking with Dinosaurs - the landmark BBC TV series which was seen by 800 million globally.
Utsav: The Year of South Asian Culture
2017 has been nominated as Utsav: The Year of South Asian Culture.
This year marks an important milestone in South Asian history and activities will be taking place in Birmingham and across the country to mark the UK’s longstanding cultural ties with the Indian subcontinent. A tremendously rich and diverse calendar of cultural activities will be available for all the communities of the city to participate in and enjoy throughout the year.