Criticism of empty seats and ticket prices at the Europeans

The European Athletics Championships concluded on Tuesday evening with attendance at the Alexander Stadium falling short of full capacity. The stadium, with a capacity of 23,000 seats, saw a crowd of 13,623 on Monday evening for the women's 100m final, where Britain's Amy Hunt secured her first senior international title. Despite the shortfall, athletics supporters expressed disappointment, citing the high ticket prices as the primary reason for the low numbers.

Birmingham 2026, the event's organizers, remained positive about ticket sales, stating they had surpassed their targets significantly. Tickets for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening sessions were near sell-out, while several other sessions were close to full. However, critics like BBC commentator Steve Cram and Birmingham 2026 coach Jenny Meadows felt the attendance was "a little disappointing" and "shameful."

Jenny Meadows, Keely Hodgkinson's co-coach, posted on social media expressing her disappointment at the stadium's partial occupancy. British Olympian Sharron Davies also criticized the ticket prices and the lack of affordable options, calling for more events to be made affordable so fans can fill stadiums, support athletes, and promote the country. Davies also criticized the cost of food vendors in the stadium, which she deemed "expensive."

Chris Brown, an attendee of the event, found the pricing for mid-week sessions at £110 for the best seats and £110 for the same seats in Rome two years ago was "reasonable," but felt that mid-week pricing was "not so reasonable." He also criticized the limited transport infrastructure around the stadium, stating that the nearest train station was a mile away and shuttle buses were slow.

Despite these criticisms, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy expressed optimism that attendance would increase as the championships continued, stating that sales are "rising steadily." However, the disappointment among British fans who did not attend was evident, with some suggesting the high prices and lack of accessible transport were deterring them from attending.