THE 2026 Commonwealth Games represent a tremendous opportunity for Redditch should Birmingham win the bid to host the event, said borough council leader Bill Hartnett.
Councillor Hartnett was at a meeting of the West Midlands Combined Authority when Coun John Clancy, the leader of Birmingham city council, first suggested the idea.
“I immediately offered my support, in fact I can see no downside to it,” said Coun Hartnett.
“It would be good for the entire Midlands and clearly, Redditch is right on the doorstep of Birmingham and we could get who knows what given all the facilities we have here.”
Those facilities include the Abbey Stadium, a number of well-equipped sports halls, the 3G football pitch at Redditch United plus tremendous good will, making the town an ideal site for a national team to base itself.
“We could offer various countries training facilities and to be logical, they’ve got to be based around the Midlands and Redditch is ideally located,” said Coun Hartnett.
A feasibility study has been launched in Birmingham into the bid which if successful could generate £390 million in income for the region.
Other cities keen to host the Games include Liverpool, Edmonton in Canada and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
