West Midlands warms up for super September of sport
The West Midlands is gearing up for a month of high-quality sporting action to keep visitors entertained following the excitement of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
During the month of September, the region will play host to major finals, new international events and high-profile fixtures as it continues to capture the hearts and minds of new and repeat sporting spectators.
Taking place for the first time outside France in the event’s history, Wolverhampton hosts the FISE Xperience Series (13-15 September, Old Market Square), featuring competitions including BMX Park, Scooter Park and Breaking.
The free-to-attend action sports event is the last stop on the series’ 2024 calendar, which has included Montpellier, Reims and Le Havre.
The city also welcomes the popular national soapbox racing event, Krazy Races (1 September, Queen Square), for the third time at the start of the month.
Vitality Blast Finals Day (14 September, Edgbaston Stadium) returns to Birmingham for the 12th successive year, with four county cricket sides battling it out to win the sport’s domestic showpiece event of the season.
Elsewhere, The Belfry – which has hosted the Ryder Cup more times than any other golfing venue – welcomes back the Betfred British Masters (28 August – 1 September) to its famous Brabazon Course.
Birmingham’s Utilita Arena will be the setting for the world’s most powerful athletes to compete at The Strongman Open 2024 – Giants Live (7 September).
Having just kicked off their 150th anniversary season, Aston Villa play Champions League football for the first time in more than 40 years (matchday 1, 17/18 September), as well as welcoming Wolverhampton Wanderers for the first West Midlands derby of the season (Villa Park, 21 September).
Among the other key football fixtures during the month, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady faces Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as Birmingham City play Wrexham on 16 September; West Bromwich Albion host Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle (21 September); and Wolves welcome Liverpool to Molineux (28 September).
Birmingham’s official ParalympicsGB Fanzone (28 August – 8 September, St Martin’s Square) will screen full coverage of the Paralympic Games in Paris, while Weston Park in Shropshire plays host to Britain’s biggest cross-country event, the English National Cross Country Championships (14 September), for the first time.
Meanwhile, Birmingham has climbed two places to 31st in the 2024 Ranking of Sports Cities, released by global communications agency Burson.
Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, said: “The West Midlands’ super September of sport offers both seasoned spectators and sporting novices an accessible, affordable and assorted way of ensuring the drama of the recent Paris Olympic Games is replicated on our doorstep into the autumn.
“Our region is at the heart of sport in the UK, with great facilities, passionate fans and a pipeline of exciting events taking place here, such as the 2025 Kabaddi World Cup, 2026 European Athletics Championships and Invictus Games in 2027.
“Sporting events and activities are responsible for one in seven visits made to the West Midlands, and we hope those making the trip in September and beyond enjoy a memorable and winning experience.”
