Ama Agbeze: An Open Letter To Birmingham

The Commonwealth Games ended on Monday with a familiar sight – Australia topped the medals table, with England finishing second – just as they did four years ago.

However, the city of Birmingham might just feel like the real winner. It was the best-attended of any Commonwealth Games with more than 1.3 million tickets sold, and preconceptions of the second city were banished. 

Leader of the Birmingham City Council, Cllr Ian Ward, claims that the Games have been a launchpad for the city and wider West Midlands region’s ambitions to secure a range of major events in the coming years.

In celebration of Birmingham’s success, gold medal winning netball star from the 2018 Commonwealth Games and member of the board for the Games’ organising committee Ama Agbeze has penned an open letter to her home town of Birmingham.

 An Open Letter to Birmingham

Over the 11 days of the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham you have been incredible. Being Brummie, when the Games were awarded to us I was excited; having been to three Games previously, I was eager for my home city to feel the vibe of what a Games brings. But I must admit I was apprehensive. I can’t recall in my living memory such a large event being hosted by the city. We unassumingly go about our business, but never shout about it. From our industrial roots we have emerged from the steam and smog to being a world leader in innovation and technology.

Internationally, London is widely recognised and top of the list for tourists. When venturing to the capital, for years, those from the Midlands would silently deliver the news they were from somewhere north of London; the area that devolved into a geographic landmass of no specific identity.

But with the Games has come recognition; visitors, both domestic and international, investment, regeneration, exuberance, pride, and a tiny sense of confidence that escalated throughout the Games. At the end of it all, Birmingham City Council’s motto “Be Bold. Be Birmingham” finally was being lived up to.

We have been amazing. We have welcomed. We have smiled. We have laughed. We have cried, and oh have we moaned (because we love a good moan), but people from near, far and wide have come here and seen that we have so much to offer. The city is young. The city is bright. The city is vibrant. We have shone.

To Dame Louise Martin, Commonwealth Games Federation President; Louise Sadleir, CGF CEO; and the CGF team, thank you for gifting us the Games. At this key moment in time, as we recover from the pandemic, try to build following Brexit, and navigate the cost of living crisis and the impending recession, the Games gave us an excuse to come together, learn, grow, love and celebrate.

To John Crabtree OBE, Chair of the B2022 Organising Committee, my fellow Board Members and Committee Members, and Ian Reid, CEO of the Organising Committee – I know how hard you have worked to make this happen. With Government support, to be awarded a Games with only three quarters of the typical time to deliver it, then throw in a pandemic to reduce that time to half, then have to stand up a collaborative group including the City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, several other stakeholders and sponsors and make such an impact is almost unbelievable. Thank you.

Naturally, the journey was not smooth sailing; we have tried to be amenable to suggestions, support as many people as we could, including youth programmes, local communities and organisations. We understand that people want to be seen, heard and appreciated, and we know this hasn’t always been the case, but only inadvertently.

Of course, the Commonwealth Games historically stem from a long period of destruction and devastation across many parts of the globe, the ramifications of which are still being felt and dealt with today. But by welcoming 72 nations and territories here let us hope that conversations will stem to build reparation and healing. We are united by our past and our wonderful city is a reflection of that, with such cultural diversity that each of those 72 are represented in our population.

At all major sporting events, it’s our athletes who are front and centre, and what the competition exists for. The performances, the stories, the pain and sacrifice, the noise, the hype, the tears of relief and success and those of anguish for those whose dreams haven’t been realised. They put everything on the line with the flag of their nation on their chest; for the love, for the passion and for our entertainment; and wow, were we entertained.

But what makes the Games is the volunteers. To the 14,000 strong Commonwealth Collective your distinctive blue and orange uniform has welcomed the world. Thank you for the hours you committed, for the smiles, the cheers, the energy, the love, the high fives, the fist bumps, the late nights and extremely early mornings, the long shifts, the agility and ability to adapt, the conversations and the warmth. From now on, whenever we see someone in that uniform designed to reflect Birmingham’s architecture from the Library of Birmingham, Grand Central and Bull Ring it will warm our hearts that when the city called you answered and represented us so well.

However, it does not end here. The athletes have gone, the branding is coming down, but the legacy of the Games begins here and is up to us all. Let’s not sit back and ask what we are being given, or dwell on where we believe we have been neglected. Instead let’s ask what we can do. How can I make an impact in my community? What physical activity can I partake in? Where can I volunteer? What sport can I play, even? How can I continue to champion Birmingham and the region?

In a decade, when we look back on our incredible achievement of hosting the Games, how great it will be to see that it was a catalyst for social change, for business and employment opportunities, for sport and physical activity to be available for all. No sporting event alone can deliver that, but my word it can play its part.

From now on whenever you’re asked, be bold and say I’m from Birmingham, proud host city of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and if they’re still not quite sure, tell them #ItsABrumTing

Ama Agbeze
B2022 Organising Committee Board Member
Gold medal winning Team England netball captain, Gold Coast 2018