Birmingham is home to the best people in the country, says ‘Brumbassador’ Chris Woakes

England cricketing all-rounder Chris Woakes highlighted Birmingham’s status as a global powerhouse of sport during a Brumbassadors event hosted by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC).

The event, held yesterday at Birmingham City Football Club’s stadium, St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, was attended by 110 delegates from around the city. It was hosted by GBCC CEO Henrietta Brealey.

Chris, who was educated in a state school, stressed the importance of continuing this powerhouse legacy to the next generation of Brummies through more grassroots initiatives.

He said: “10 years ago, it was unprecedented for state students to play professional cricket, but now there are more players coming in with around a 50/50 split.

“This is because of the grassroot developments of the sport in the region and it’s all about giving the ambition to the next generation with initiatives like Warwickshire Academy and the wider Birmingham City Football Club and Aston Villa academies.”

The “proud born and bred Brummie” is responsible for 3,705 runs and 396 wickets across Test, one-day and T20 cricket.

He made his first-class debut for Warwickshire in 2006 as a 17-year-old and, before he was 20, was topping the county's bowling averages.

Among the key highlights of his career are helping England lift their maiden World Cup at Lord’s in 2019 and, more recently, batting with a dislocated shoulder in a bid to win the final Test against India.

The globalisation of local sports clubs was also a key talking point during the event, with US-based investor Knighthead Capital owning stakes in Birmingham City Football Club and, more recently, in cricket franchise Birmingham Phoenix.

Elsewhere, Mumbai Indians acquired a minority stake in London-based franchise Oval Invincibles who compete in cricket’s The Hundred competition.

Chris sees this as a necessary investment to grow grassroots sports in the city.

He said: “Foreign investments are new to the English game, but it’s important to grow the brand and sport.

“It’s positive to see people coming in and spending money and the funds are being fed down to grassroots cricket.

“People who prefer the longer format are the older generation. But we need to cater to the children and bringing tournaments such as The Hundred will keep the investments going.”

According to Chris, bringing in large investments from India to the UK is a match-winning knock and the city is only going from strength to strength.

“Birmingham is always in my heart. It’s where I see as home,” he said.

“The Hundred competition is evolving with each year attracting more and more kids and families to Edgbaston stadium. The 2023 Commonwealth Games was a fantastic portrayal of the city and we need to continue this for the upcoming Invictus games too.

“There are things to improve on, but we are surely doing lots of things right!”

A panel discussion was also held with Brumbassadors Rosie Ginday, CEO of Miss Macaroon, Iqbal Khan, associate director at the Rep theatre, and Sally Insley, head of fundraising, for Birmingham City Football Club Foundation.

Rosie Ginday spoke about how Miss Macaroon is giving an opportunity to young people from deprived backgrounds in the city by reinvesting all their profits.

Iqbal Khan highlighted the multiculturalism in the city while stressing the need to create local stories for production.

Sally Insley spoke about the Birmingham City Football Club  Foundation which has impacted 39,000 young people in the past year - with plans to support a further 100,000 in the coming months.