Birchfield’s Matthew Hudson-Smith was surprised to see a stand namned after him for the European Championships.

Ahead of the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships (August 10-16), organisers surprised our own Matthew Hudson-Smith, by naming the extension of the North stand the Matthew Hudson-Smith Stand. The title will be in place until the end of the Championships.

The Eurpean record-holder and second-most decorated male European athlete in history, Matthew Hudson-Smith is a part of a long history of international athletes produced by Birchfield Harriers.

Matthew’ always inspires the young athletes at Birchfield whenever he visits and this visit was extra special as he celebrated the naming of the stand with his family. Back on form after an excellent run in the Diamond League in Rabat Matt is looking to win his third European title this summer.

Matthew Hudson-Smith, said: “It caught me off-guard walking in to see the stand is going to be named after me, and it was a special moment to share it with my family.

It’s just an indication of all the hard work I’ve put in and to get a stand named after me is the icing on the cake of a great career and now I want to add more to it at Europeans.”

The European Athletics Championships Birmingham 2026 will see over 1,600 athletes from 48 nations compete for glory. With 44 gold medals to be won across the seven evening sessions, fans will see history being made under the floodlights. Many of Europe’s biggest names are expected to target their 2026 summer ambitions at Birmingham – making this a superb chance for fans to witness world-class performances on home soil.