Families priced out of Britain's flagship athletics event are fuelling a campaign to move the London Diamond League from the Olympic Stadium back to Crystal Palace, where tickets were once affordable for students and young fans. The London Athletics Meet has sold out three years running, drawing 55,000 spectators to London Stadium in east London, but BBC News analysis this week revealed seats that once cost far less now go for £95 — among the most expensive of all 15 Diamond League cities worldwide.
Phil Wicks, a former GB distance runner, remembers watching Usain Bolt and other athletics stars at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre before 2011. "It was relatively cheap, it was right on the trackside for a big, televised international meet," he said. "I was a student at the time and would go each year." Now a father of two, Wicks estimates a family trip to this year's meet would cost about £300 plus travel and food. He said Crystal Palace prices were cheaper, even allowing for inflation, than many London Diamond League seats today.
The £130m Crystal Palace Plan
Plans for a newly developed Crystal Palace National Sports Centre have recently been submitted to Bromley Council, backed by funding from London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan for the £130m project and with contractors Morgan Sindall on board. A decision on the application is expected within weeks. If a commercial partner can be found to fund the stadium part of the development, Crystal Palace's appeal as a venue for major track and field meets could come roaring back to life. Campaigners estimate the stadium would cost £100m-£150m to be ready by 2030.
Crystal Palace hosted the London Diamond League, and its predecessor the London Grand Prix, until 15 years ago, before the London Stadium became the venue for the UK's flagship annual athletics event after the London 2012 Olympics. The Olympic venue cost £750m to build and regenerate. Wicks acknowledged Crystal Palace is "a complete wreck now — it's falling apart." Former sprint coach John Powell, chair of the Crystal Palace Sports Partnership, said there have been "more ups and downs than a rollercoaster" in the campaign to revive the venue. Speaking trackside at Crystal Palace, he said the grandstands and shuttered scoreboard are almost silenced and yearning to return to their former glory.
No Sign of a Move
London Diamond League organisers Athletic Ventures, which includes governing body UK Athletics, have shown no sign they want to budge from London Stadium, a venue many GB stars love. A source close to London Stadium said it's well-connected and holds more than double the number of fans that a redeveloped 25,000-seat Crystal Palace would, and that the seating design has been improved. A senior athletics source said any speculation regarding other venues is irrelevant and London Stadium continues to be an excellent venue for the sport, while bosses support investment in athletics facilities across the country.
Powell said there's tangible excitement about the venue's future and that stars should feel there's as much "hallowed turf" at Crystal Palace as in the Olympic Park. "For me, the venue is wrong," he said. "Yes, it's got the Stratford transport hub nearby but it's a good 15-20 minute walk from there." Powell said Crystal Palace is "the most accessible multi-sport venue in the country by an absolute street" and added: "Look how much it costs to set up Stratford before you have a single spectator in the ground — Crystal Palace can be ready and waiting with appropriate investment." He said younger generations would benefit from being able to train on the same track that global athletics stars race on. "Upgrade the stadium, bring the Diamond League back and let's have athletics in its true British athletics home," he said.
Other Contenders
The discussion around Crystal Palace's suitability isn't likely to go away if the plans are approved, but if the UK leg of the Diamond League did move from London Stadium, it wouldn't necessarily stay in the capital. Birmingham's Alexander Stadium, which has about 18,000 capacity without temporary seating, has had significant investment and will host the European Championships later this year. This summer's Commonwealth Games are being held in Glasgow's Scotstoun Stadium. The 25,000-seat Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield, built for the World Student Games 35 years ago, was demolished 13 years ago thanks to maintenance costs and public funding budgets.
Diamond League CEO Petr Stastny told BBC News "the London Stadium is the site of the 2012 Olympic Games and as such one of the sport's most iconic modern venues." Organisers can justify the cost because they're filling the stadium and entertainment in the capital is expensive, Wicks said. It's perhaps a marathon, not a sprint, to establish whether the venue can remain a fitting home for major athletics events for years to come.
Why This Matters:
The debate over where Britain's premier athletics meet should be held goes to the heart of who sport is for. When tickets cost £95 for seats that were once the cheapest in the stadium, families and young fans — the next generation of athletes and spectators — are shut out. Crystal Palace offered trackside access at prices students could afford. The London Stadium fills 55,000 seats, but at what cost to accessibility? Public funding built both venues. The £750m Olympic Stadium was meant to be a legacy for the nation, not just those who can afford premium prices. If the £130m Crystal Palace redevelopment goes ahead, the question won't just be about capacity or transport links — it'll be about whether athletics can remain a sport ordinary people can watch without breaking the bank. The Don Valley Stadium's demolition 13 years ago shows what happens when maintenance costs overwhelm budgets. Investment in accessible facilities now could prevent the same fate befalling the next generation's sporting infrastructure.