A track that helped launch one of athletics’ greatest careers has been given a fitting new name, with Monkton Stadium officially becoming ‘home of the Steve Cram Track.’
Steve Cram grew up training at Monkton Stadium with Jarrow and Hebburn Athletics Club, where his talent was first nurtured before he went on to become one of the world’s greatest middle‑distance runners.
Affectionately known as the Jarrow Arrow, his remarkable career includes being crowned world 1500m champion, winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1983, receiving both an MBE and later a CBE, and achieving an athletics feat that remains etched in sporting history – breaking three world records in the 1500m, 2000m and the mile within an astonishing 19‑day period in 1985.
Despite global success, Steve has remained deeply connected to South Tyneside throughout his life. He continues to champion the Borough as an ambassador, mentor and advisor, and plays a key role in promoting sport and physical activity locally. Most recently, he has supported Tidal Trails, a new South Shields‑based running festival developed in partnership with South Tyneside Council.
Monkton Stadium has long stood at the heart of the Borough’s sporting life, hosting generations of young athletes and helping to cement South Tyneside’s reputation as a centre of sporting excellence. Jarrow and Hebburn Athletics Club has produced multiple elite athletes over the decades, with Cram serving as honorary president and a proud advocate for the club and its future.
Councillor Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “Naming the track at Monkton Stadium after Steve Cram is a fitting tribute to one of South Tyneside’s greatest sporting ambassadors.
“Steve’s achievements on the world stage are truly remarkable, but what makes him so special to us is that he has never forgotten where his journey began. He continues to inspire young people, support our local athletics community and champion South Tyneside with enormous pride.
“By naming the Steve Cram Track, we are celebrating not only an incredible sporting legacy, but the values of hard work, belief and aspiration. We hope that future generations of athletes will step on to this track knowing that dreams really can start here.”
The renaming of the track has been marked today (March 16) – to Cram’s surprise – with the unveiling of new signage and displays across the stadium, including a roadside welcome sign, exterior building signage and trackside storyboards recollecting Steve’s extraordinary world record achievements.
Cram said: “It’s a great honour. I’m so appreciative. This place means so much to me. I’ve spent 25 years of my life here. It’s helped form me as a person and everything that happened in my life. I’m genuinely moved by it and incredibly grateful.”
With Steve’s journey starting at Monkton Stadium, the Council hopes that his name and legacy will inspire people of all ages to get active, believe in themselves and recognise that South Tyneside continues to be a place where sporting talent is nurtured and champions are made.
Cram added: “We need to keep places for people, young people in particular, to come and do sport and to have a more active lifestyle. So whether they come here to start running or start doing athletics and go on to have a brilliant athletics career, that would be fantastic. If we get one, two or three brilliant young athletes from here, I’d love to be commentating on somebody from Jarrow or Hebburn, who is running for Great Britain one day.”