Birmingham City are reportedly in talks about the possibility of playing alongside another sports team at their planned new stadium.
Last year, owners Knighthead unveiled plans to build a state-of-the-art stadium as part of their plans for a new £2.5bn sports quarter. Under the plans, Birmingham would swap their current home of St Andrew's with a capacity of just under 30,000 for a stadium that can house 62,000 supporters. The new proposed stadium is known as the ‘Powerhouse', although chairman Tom Wagner has admitted that the ground's naming rights will go to the highest bidder.
Blues may be playing in the Championship, but the proposals signal the owners' intent to build the club into a Premier League outfit on-and-off-the pitch. The proposed stadium will also open up new revenue opportunities, as has been seen with Tottenham Hotspur and Everton's new grounds.
Birmingham showing interest in Rugby Union team
According to GIVEMESPORT, one of those revenue opportunities could come in Rugby Union. The report claims that Birmingham are showing interest in becoming the home of a potential Prem Rugby franchise.
The club already made ‘tentative enquiries', having identified a gap in the market due to the fact that there is no West Midlands club playing in the top division.
Birmingham's interest comes at a time when there is talk about reform in English rugby, particularly about the introduction of a closed-franchise league to combat the financial difficulties that are currently troubling the domestic game.
FGG says: Revenue opportunity
As it stands, there is some way to go for Birmingham's proposed stadium to become the home of a Rugby Union team. The ground is unlikely to be ready until around 2030, while the arrival of a rugby team is likely to depend on whether a new franchise league is given the go-ahead.
However, even the talk of becoming the home of a rugby franchise demonstrates why it is important for Birmingham to build a modern stadium. The ability to host other sports teams and hold non-sport events like concerts will make it a year-round venue and increase the club's revenue opportunities.