Birmingham City could be set to bid farewell to St Andrew's as the club's new owners plot a new development away from the ground that the Blues have called home since 1906.
Announced today, owners Knighthead Capital have revealed their plans for a new sports quarter in the City that will feature a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium for the club. The owners have purchased 48 acres of land on the east side of Birmingham on a plot previously owned by Birmingham Wheels and the plans are extensive.
At the centre point of the new Sports Quarter will be a new stadium with a capacity of 40,000 – 60,000 and it will be surrounded by a new training ground for the men's, women and academy teams in addition to housing, restaurants and bars.
At a press conference on Tuesday, club chairman Tom Wagner revealed his excitement over the plans and said he wants the project completed in time for the 2029/20 season. He also assured reporters and fans alike that the project isn't dependent on the club surviving relegation from the Championship this season.
A spokesperson for the club said: “The ambition for the sports quarter is for it to become a globally recognisable sporting and entertainment location. The goal for the club is to have a world-class stadium, training facilities for men and women, a new academy, community pitches and commercial space to support innovative local businesses – all within walking distance of the city centre.”
Wagner claims new Birmingham stadium will be a ‘one-off in European football'
The plans for the new sports quarter are grand but it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. When Knighthead Capital purchased the club last summer with Tom Wagner at the helm, they made it clear they wanted to transform the club and this would be a huge step in doing so. The total cost of the project is expected to be between £2-3bn.
Upon revealing the plans, Wagner said:
“To understand why we’re doing this you have to get a sense of the whole vision. This isn’t about a stadium, this is about a Sports Quarter so what does that mean? That’s a stadium, that’s a training ground for men’s, women’s and the academy teams in one location.
“It also brings in other entertainment options, all of which are currently being worked out. We’ve got lots of inbound inquiries from different organisations that want to play a role. I can see hospitality in there which is hotels, restaurants – there’s a new thing called ‘eatertainment’ where you combine the two things.
“When you look at the fact this site is in walking distance of the city centre, that’s a one-off in European football. No other team has a stadium, an academy, other entertainment venue in a single location within walking distance of the city centre.