Birmingham City FC is currently facing the possibility of relegation to League One, but this has not stopped the club’s chairman, Tom Wagner, from pursuing ambitious plans to build a new 60,000-seater stadium. The club’s owner, Knighthead, has purchased a 48-acre former wheeled-sports site in Bordesley Park, which will be used to build the new stadium and training facilities for all of the club’s teams. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the club’s future, Wagner remains optimistic about the club’s long-term prospects.
The club is currently 22nd in the Championship, just one point from safety, with only five matches remaining in the season. The interim manager, Gary Rowett, will lead the team into the first of these games at home to Cardiff on Wednesday, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Wagner expressed his hope that the club will avoid relegation, but also emphasized that a drop into the third tier would not impact their investment in the club. He stated that the club’s long-term vision and plans for a new stadium and training facilities will not be affected by the outcome of the next five games.
The new stadium, which will be twice the size of the current St Andrew’s stadium, will enable the club to host international sporting events such as NFL, Euro football, World Cups, and rugby events. The club’s plans also include the creation of a ‘sports quarter’, which will house training facilities for the men’s, women’s, and academy teams, as well as potential commercial sites. The project is expected to create 3,000 local jobs.
Wagner believes that a critical part of the club’s investment will be in the women’s team, which is currently mid-table in the Women’s Championship. He emphasized the growing popularity of women’s sport in the UK and stated that the club will make significant investments in the women’s team in the next year or two.
Despite the difficulties experienced on the pitch during the first year of Knighthead’s ownership, Wagner is convinced that the club’s ambitious plans are winning over Birmingham supporters. He stated that he receives mostly positive comments from supporters, and that as long as the club has a clear vision and is committed to achieving its objectives, supporters will get behind them.
The new stadium and training facilities project is part of a broader vision to elevate Birmingham City to its rightful place as the main team in England’s second city. Wagner and Garry Cook, Birmingham’s chief executive, are overseeing the project, which they believe will transform the club and benefit the local community.