Birmingham City’s ambitious owners, Knighthead Capital Management, have been asked to “crack on” amid plans for the club’s planned ‘Powerhouse’ stadium to frequently host athletic events outside of the existing Championship club’s home games.
Tom Wagner, Knighthead’s frontman, initially proposed plans for the Blues’ new stadium in April 2024, less than a year after his American hedge fund firm purchased an initial investment in the team and only weeks before they were relegated to League One.
Almost two years later, the West Midlands club is a very different creature in many ways, but Wagner’s ambition shows no signs of waning, despite a relentless bombardment of scepticism from those outside the blue half of the Second City.
Indeed, many rival club supporters questioned whether designs for the planned stadium, which is part of a multibillion Sports Quarter regeneration project on the old Birmingham Wheels track, would be made public.
Those verdicts were more than overturned on November 20th at Digbeth Loc Studios, when the ‘Powerhouse’, created by Heatherwick Studio and MANICA Design, was unveiled to the world via a teaser video featuring Wagner, minority stakeholder Tom Brady, and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.
The aforementioned video highlighted the stadium’s potential to serve as a sporting, tourist, and community hub 365 days a year, with concerts and sporting events expected to take place at the 62,000-seater arena, though the Sports Quarter plans also included a smaller-capacity indoor arena that will be built adjacently.
In the weeks since the stadium’s unveiling, various substantial ideas for future sporting events have been floated in this region of Birmingham. As a result, FLW’s Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, welcomes their ideas.
Birmingham City urged to “crack on” amid potential NFL and Rugby games at the ‘Powerhouse’ stadium.
Just two days after the stadium plans were revealed, with an opening date of summer 2030 hinted, the Sun reported that Blues are eager to speak with the Football Association about the possibility of Lionesses appearances becoming a regular occurrence following their two-time European Championship success under Sarina Wiegman.
With features like as a retractable roof and pitch being proposed, it is expected that NFL games will be staged at the Powerhouse, considering Brady’s influence on the sport as a seven-time Super Bowl champion and his current Amazon Prime docuseries about the championship team.
It has now been suggested that the RFU (Rugby Football Union) has been approached about the idea of forming a top team in Birmingham, with the ‘Powerhouse’ serving as a home stadium.
Rugby is not a popular sport in the West Midlands, with Birmingham Moseley currently playing at the 5,000-person Billesley Common stadium in Yardley Wood.
Blues, of course, recently shared St. Andrew’s at Knighthead Park with local rivals Coventry City after the Sky Blues were ousted from the Coventry Building Society Arena – which they now own – by the now-defunct Wasps, who also owned Birmingham’s present EPIC training facility.
Moore, on the other hand, has no problem with the stadium’s multipurpose use.
“I don’t actually mind the idea of (it) being a multi-share stadium,” said the reporter. “The owners have stated unequivocally that they intend to use the stadium and everything else on site all year round.
“I have no issues with it. First and foremost, if a major rugby team is formed in Birmingham, the stadium will remain recognized to all as Birmingham City’s football facility. “It just will,” he said.
“I believe we would be able to drop the field and replace it with a rugby pitch so that the markings do not interfere with football play.
“I honestly don’t care. Go for it as long as it doesn’t interfere with football, which will be their primary focus.
“If it generates business and puts money in their pockets, then whatever. “They (Knighthead) justify it with what they’re building,” Moore stated.
“I’m delighted that NFL games will also be held there.
“They’ve repeatedly stated that they want to develop the ‘Wembley of the Midlands’, so go for it. Let’s hold NFL games in Birmingham and make this stadium a signal that for any sporting events or concerts, Wembley or this stadium are the go-to venues.
“Let’s make us the more attractive option than the Spurs stadium,” he told me.
“Do whatever you want.” They may do whatever they want as long as the stadium is good and we can watch football there. I honestly don’t care.
“They can even put monster trucks there, I don’t care. “As long as the football is there and they have creative ways to bring in money, crack on.”
NFL and Rugby Union matches would help the earlier Tom Wagner revenue claim.
Given that St. Andrew’s currently has a capacity of 29,409, many have questioned whether Birmingham would fill 62,000 seats. On the other hand, around 43,000 Bluenoses attended the EFL Trophy final against Peterborough United at Wembley Stadium in April, demonstrating the club’s potential.
Of course, a key factor in the stadium shift is the opportunity to expand revenue streams, which are critical in today’s football scenario in order to comply with PSR requirements.
As a result, Wagner estimates the Powerhouse will produce £750 million per year, and hosting NFL and Rugby Union events would go a long way toward that goal, especially given the appeal of not having to go far for local sports fans headquartered in the country’s core.
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