Birmingham City, a Championship football team, has bought a 48-acre land from Birmingham City Council for a future new stadium.
The Birmingham Mail reports that the club has achieved an arrangement with the municipality to take over a block of property previously occupied by the Wheels Park facility. The location is located in the Bordesley Green neighborhood of the city.
Birmingham plans to build a multi-sport “super stadium” on the site, as reported. Neither the council nor the club have commented on the situation. Birmingham has been playing at St. Andrew’s since 1906.
Birmingham is owned by the US financial corporation Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance. In January, the business increased its involvement in the team by announcing a stadium naming-rights contract for up to £25.4 million (€29.6 million/$32.1 million) over three years.
The stadium has been formally renamed St. Andrew’s at Knighthead Park, marking the largest commercial arrangement in the club’s history.
Last June, the English Football League (EFL) authorized Tom Wagner’s acquisition of a controlling 45.96% share in City. Wagner, co-founder of Knighthead Capital Management, had already promised to buy a share in the club and seize control of St. Andrew’s.
Wagner has highlighted improvements to St. Andrew’s as key priority, with the stadiumhaving fallen into disrepair in recent years. In November, supporters returned to all areas of the stadium for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19 following the completion of remedial work on the Kop Lower stand.
Birmingham also has a deal in place with the European arm of US sports and entertainment company Oak View Group. The deal sees OVG work with the club to develop a long-term strategy to maximise the commercial value of St. Andrew’s.
