New York-based investor Knighthead Capital Management has unveiled plans for a new 62,000-capacity stadium that will form the centrepiece of its wider Sports Quarter regeneration scheme in Birmingham.
The multi-use arena, which is being developed by a team comprising Heatherwick Studio and Manica Architecture and has the working name of The Birmingham City Powerhouse, will include twelve chimney-form towers, which they say "echo the brickworks that once sat" at the Bordesley Green in East Birmingham.
Birmingham City Football Club, acquired by Knighthead Capital last July alongside minority partner Tom Brady, will play their home games at the "steep bowl" stadium with a retractable roof and moveable pitch, "enabling year-round flexibility for major sporting events, international music concerts and large-scale cultural experiences," the club said.
One chimney will include a lift to Birmingham’s highest bar, providing views over the city. The football club said the wider precinct has been designed as a year-round destination with markets, cafes, restaurants, play areas and social spaces.
Knighthead and the club have begun a period of engagement and consultation with local people, fans, political representatives and planning officers with the intention of lodging a planning application for the Sports Quarter in 2026. They hope the new stadium will be completed in time for the start of the 2030-31 season.
Should the plans get approval, Birmingham City Football Club will relocate from its current St Andrew's Stadium, which holds approximately 30,000 fans. The club's owner bought the 48-acre land parcel, which once housed a racetrack, from Birmingham City Council last April for an undisclosed fee. Savills advised the council.
Tom Wagner, Knighthead co-CEO and Birmingham City Chairman said: “This is a huge milestone for Birmingham City Football Club, creating a home for the club that reflects our ambition to compete at the highest level. More than that, the iconic design is a statement of intent for the City of Birmingham and the West Midlands, testament to a region that is on the rise.
"The stadium draws upon the proud heritage of the West Midlands – a heritage of industry, ingenuity and growth. I believe those same qualities can create a new era of success on and off the field and prosperity for local communities that have been starved of opportunities for too long."
The club's American chairman gave a keynote speech at this year's UKREiiF property conference, arguing that his group's plans for a Midlands sports quarter, which he described as "community asset", was capable of creating £10 billion gross value added by 2050. But he stressed it would need the support of local and national government.
Knighthead Capital Management, through its affiliate Shelby Companies Limited, completed its full takeover of the club this month after buying the remaining shares from its previous Chinese owners.
Wagner co-founded Knighthead in 2008 and has a background in the finance sector. This includes time at Goldman Sachs, where he was a managing director, responsible for running the distressed and high yield credit trading desks.
Last month The Telegraph revealed that Premier League leaders Arsenal Football Club was planning its own stadium works, holding discussions to expand its Emirates Stadium in North London to more than 70,000 seats.