Birmingham City have revealed new images of their planned 62,000-seater stadium.
The stadium was announced during a launch event on Thursday and is to be developed by Heatherwick Studio and MANICA Architecture.
It is set to be the centre-piece of the Sports Quarter project that the club’s chairman and co-owner Tom Wagner is leading – which will also incorporate a women’s stadium and other entertainment venues – and will cost approximately £1.2 billion.
Images were released during a launch event on Thursday.
“We could not be more excited to share this incredible design with so many people who played an important role in making it a reality,” Wagner said following the reveal.
An announcement video was released as part of the launch which included former player Jude Bellingham, as well as fellow co-owner Tom Brady, who stated that NFL matches would also take place at the stadium in the future.
The stadium has been given the working name of ‘The Birmingham City Powerhouse,’ but will change when a naming rights deal is put in place.
A club statement says that the new stadium ‘draws upon the proud heritage of the West Midlands.’
Chairman Tom Wagner claims the stadium will become a reality within the next five years.
“The Powerhouse is a living monument to this city’s great and historically valuable past. It is also a statement of intent of what is possible in its exciting future,” Wagner added.
“The members of the board and my Knighthead colleagues who, like me, have fallen in love with this city, the people, the football club. The opportunity to create something unique and distinctive in one of this country’s greatest and sometimes overlooked regions.
“We’re very proud that today, with the beautiful image of the Powerhouse behind us, it will be overlooked no more.”
The stadium will include an interchangeable pitch and will have a roof that will close within 20 minutes
Wagner claimed that the stadium will become a reality in the next five years and will include features like an interchangeable pitch and a roof that will close within 20 minutes.
The stadium is based on ‘the proud heritage of the West Midlands’
“It will be a beacon of excellence for Birmingham on the global stage. Attracting the very best in sporting and entertainment events.
Tom Wagner has described the stadium as being a ‘football first’ stadium.
“Make no mistake. This is a football first stadium that will provide our teams with a competitive advantage from day one. It will be a place that the opposition teams will not want to play.”
‘Modest lunatics’ aiming for Premier League with new stadium
The 62,000 capacity would place the Powerhouse among the biggest football stadiums in English football, with only Old Trafford, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and London Stadium holding more in the Premier League.
With the stadium set to be larger than the likes of Anfield and the Emirates, Wagner admitted it’s an indication of where he wants the club to be in years to come.
Birmingham City have revealed images of their planned 62,000-seater stadium.
“We had a little blip along the path of the club where we took a step back after buying it. We looked like complete lunatics saying we were going to build this in League One,” the American said in a press conference following the reveal.
“Now we look like modest lunatics sitting in the Championship saying we’re going to do this.
“The fanbase is sufficiently large enough to fill the stadium. But we’ve always been very much of the mind to build for the future and not the past.”
‘New stadium could home great Bellingham return’
Wagner believes Jude Bellingham returning to Birmingham in their new stadium would be a ‘great coming home story’
Wagner also made reference to Real Madrid star’s Bellingham’s appearance in the promo package, admitting that he hoped that the stadium would be able to entice him back to the club in the future.
The midfielder started his professional career at Birmingham, making his debut aged 16.
He would leave the club to join Borussia Dortmund in 2020 and saw his shirt number retired before moving to the Spanish capital.
“I think Jude is the greatest player on the planet today. We haven’t seen anywhere near his full potential. Not just on the pitch but what he can do for a community and as a leader.
“If we can provide him a platform for him to achieve his full potential then that’s a great story. It’s a great coming home story, it’s a great Birmingham story, it’s a great England story.”
