Birmingham City’s future commercial partners may be queuing up for a spot in a suite at their ambitious new stadium.
The Blues announced plans for the proposed venue, set to cost a staggering £3billion, in November.
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Blues co-owner Tom Wagner promised a bold vision for the club’s new stadiumCredit: PA
It will boast a number of eye-catching features, including a chimney-themed facade and a retractable roof.
According to The Telegraph, another notable inclusion is a proposed ‘chairman’s suite’, which is said to be in the style of a nightclub.
The report adds the suite will be largely used to ‘entertain commercial partners’.
The Championship outfit have welcomed a number of commercial partners since Knighthead Capital took ownership in July 2023.
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Delta Air Lines, streetwear brand Undefeated and Vertu Motors are just three of the companies to have jumped on board following the ownership change.
With the Blues making no secret of their desire to return to the Premier League coupled with their plans to move into the new stadium in time for the 2030/31 campaign, interest in future commercial partnerships is likely to skyrocket.
The venue, which has been named ‘The Powerhouse Stadium’, is set to boast a 62,000-seat capacity.
Should there be no other major stadium expansions before Birmingham’s venue opens, the mooted capacity would mean the Blues will have the fourth-largest stadium in English club football.
Only Manchester United – who have already unveiled plans for a new stadium of their own – West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur will have bigger stadiums once Birmingham’s is complete.
The Blues also may not be the only tenants of their new ground.
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The club’s new venue will feature several unique featuresCredit: YouTube
Thanks to their plans for a movable pitch, which would allow NFL matches to be played, Birmingham could share their stadium with a rugby team.
A Guardian report claimed the Rugby Football Union (RFU) had been approached about basing a Prem Rugby team in the second city.
At present, the city’s best-placed rugby team is Birmingham Moseley, who operate in the third tier of English rugby.
Birmingham play their home fixtures at St Andrew’s and have done so since 1906.
However, the historic ground has not witnessed Premier League football since the 2010/11 campaign when the Blues finished 18th in the top flight.
The club spent the next 13 seasons in the Championship, but never finished above 17th in the last eight of those.
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Birmingham’s on-field product needs to improve if they’re to return to the Premier League sooner than laterCredit: Getty
Their luck eventually ran out in the 2023/24 term when a 22nd-place finish saw them relegated to League One.
However, the Blues blitzed the third tier to secure an instant return to the Championship, where they sit 15th and seven points outside of the play-offs.