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Tom Wagner reveals his plans for Birmingham and reassures fans on US owners in English football

Tom Wagner reveals his plans for Birmingham City, and reassures fans on the amount of US owners we are seeing in English football.

The Blues chairman Tom Wagner is aiming for Premier League promotion next season after the club’s record-breaking League One campaign.

He plans to leverage significant commercial revenues to compete with Championship rivals receiving parachute payments.

Wagner also supports exploring the idea of playing some domestic cup matches overseas to boost global fanbase and revenue, while emphasising the importance of maintaining local fan support.

Additionally, a £2.4bn government investment in transport links has boosted plans for a new 62,000-seat stadium and a 125-acre Sports Quarter in Bordesley Green, set to open by 2030.

This development, backed by £2-3bn in private investment from Wagner’s Knighthead Capital, aims to create 8,500 jobs and host diverse international events, surpassing Manchester’s Etihad Stadium regeneration.

Wagner assures fans that ticket prices will not rise excessively, preserving the club’s community spirit and avoiding “Americanisation” of English football.

Fair to say he had plenty to say when speaking with the media in various interviews, from the local news to the club’s media…

Talking to the club, he said: “Thought I’d provide you with a quick update on an important day for our club and more importantly for the stadium that as you know will never be built.

“This is such a big moment for Blues. We received the government support that we needed to ensure that the sports quarter becomes a reality, allowing us to build our new home just a stones throw away from St. Andrews.

“The only real obstacle we faced was a viable transport solution to ensure that we could move all of our supporters, fans, workers, and other community members in and out of the sports quarter on a daily basis. That is no longer uncertain.

“With the support of Richard Parker, our mayor, we now know that a tram will be built that will link the sports quarter to the heart of Birmingham and all the existing transportation links as well as the HS2 highspeed rail line that will be built in the coming years.

“That’s critical because it means that our sports quarter will be linked not only locally but regionally and nationally.

“Additionally, there’ll be a purpose-built station at Adderley Park right on site in the sports quarter to ensure we have the regional links that we wanted.

“Looking around the derelict Wheels site, it’s hard to believe that in a few short years, it will be a world-class home for Birmingham City and a venue for other sports and entertainment that will draw people from all around the country and the world.

“But trust me, it will. That patch of wasteland will soon become a must-visit destination.

“The sports quarter will be a proud new chapter for the club, giving us a platform for the sort of success that I know you, the fans, have dreamt of for so long.

“There’s one other thing I want to stress. Birmingham City has a long and proud history of contributing and giving back to the local community of East Birmingham and the city as a whole. We are now going to take that contribution to the next level.

“This project will deliver jobs, opportunities, and prosperity lasting generations in one of the poorest parts of the whole of the country. And that’s something of which we should all be very proud.

“And I personally look forward to working with all of you, our supporters, the ultimate owners of the club in making all of this happen and become a reality that benefits not only Birmingham City Football Club, but also Birmingham City as a whole, the West Midlands, and ultimately the entire country.

“We appreciate your continued support and keep right on.”

INTERVIEW WITH THE BBC:

Reporter: “£2.4billion. That’s how much money the government today pledged to the West Midlands to improve transport infrastructure. What does that have to do with sports? I hear you ask. Well, it could Turbocharge plans for a new 60,000 seater stadium for Birmingham City, freshly promoted to the Championship. They have grand designs around a proposed sports quarter around Knighthead Park with that government cash improving transport links to the city center. The club’s co owner Tom Wagner has been speaking to our sports editor, Dan Rowan.”

Tom Wagner: “This will be an entertainment venue unlike many others in the world. If you look around right now, there’s there’s no one here. There’s nothing going on. It’s completely unused. It’s derelict. It’s not serving the local community. There’s homes and houses all around us in every direction. And what we’ll transform this into is something that will provide jobs, economic activity, people coming and going. It just it changes the whole dynamic of this part of the city.”

Dan Roan: “What will the sports quarter do? What’s your vision for it?”

Tom: “It’s a 62,000 seat stadium. There’s a, you know, call it 15-20,000 seat arena. There’ll be a show pitch for the academy and the women’s side. You know, the goal would be to host a whole range of international events, not solely in football, but American football. I think if you were to look across Western Europe, you would be hard pressed to find another city with that much land available walking distance to the city center where a project of this magnitude can be created and done so in an economically viable way.”

Dan: “So the ticket prices is this new development is not gonna lead to fans here being priced out then?”

Tom: I mean, that you price up the fans that are here, then you have different people sitting in the stands. You lose the singing, you lose the passion, and then you’ve lost your product.”

Dan: “Lot of clubs are doing that though, and some of them are American owned clubs.”

Tom: “They are. And that’s not how we’ll do things. And I think we’ll prove that that our path is a better one that leads to a better product and ultimately, you know, draws in more engagement.”

Dan: “Realistically, what are your ambitions now for Birmingham City?”

Tom: “Ultimately, you know, getting promoted into the Prem. We’d like to do that as quickly as we can and then becoming highly competitive in the Prem. And the reason that we can do that, and I think this is something that’s often lost on folks, if we were promoted next season, we would immediately fall mid table in total revenue because of the commercial partnerships that we’ve built up over the last two seasons. We will do total revenue this year that is very close to, if not in line with the parachute payment clubs as a championship side not receiving any parachute payments. And so we’ll be very active in the transfer market. We already have a sense as as to who we’ll be going after. We’ve got a really high quality squad that we’re assembling.”

Dan: “Realistically, could that happen next year? Can you have back to back promotion? Is that achievable?”

Tom: “I mean, that’s certainly the goal that we’ll try to achieve. The goal has to be to be as good as we were last season.”

The question was put to Tom on cup matches in the US, after Birmingham City’s former chief executive Garry Cook said lats year that it would be “a great idea” if they played a league match against fellow US-owned club Wrexham on American soil.

“I don’t think that it makes sense to do it necessarily with regular-season matches,” said Wagner.

Asked what he thought about potentially playing some domestic cup matches in the US, he said: “It’s something that has to be thought of.

“When you think about the top-tier clubs in the Premier League, they’re competing globally, which means that they have to have global fans and global-scale revenue, and if that means playing some matches overseas to create more following and revenue for the club I think that’s a good thing.

“You have to find a way to do it that doesn’t take away from your local community, so it’s very much a balancing act. There’s a very fine line that needs to be walked there, but I think for the top clubs it’s something that has to be seriously considered.

“Perhaps there’s a different tournament, or something that happens that allows for that, maybe at a different point in time in the season. There’s a whole series of ways that could be pursued beyond simply the pre-season tours.”

Questioned what assurances he could give to fans concerned about the number of English clubs now controlled by US investors, Wagner said: “The reason Americans are drawn to investing here is because it’s English football.

“If we ‘Americanise’ it, then it’s lost everything that drew people here in the first place.”

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker announced that a multi-billion-pound investment in local transport will fund a Metro extension from Birmingham City Centre to East Birmingham, enabling the development of the proposed Sports Quarter.

The project, backed by Knighthead Capital Management, is expected to create 10,000 jobs during construction, with 1,000 entry-level or apprenticeship roles, and support 8,000 full-time jobs once operational.

The Sports Quarter, featuring a multi-use stadium, training facilities, and entertainment options, is projected to contribute £450m annually to Birmingham’s economy by 2035, transforming an area with 14% unemployment.

Tom Wagner, Knighthead Co-CEO and Birmingham City Chairman, said: “The Chancellor’s undertaking to upgrade transport links in East Birmingham is a huge step forward for the Sports Quarter. It gives us the springboard we need to advance this transformative project at pace, bringing huge benefits to the people of East Birmingham and the wider region in the shape of jobs and opportunities, as well as economic growth that will be felt across the whole of the UK.”

Jeremy Dale, Interim CEO of Birmingham City, said: “Birmingham City Football Club has a long heritage of contributing to our local community. The investment confirmed today by Richard Parker will allow us to take this to the next level – creating jobs, building infrastructure for our local community, and creating a world-class sporting venue that will put Birmingham on the map.”

This is how fans reacted as Tom Wagner reveals his plans for Birmingham and reassures fans on US owners in English football…

@NorthBSHA: The football story of the next 10 years ❤️❤️

@NathanRKRO: Just I mean I’m speechless this is our fucking club and it’s going places

@Bradley_AJ: Name it after him. Build him a statue. Give him the keys to the city. Just give him everything cause I love this man. I’m listening to this in disbelief after thinking about where we were only 2/3 years ago and now he’s giving us the ultimate dream 💙 Loved the start as well 🤣🤣

@stellytalks: Absolute class TW is. Growing up, I honestly never thought our club could be a genuine force and now all the foundations are there to build on and I couldn’t be more excited if I tried. Love this club and love TW! KRO 👊🏽💙

@ball61116: “You know, the stadium that will never be built” – i love this man 🤣😂🤣😂

@Andyjack83: What a legend 🔝🔵⚪️ so lucky to have him behind us KRO Mr Wagner! 🫡

@simbadazman: peechless tbh. The city of Birmingham will forever be in debt to Tom Wagner. All I can say is Thank you

@bcfcDJ: “The stadium that will never be built” 😭😭

@RachelBanniste4: The love he has for the city, and not just the club, is so apparent here. Birmingham, truly on the rise 🙌💙

@jaymeetee: There is a possibility of appearing arrogant as a fanbase at the moment, but after over a decade of mismanagement, stadium crumbling, zero fan engagement, and just being treated like shit; we are just so, so lucky to have Tom and Knighthead leading the way. The majority of football supporters would love owners like ours, ultimately having the ambition & desire, but also the clear plan for how they will realise that is something very special. The way they articulate the importance of community & supporters is perfect too. We are very, very lucky. It’s been a long, long road supporting Blues, and although I’d never change any of it, this is so exciting to have this kind of leadership to set up the platform off the pitch for success on it. I can’t wait…thank you Tom!

@Kieranbcfc2: Agree. Also think it’s probably an arrogance or confidence we’re not really that comfortable or used to having. But I think we need to be. Sack of this self-deprecating attitude and show ambition in what the city can be.

@FatLadsPodcast: Two years ago half the stadium was closed, the CEO was offering to fight fans in the car park, Bassini was arguing on National radio whilst Maxco held a press conference claiming to have purchased a club that had been cut up into tiny pieces by faceless owners. Now this… 🤯🥲😍

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