Birmingham City’s Wild ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ Stadium Plan From 2005

Back in September 2005, Birmingham City – who were of Premier League status back then – released plans to build a 55,000-seater stadium, called Birmingham Sport Village. The exciting plans, however, never came to fruition due to a number of concerns.

Unfortunately for the Blues’ boardroom, the club’s plans were forced to be parked after a host of issues regarding the proposal arose, including complete objections from important local figures such as local councillors.

Fast-forward a decade and the now-League One side announced the acquisition of a 48-acre site within a mile of St. Andrews earlier this year, hoping to become a trailblazer in terms of state-of-the-art stadia in the third tier.

Remembering Birmingham City’s ‘Super Stadium’ Plans

‘A once-in-a-lifetime regeneration project for Birmingham’

Helping out the city in the process, the outlet was planning to provide the residents of Birmingham – and those who opted to travel from far and away – with both sports and entertainment. The view was that it would be central to Birmingham’s renovation.

Tipped to be a one-of-a-kind ‘super stadium’, Birmingham Sport Village was expected to bring in tens of thousands of punters into the city every year with the idea of a ‘super casino’ being a luring factor. The plans included the installation of over 1,250 slot machines.

Part funded by American gambling and resort company, Las Vegas Sands, the proposal came to light after government plans for a first regional casino in the UK emerged.

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An Olympic-sized swimming pool was also part of the plans, while other sports – rugby and athletics, most notably – were also taken into consideration during the extensive preparation. Birmingham City Council also looked at the possibility of hosting concerts.

Club chiefs were, perhaps unsurprisingly, keen to get the project underway and highlighted the array of opportunities – particularly from a job standpoint – it would open for Birmingham residents.

Current West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady was the club’s managing director at the time and said:

She added: “It will help us host events in the future like the Commonwealth Games and will be so important if we are going to attract international athletes here in preparation for [London] 2012. This really is a once-in-a-lifetime regeneration project for Birmingham.”

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Birmingham Eye New Stadium Plans

Ground set for spaceship-like design

Back in April 2024, Birmingham owners Knighthead revealed their plans to move Birmingham into a 62,000-capacity stomping ground ahead of the 2029/30 campaign, giving themselves half a decade to complete their build in the east of the city.

Knighthead, as mentioned, acquired a 48-acre site in Bordesley Park from Birmingham City Council and are looking to build a fresh stadium of a “world-class” level. The venue itself is set for a stunning spaceship-like design.

Alongside the new stadium, extra training facilities – for all Birmingham City teams – will be constructed. Elsewhere, the Midlands-based club are looking to build extensive commercial and community facilities to strengthen ties with the local community.