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BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Birmingham Sports Quarter - what you need to know
Plans for a new Sports Quarter in Birmingham are moving forward, with billions of pounds earmarked for the project and excitement growing in the city. The project is being led by the US owners of Birmingham City Football Club (BCFC) and at the heart of the plans is its new 62,000-seat Tom Wagner, co-founder of Knighthead Capital Management, says the benefits will be felt far beyond Blues fans, with transport links transformed, thousands of jobs created and a super stadium to hold world-class City Council has stated the quarter would be a "sporting centre of excellence". Here we explore where the Sports Quarter will be, what will be in it and when it might become a reality. What will be in the Sports Quarter? Wagner told BBC Sport in June his vision was to create "an entertainment venue unlike many others in the world". The plans include a 62,000-seat stadium, more than double the capacity of the current Blues ground. Wagner said it would also include a 15,000 to 20,000-seat arena and a show pitch."The goal will be to host a whole range of international events not solely in football but [including] American football and rugby," he said. Birmingham City FC has said the multi-use stadium will include a retractable pitch to allow for concerts and other non-sporting events to take will build a training complex for their professional senior teams and academies, and the site is set to also include community pitches, retail and education. "There will be provision for housing and hotels, recreational facilities and plenty of green space," the club said. Wagner told the BBC it was a "unique opportunity"."If you were to look across western Europe, you would be hard-pressed to find another city with that much land available within walking distance of the city centre, where a project of this magnitude can be created and done so in an economically viable way," he said. Alongside these plans, Wagner and his team have strong ambitions for the Blues, who were promoted from League One last season with a record 108-point haul. Where will the Sports Quarter be? When Knighthead bought Blues in July 2023, they told fans they believed the club's potential was "unlimited".Less than a year later, in April 2024, they completed the purchase of the 48-acre former Birmingham Wheels motorsport site in Bordesley, less than a mile away from St Andrews, the club's home since Wheels closed in 2021, after 40 years of hosting go-karting, stock car racing and skating events, and was once the home of the Birmingham Brummies speedway team. The city council-owned site had long been touted as a potential development site for Birmingham City, and its future had been hanging in the balance for some than £17m of the government's Levelling Up Fund was allocated to it for remediation site off Adderley Road is in a key - but deprived - location, ripe for redevelopment. It is less than a mile from the city centre, just off the ring road and close to Adderley Park railway has said the site was "not serving the local community" despite being surrounded by hundreds of homes. How will transport links be transformed? The project really gained momentum last month, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited St Andrews and announced a £2.4bn investment in West Midlands transport links, with the Sports Quarter at the heart of the masterplan. A planned extension of the Midland Metro would mean a direct tram route to the Sports the East Birmingham Metro to North Solihull Metro Extension, it will take people from the Eastside area of the city and serve the likes of Millennium Point, Birmingham City University, the Curzon Street HS2 station and Digbeth. Digbeth is home to the Digbeth Loc. Studios, set up by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, and construction is under way for the BBC's new Tea Factory base. Longer term, this tram line is planned to take passengers to North Solihull - including to Birmingham Airport, the NEC and the HS2 Interchange. How will the community benefit from a Sports Quarter? The government has estimated the project would transform the Bordesley area of Birmingham, creating 8,400 new jobs and driving further investment from private firms. Wagner is expected to invest up to £ Richard Parker told BBC WM presenter Ed James many of the jobs were expected to be the first jobs of young people from the surrounding communities. starting out in employment. He explained this was "really important because this part of the city is one of the most deprived", and he and Wagner hoped to open up job opportunities for young Blues chairman has said the club had a proud history of giving back to the local community and the project would deliver opportunities "and prosperity lasting generations in one of the poorest parts of the whole of the country". "And that's something in which we should all be very proud," he added. Who is behind the project? In June 2023, the English Football League approved US-based Shelby Companies Ltd's takeover of Birmingham Companies is a subsidiary of Knighthead, which was co-founded by Tom Wagner and Ara Cohen in 2008. Wagner told Blues supporters in an open letter that Knighthead's expertise was in "turning around and transforming organisations that are experiencing difficulties". He wants fans to be involved in the journey. Parker said Wagner had been looking to get a foothold in the sports industry in the UK and "had made his money by investing in what have been unloved and neglected" assets, adding, "Let's be frank, the football club had been for a number of decades." Excitement grew when Tom Brady, the NFL quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl winner, became a minority owner of the Championship club months after retiring in 2023. Wagner said Brady was investing and "committing his time and extensive expertise". When will the Sports Quarter become a reality? Wagner told BBC Sport they expected the club to be using its new stadium in the 2030/31 season, which was the timeline that looked "most achievable at present". Certainly, the government investment was a turning point when many started to believe the Sports Quarter would become a O'Neill and his son Matt, who co-host the BCFC Royal Blue podcast, told followers it was a "huge" day for the club which would sway "even the most sceptical fan" who had not dared to believe it would said the proposal was initially "laughed at" by some people on social media and attracted lots of comments from other fan bases but now felt real."This just feels like something special," he said. The Midland Metro Alliance said initial development for the East Birmingham to Solihull link was under way by Transport for West Midlands. "As with other new light rail schemes, the extension will require a Transport and Works Act Order application to be submitted, providing the powers to construct, maintain and operate the tramway" on that route. Richard Parker said the owners were aiming to secure outline planning permission soon and after that were looking to make "real progress" with the stadium by 2028/ also told the BBC a task force was put together to drive the Sports Quarter project and help the key stakeholders work together with clarity about their objectives. "The pace of this is phenomenal," he said, adding the sense of ambition shown by Wagner, Steven Knight and others committed to the city had "captured the imagination, not just of people in this region, but of government too". Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Scottish Sun
04-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
‘A huge step forward' – Championship club get update on new £3billion stadium as incredible concept video is released
WON FOR THE FUTURE 'A huge step forward' – Championship club get update on new £3billion stadium as incredible concept video is released FANS are hailing "monumental" progress in a Championship club's £3bililion scheme for a new 60,000-seat stadium and community hub. Birmingham City released a concept video of a massive complex - as NFL legend Tom Brady's majestic dreams leapt closer to reality. Advertisement 5 Supporters are even more excited after seeing the new images Credit: Youtube @BCFC 5 The club plan mega transport links Credit: Youtube @BCFC 5 A video gave an insight into the huge complex Credit: Youtube @BCFC 5 Birmingham City minority owner Tom Brady is one of the main people behind a revival on the pitch and spectacular plans off it Credit: Reuters Minority shareholder Brady and Blues' owners Knighthead plan to follow an incredible season on the pitch with jaw-dropping developments off it Birmingham romped back to the second-tier by amassing 111 points as big-spending League One champions. That was 19 points clear of Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham in second place. Now the club have released a clip with awesome transport links to a futuristic venue likened in the past to a "spaceship". Advertisement One side of a blue-walled, smoothly-curved stadium is shown, with sweeping views of tree-lined walkways and rail links. One viewer claimed on X: "People will be coming from all corners of the country to take in the view." Another veteran supporter posted: "After 70 years of suffering mainly heartache it's just my luck to be on the downward slope now that #BCFC are finally on the way to the top with the best owners in its 150 year history. "Today's funding confirmation has given me a purpose in life. Thanks TW." Advertisement 5 The sleek design impressed observers Credit: Youtube @BCFC BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Those initials are a reference to Knighthead's co-founder and Blues' chairman Tom Wagner, who has described the go-ahead for travel connections as a "huge step forward for the Sports Quarter". An estimated £2.4bn Government investment in local transport will be used to extend the area's Metro to the proposed new venue. Advertisement Tom Brady tells owner rival Rob Mcelhenney 'shame on you' after giving away his touching gift That's kickstarted the whole £3bn scheme, with the first phase set to be finished by 2029. The club also say "the extension of Birmingham City Centre to East Birmingham will help unlock the future of the development" - including creating around 10,000 jobs. Fans seem thrilled by the transport links. And after seeing the club's video, one supporter wrote: "Love the stadium design as well guys it's gonna look mint." Wagner said: 'The Chancellor's undertaking to upgrade transport links in East Birmingham is a huge step forward for the Sports Quarter. Advertisement "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.' Last month Wagner had also unveiled plans to provide outstanding training facilities for academy players "unlike any other that exists in European football". And Blues' interim CEO Jeremy Dale spoke of "creating jobs, building infrastructure for our local community, and creating a world-class sporting venue that will put Birmingham on the map". The planned stadium would double Birmingham's capacity of 29,409 at St. Andrew's.
The Irish Sun
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
‘A huge step forward' – Championship club get update on new £3billion stadium as incredible concept video is released
FANS are hailing "monumental" progress in a Championship club's £3bililion scheme for a new 60,000-seat stadium and community hub. Advertisement 5 Supporters are even more excited after seeing the new images Credit: Youtube @BCFC 5 The club plan mega transport links Credit: Youtube @BCFC 5 A video gave an insight into the huge complex Credit: Youtube @BCFC 5 Birmingham City minority owner Tom Brady is one of the main people behind a revival on the pitch and spectacular plans off it Credit: Reuters Minority shareholder Brady and Blues' owners Knighthead plan to follow an That was 19 points clear of Ryan Reynolds' Now the club have released a clip with awesome transport links to a futuristic venue likened in the past to a "spaceship". Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL One side of a blue-walled, smoothly-curved stadium is shown, with sweeping views of tree-lined walkways and rail links. One viewer claimed on X: "People will be coming from all corners of the country to take in the view." Another veteran supporter posted: "After 70 years of suffering mainly heartache it's just my luck to be on the downward slope now that #BCFC are finally on the way to the top with the best owners in its 150 year history. "Today's funding confirmation has given me a purpose in life. Thanks TW." Advertisement Most read in Championship Exclusive 5 The sleek design impressed observers Credit: Youtube @BCFC BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Those initials are a reference to Knighthead's co-founder and Blues' chairman Tom Wagner, who has described the go-ahead for travel connections as a "huge step forward for the Sports Quarter". An estimated £2.4bn Government investment in local transport will be used to extend the area's Metro to the proposed new venue. Advertisement Tom Brady tells owner rival Rob Mcelhenney 'shame on you' after giving away his touching gift That's kickstarted the whole £3bn scheme, with the first phase set to be finished by 2029. The club also say "the extension of Birmingham City Centre to East Birmingham will help unlock the future of the development" - including creating around 10,000 jobs. Fans seem thrilled by the transport links. And after seeing the club's video, one supporter wrote: "Love the stadium design as well guys it's gonna look mint." Wagner said: 'The Chancellor's undertaking to upgrade transport links in East Birmingham is a huge step forward for the Sports Quarter. Advertisement "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.' Last month Wagner had also unveiled plans to provide outstanding training facilities for academy players "unlike any other that exists in European football". And Blues' interim CEO Jeremy Dale spoke of "creating jobs, building infrastructure for our local community, and creating a world-class sporting venue that will put Birmingham on the map". The planned stadium would double Birmingham's capacity of 29,409 at St. Andrew's. Advertisement
Daily Tribune
26-03-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain Commercial Facilities Company reports strong financial recovery in 2024
TDT | Manama Bahrain Commercial Facilities Company (BCFC) achieved a significant financial turnaround in 2024, reporting a BD 5 million profit, marking a strong recovery from the previous year. The positive results were announced during the company's Annual General Meeting (AGM) held yesterday, where Chief Executive Officer Abdulla Bukhowa highlighted BCFC's strategic progress and future aspirations. Reflecting on 2023, Bukhowa acknowledged the economic difficulties that impacted businesses globally. Despite these challenges, BCFC took decisive steps to strengthen its financial position and set the foundation for sustainable growth. 'The company undertook key strategic initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and drive business performance. As a result, we successfully achieved BD 5 million in profit, with notable growth in our lending portfolio and strong performance in car sales,' Bukhowa stated. Additionally, BCFC demonstrated financial resilience by repaying a substantial portion of matured loans using its own resources, reinforcing its financial stability. Looking ahead to 2025, BCFC is focused on innovation, growth, and reinforcing its core strengths. The company remains committed to introducing new and innovative products while continuing to strengthen risk management and compliance frameworks. 'Our goal is to build on this positive momentum by enhancing our offerings and ensuring operational excellence across all areas. We are dedicated to sustainable growth and long-term success,' Bukhowa affirmed. Looking ahead to 2025, BCFC is focused on innovation, growth, and reinforcing its core strengths. The company remains committed to introducing new and innovative products while continuing to strengthen risk management and compliance frameworks. 'Our goal is to build on this positive momentum by enhancing our offerings and ensuring operational excellence across all areas. We are dedicated to sustainable growth and long-term success,' Bukhowa affirmed.
