Birmingham City confirm the sale of the women’s team to investment group | OneFootball

Birmingham City have confirmed the sale of their women’s team to Shelby Companies Limited (SCL).

The Championship club, owned by Americans Tom Wagner and Tom Brady, announced that SCL combined with several independent investors to complete the purchase.

SCL has acquired a 97 percent stake in the team, with the remainder purchased by a group of independent investors.

This group includes prominent businesswomen and world-renowned athletes. One of the biggest names on the board is former women’s footballer Karen Carney. 

Another high-profile investor in the Championship club is former World Tennis Association (WTA) number one Kim Clijsters. She won multiple Grand Slam titles during a remarkable tennis career. 

One of her most memorable achievements came at the United States Open. She won the tournament as an unseeded player after stepping away from tennis to become a mother.

Clijsters was also appointed Honorary President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2022.

The acquisition will increase the focus on the women’s team and help it deliver on the club’s stated ambition to compete at the highest levels in the sport.

The new ownership group has decided against making immediate changes, so the current leadership team will continue running the day-to-day operations at the club.

The club’s board: “The ambition is to go beyond anything that Birmingham City Women has achieved before – domestically and internationally. 

“And in the process, inspire a new generation of young girls, who will get the opportunity to perform in the planned women’s stadium within the Birmingham Sports Quarter. 

“This transaction will be a catalyst to make it happen.”