Birmingham City nearly had a 55,000 new seater stadium but why plans were plans abandoned? | OneFootball

Birmingham City had plans to build a stadium nearly twice the size of St Andrew's over two decades ago

Currently, Birmingham City are looking forward to the construction of a new 62,000 seater stadium at the heart of Tom Wagner's Sports Quarter project.

But did you know that a stadium close to that size could have already been playing host to Birmingham games for well over a decade?

The Blues had spent the majority of the 2000s in the Premier League, and demand for football in the area was high.

Led by the then-managing director Karen Brady, a "once in a lifetime opportunity" had been set down for a stadium twice the size of St Andrew's to be built to house more fans, and one that meant that local taxpayers didn't need to spend an extra penny.

Las Vegas Sands pledged to build the Blues a new ground, housing between 55,000 and 60,000, if the council allowed them to build a super casino next door. They'd fund the building and then give the ground to the council, who would rent it to Birmingham FC.

It was an exciting prospect, and one which would have given the Blues the fourth-largest stadium in the country at the time, after Wembley, Old Trafford and Anfield.

However, plans broke down, and here's why.

Why Birmingham City didn't receive backing for brand new 55,000 seater stadium

Unfortunately for the football club, the Birmingham council decided against fully backing the Las Vegas Sands bid, instead deciding to throw their funding behind NEC's bid for a super casino in 2006, instead.

Council leader Mike Whitby explained the decision as one that would lead Birmingham to have the best chances of winning the bid, which would in turn provide the funds necessary to construct a City of Birmingham Stadium themselves.

Karen Brady fumed at this decision, saying that "it might have cost" the city the chance at not only having the supercasino, but also the prospect of owning one of the biggest stadiums in the country.

In the end, Birmingham ended up with neither, as Manchester and Blackpool would win the bids, albeit neither of them actually was able to build it after the government scrapped funding.

Nevertheless, a potential missed opportunity for the Blues to heighten their status in the game, and they're ensuring that the same mistake doesn't happen once more nearly two decades later.

Second time's the charm for Birmingham City as 62,000-seater ground close to being approved

Fast-forward nearly 20 years from the City of Birmingham Stadium failing to be built. The Blues haven't played in the Premier League since 2011, and even had a brief stint in League One in the 2024/25 campaign.

However, current owner Tom Wagner has ambitions to not only build a stadium even bigger than the one in 2006, but also improve the city as a whole with his £2.4 billion sports quarter.

The American businessman has complete ownership of the football club now and has been pushing hard for a new 48-acre area which would house training pitches, multiple arenas for the women's team and for concerts and, above all, a groundbreaking new stadium for the men's team.

Wagner has said that the council "are embracing the size of the ambition — they most certainly see the opportunity for the city," which implies that those decision makers for Birmingham are learning from their past mistakes and capitalising on the opportunity to improve the club and the city as a whole.

There'd have been some frustration when Birmingham were unable to secure planning permission for a new ground back in 2006, but there's hope now that, by 2030, they'll have everything they wanted 24 years prior, and possibly even more.