Big update emerges on Birmingham City's £3bn Powerhouse development | OneFootball

Blues are hoping to move into their new home in a developed Sports Quarter by 2031

A fresh update regarding the future development of the Sports Quarter which will house Birmingham City's new home, the Powerhouse, has emerged.

As per Birmingham Live, it has been revealed by Blues' head of infrastructure, Nick Smith, that the multi-billion pound redevelopment project in the Bordesley Green area will no longer house a training facility for the club's men's, women's and academy sides.

The aforementioned plans, which have been drawn up by American investment group, Knighthead Capital Management, have made Birmingham one of the most ambitious and talked-about clubs in English football.

The West Midlands outfit have resided outside the Premier League since May 2011, having finished in the Championship's lower reaches for many of the following seasons, whilst also falling into League One just two years ago.

A 10th-placed finish last season was met with mixed opinions given the continued investment, and whilst spending has been reined in this summer, Blues are still expected, by many, to challenge for a play-off place.

Fresh update emerges over Birmingham City's £3bn Sports Quarter development

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Birmingham have called their current stadium, St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, home since the year 1906, and even in the three years of Knighthead's ownership, the ground has been renovated at a cost of £15m.

Plans for the upcoming Sports Quarter complex at the currently-derelict Birmingham Wheels site were first mentioned in April 2024 by Tom Wagner at an 'open house'.

With the regeneration project set to cost between £2-3bn, images of the new stadium were eventually unveiled to the public in November 2025, whilst it was initially set to be surrounded by retail and commercial hubs, as well as a multi-use training facility.

However, Smith revealed at the latest 'open house' on Thursday that an 80-acre facility would no longer be part of the complex.

“What we found over recent months is that our stadium, The Powerhouse, is starting to get constrained into this corner of the site and being trapped by the canal and the two trainlines. This is driven by the expanding needs of the training centre," he said.

“As we developed the world's leading training centre and the 20 pitches that we had in that training centre, the stadium started to get a little bit constrained.

“We then got to a position where we were able to cost that training centre. That training centre, due to a number of factors, site constraints and other regulations, was coming out three times the most expensive training centre in Europe," he explained.

“I've delivered two of the biggest training centres in the country and I've benchmarked others in Europe - that is not a good thing for our club to be doing.

“We therefore have taken the decision to relocate the training centre, the women's stadium and the youth stadium to an alternative location. We are still completely committed to the investment and creating a world-leading facility but we've taken it away from the Sports Quarter site and we're going to relocate it.”

Birmingham City fans react to fresh Sports Quarter update

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The next major update to the Sports Quarter has, unsurprisingly, been met with plenty of opinions from Blues fans, with some still excited by what the future holds, whilst some still have their reservations.

"I still have doubts the thing is actually going to be built at all. Unless they are making room for more revenue. So basically will be like London stadium. Football stadium next to a shopping centre. No thanks rather stop where we are," said a doutbful Bluenose.

"Good idea for training ground however feel a bit sorry for the women's team to not be involved with playing at sports quarter is a shame. How are they going to grow (if the) site is pushed out of Birmingham???," debated another fan.

"Pity they couldn't of brought land in south Birmingham rather than where its going," another response read.

However, not all were overly concerned, with another fan stating: "I’m sure as most blues fans, I have full faith in all involved to be making the best decisions for the club. Projects like these will always evolve and change over time. I’m sure there’ll be further changes going forward. If anything this just makes the project even bigger."

Birmingham City will hope to marry up their on and off-pitch ambitions

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It has still been reported that Birmingham are hopeful of moving into the Powerhouse by 2031, and that a planning application will be submitted in 2027.

However, it isn't the greatest of surprises that even one change to the plans has created some form of unease, but in the short-term at least, supporters will be more concerned as to whether the club's on-pitch ambitions can be met.

Chris Davies has been heavily backed by Knighthead in terms of support and in the market, but this hasn't stopped speculation over his immediate future from resurfacing at the start of this season after just one loss in seven games.

Next up for Blues is a potentially crucial home clash with Middlesbrough, with Kim Hellberg's side also full of experience and high-profile signings after their play-off disappointment last term.