Why Birmingham City's new Sports Quarter is costing so much money | OneFootball

Blues are hoping to move into their new 'Sports Quarter' complex by 2030

Ever since Knighthead Capital Management's takeover of the club, Birmingham City have become one of the most talked-about clubs in the entirety of English football.

Blues have resided outside the Premier League since May 2011, just months after the finest hour in the club's 150-year history as they defeated Arsenal in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium, with owner Tom Wagner hoping to bring top-flight football back to this part of Birmingham for the first time in a generation.

Those dreams were dealt a setback when the club were relegated to League One during the American's first season in the boardroom, but the club and current boss, Chris Davies, responded emphatically with a record-breaking season that saw them hit an EFL high of 111 points.

As well as returning to the Championship with an array of 'statement' signings, the summer of 2025 was also huge in determining the club's lofty plans for a 62,000-seater stadium and 'Sports Quarter' complex just a stone's throw away from St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

With that being said, Football League World has investigated exactly why the cost of the regeneration project is set to be in the region of £2-3bn.

Plans for a new stadium in East Birmingham first surfaced in April 2024, when it was confirmed that Knighthead had acquired 48 acres worth of land on the currently derelict 'Birmingham Wheels' BMX track for a reported £51m.

A further 12 acres were subsequently purchased, with it being documented that land up to Tilton Road - which one of the stands at St. Andrew's takes its name from - had also been bought by Knighthead ahead of the planned Sports Quarter development.

Wagner had continuously spoken about the urgency to redevelop the East Birmingham community, with the redevelopment set to create approximately 8,400 job opportunities for locals in the City of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, and such plans were effectively green-lighted in June when a £1bn tramline extension from the then-redeveloped Curzon Street station through the complex and out through the Coventry Road-centered region of the city towards Birmingham Airport was also approved.

As leading stadium architects continue to battle for the eventual commission, it is expected that the aforementioned stadium will include features such as a retractable pitch to also host further sporting and non-sporting events, as well as an adjacent indoor arena, a 19-pitch training complex which will house Blues' men's first-team, women's first-team and the relevant academy groups, as well as further local commercial and retail opportunities.

Once completed, it is set to span an approximate total of 135 acres, which is 55 greater than that of the Etihad Campus owned by Manchester City.

The whole of Birmingham has been crying out for Tom Wagner's ambitious redevelopment plans

Ever since taking control of the club, Wagner has immersed himself in the local community and its culture, which is a far cry from the communication showcased by previous ownership groups.

With NFL icon Tom Brady also on board as a minority stakeholder, the club's current and long-term ambition knows no limits, with many tipping the new stadium to play host to many transatlantic sporting events as a result, many of which would have previously been played in other cities across the country due to a lack of investment and a damaged reputation.

This also comes at a time when Birmingham's bitter rivals, Aston Villa, have seen their expansion plans for Villa Park approved by local authorities.

In the short-term, it is down to Davies and his players to assert themselves as a dominant force in the Championship without getting too far ahead of themselves, although Bluenoses can certainly be forgiven for thinking in the opposite manner after several false dawns in the past.