Birmingham City claim made on what new 62,000-seater stadium might be called - "It is business" | OneFootball

Birmingham City are planning to sell the naming rights for their new stadium

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City are open to selling the naming rights to their new stadium.

Exciting times are on the horizon for Blues, after it was recently announced that Knighthead Capital Management had completed their majority acquisition of the club two-and-a-half years after initially investing.

Owner Tom Wagner has grand plans for the Second City side, which have been embodied inside the £3 billion Sports Quarter project. This is a brand-new development in the east of the city which will encompass a 62,000-seater stadium, training ground and academy facility, plus entertainment, office, residential and retail spaces.

Their new stadium will take inspiration from Birmingham’s industrial past in its design and should provide them with a necessary component to compete at the highest level of English football, which is Wagner’s ultimate aim for the club.

Birmingham City backed over new stadium naming rights stance

Blues’ owner recently revealed that naming rights for their new stadium will be auctioned off to the highest bidder, much in the fashion of clubs such as Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City.

Although this does bring more capital into the club, it also removes some of the traditional aspects surrounding stadiums, which can be so special to supporters.

With this in mind, Football League World’s Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, supports his club’s decision, citing the financial nature of modern football as the biggest reason why Blues have decided to go down this avenue.

“It brings money into the club, doesn't it?” stated Jason. “The way football's going, it is a business. So, you can't not act that way.

“So, they can call it whatever they want, to be fair. Whatever brand wants to come and bid the most, we'll call it whatever you want.

“It'll be a bit sad losing St Andrew's name, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm not going to lose that much sleep because we're going to have a cracking stadium and it's going to be top of the range.

“At the end of the day, it's a name. Who cares? People are going to know it's Birmingham City's home.”

Birmingham City need as much revenue as possible to compete at the top of English football

Birmingham City have lofty ambitions under their new owners, which are ultimately to compete at the top of English football.

That is a task easier said than done, as the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea enjoy the infrastructure and income at this moment in time to preserve their advantage.

The only way Blues will be able to eventually catch up is by sustainably producing revenue as a club, and a large amount of this money can come in the form of a naming rights deal.

If there is a glaringly obvious way for the Second City side to make more money, they have to take it, as it provides them with more resources to fight at the top of English football sooner.

Without having to sell off their best players every few years, a fate the likes of Newcastle United and Aston Villa have struggled with, Birmingham must use their sports quarter and the commercial opportunities that come with it to grow organically.