Twist emerges in Birmingham City new stadium saga - they could be groundsharing | OneFootball

A new update has emerged involving Birmingham City's planned 62,000-seater stadium

Birmingham City's plans to vacate St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for a new, state-of-the-art 62,000-seater stadium moved forward last month when the club officially unveiled stunning images of what Blues' next home will look like.

The ground, which has been given the name of 'The Powerhouse Stadium', is set to be the centre-piece of a sensational mutli-billion-pound project encompassing the construction of a new Sports Quarter, with a women's stadium and various entertainment venues also planned to feature in Knighthead's most stunning and ambitious venture since taking over the Second City outfit in 2023.

As it stands, the stadium would be the fourth-largest ground in the Premier League behind the homes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, serving as a telling reminder of Birmingham's immediate and long-term ambitions.

And supporters were purring when, last month, the club unveiled images of exactly how The Powerhouse Stadium will appear. Featuring no fewer than 12 chimneys, a tribute to the city's industrial history which will help the ground to be visible from up to 40 miles away, alongside a roof and a steep structure designed to lift the home atmosphere, Bluenoses lapped up the reveal in an announcement that included cameos from the likes of Jude Bellingham and Peaky Blinders star Arthur Shelby.

Tom Wagner and Tom Brady also featured in the announcement, with the latter stating that NFL matches will be staged at Blues' new home in the future. However, another sport could also be making its way to The Powerhouse Stadium.

Groundsharing twist emerges with Birmingham City's new 62,000-seater stadium - it involves rugby

That's because Birmingham could find themselves groundsharing once the ribbon is officially cut on their new ground, which is scheduled to open ahead of the 2030/31 campaign.

Image supplied through Grayling

By that stage, of course, Birmingham will intend on being back in the Premier League, and indeed among English football's very best, such is the ambition held by Wagner and co.

A fresh twist involving the new stadium has emerged, however, which could see top-flight English club rugby contested at The Powerhouse Stadium in a groundsharing exercise.

As per a recent report from The Guardian, the RFU (Rugby Football Union) has been approached about the possibility of a top team being based in Birmingham as part of Blues' multipurpose stadium project. At this moment in time, Birmingham's top rugby club is Birmingham Moseley, who are struggling in the third-tier, although it remains unclear whether any sides could relocate in the future.

Given just how impressive Birmingham's Sports Quarter project is as a whole, along with the factor of the stadium being a multipurpose venue which the club intend on hosting NFL matches, it's perhaps no surprise to see it mooted as a potential option for rugby fixtures.

Just how Knighthead feel about this, however, is not clear right now.

Birmingham City have groundshared previously amid 62,000-seater stadium revelation

Birmingham, of course, are no strangers to groundsharing, with Coventry City having spent the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns playing down the road in B9.

This came amid the Sky Blues' extensive dispute with stadium owners Wasps, with the rugby side owning the ground and Coventry being forced to play elsewhere as a result.

Both clubs have come on leaps and bounds both on and off-the-pitch since then, however, and the Sky Blues, back playing their football at the now-named CBS Arena, appear poised to gain promotion to the Premier League this season.