TOM SETS AMBITIOUS TIMESCALE FOR MOVE
BIRMINGHAM City owner Tom Wagner says he wants the club’s multi-billion pound stadium complex finished within five years.
The Blues - currently in a Championship relegation battle have purchased a 48acre site in Bordesley and intend to build a sprawling ‘Sports Quarter’ that will rival Manchester City’s Etihad complex.
The new stadium will be around a mile away from St Andrew’s, the club’s home for more than a century.
“My timeframe is lunacy but we’d like to get this completed in five years,” said Wagner, a $9bn hedge fund chief whose Knighthead group completed their takeover last July.
“That is the perfect world if everyone works with us at the same pace we’re willing to work. I’m going to keep saying that even though it makes everyone around me sweat. A lot of it is outside our control but that’s the goal.”
The American financier says the development will ultimately cost “between two and three billion pounds” and encompass far more than football.
“To understand why we’re doing this you need a sense of the whole vision,” he added. “This isn’t about a stadium. This is about a Sports Quarter so what does that mean?
“That’s a stadium, that’s a training ground for men’s, women’s and the academy teams in one location.
“It also brings in other entertainment options, all of which are currently being worked out. I can see hospitality in there which is hotels, restaurants. There’s a new thing called ‘eatertainment’ where you combine the two things.
“When you look at the fact this new site is in walking distance of the city centre, that’s a one-off in European football. No other team has a stadium, an academy, or other entertainment venue in a single location within walking distance of the city centre.
“It brings us into the heart of Birmingham and a big part of this project from the very beginning was to have Birmingham City as an embedded part of the city.”
Wagner said relegation to League One would have no impact on his stadium plans.
“Not at all,” he said. “First and foremost, let’s stay positive. We have got a lot of confidence in our side and their ability to play out the rest of the season.
“But it’s also important to note that when we are making a commitment to pursue a multi-billion pound development, we cannot think about what the next few weeks hold. We have to think longer term.”