Extreme Football Tourism: ENGLAND: Birmingham FC (1906-1943) / Birmingham City FC (1943-) / Coventry City FC (2019-2021)

St Andrew's, Birmingham (Birmingham City FC, formerly Birmingham FC & Coventry City FC)

England, county: West Midlands

29 XII 2025 / Birmingham City FC - Southampton FC 1-1 / Championship (= ENG level 2)

Timeline

1875 / Foundation of a football club in Birmingham by a group of members of the cricket team based at Holy Trinity Church, to have something to do in the winter months. They adopt the name Small Heath Alliance FC. The new club settles on a piece of waste ground off Arthur Street in the Bordesley Green district of Birmingham – in fact very near the later location of St Andrew’s.
1876 / Moving away from Arthur Street, Small Heath Alliance FC settles on a fenced-off playing field at Ladypool Road in Sparkbrook, a ground with an estimated capacity of 3,000. Because the field was enclosed, admission could be charged.
1877 / Moving away from Ladypool Road, Small Heath Alliance FC settles on a plot of land at Coventry Road in Small Heath, which the club rents from the family of player Sam Gessey. It is situated on the eastern edge of Birmingham’s built-up area, just north of the main road to Coventry. It is bordered on two sides by developed streets: Muntz Street on the western side and Wright Street to the south. Later sources mention the ground as Muntz Street, but contemporaries seem to have referred to the location invariably as Coventry Road. With facilities for players initially being confined to a wooden hut as their changing room, uncovered terracing is added to the set-up, allowing an initial maximum capacity of some 10,000. The new ground is inaugurated on September 11th, 1877, with a 5-0 win over Saltley College FC. A small covered wooden stand was built on the Coventry Road side later on; over the years, the terracing was enlarged to raise total capacity to some 30,000 eventually.
1881 / While no regular league football is played as yet – with ad-hoc matches being organised in the course of the winter season – Small Heath Alliance FC takes part in the FA Cup for the first time.
1883 / Small Heath Alliance FC conquers its first piece of silverware, as the club wins the Walsall Cup final against Wednesbury Old Athletic FC (4-1).
1885 / Small Heath Alliance FC adopts professionalism – with players being allowed to share half of the gate money per match.
1886 / Small Heath Alliance FC reaches the semis of the FA Cup for the first time, with the club suffering defeat at the hands of derby rivals West Bromwich Albion FC in a tie played at Aston Lower Grounds (4-0).
1888 / As Small Heath Alliance FC is passed over for invitation for the newly founded Football League, the club joins the Football Combination instead under an adapted name, Small Heath FC.
1889 / The Football Combination folds before the end of the 1888-89 season due to a lack of organisation. For the 1889-90 season, Small Heath FC becomes a member of a new league association, the Football Alliance.
1892 / Following a third place in the Football Alliance behind Nottingham Forest FC and Newton Heath FC, Small Heath FC accepts the invitation to join the newly created Division 2 of the Football League along with several other Football Alliance clubs.
1893 / In its first season as a Football League club, Small Heath FC conquers the title in Division 2, 1 point ahead of closest rivals Sheffield United FC. However, the club fails to win promotion to Division 1 due to suffering defeat in a play-off against the club placing last in the top flight, Newton Heath FC (6-3 aggr.).
1894 / Runners-up in Football League Division 2, 8 points behind champions Liverpool FC, Small eath FC goes on to win a play-off match against the club in second-last place in Division 1, Darwen FC (3-1). As a result, the club wins promotion to Division 1 for the first time. The successful manager is Alf Jones.
1896 / Managed by Alf Jones, Small Heath FC finishes in second-last place in Football League Division 1, proving unable to stave off relegation in the ensuing round of test matches, in which the club suffers a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool FC, with the subsequent 8-3 away win at Manchester City FC proving insufficient to avoid the drop back into Division 2.
1897 / Small Heath FC purchases the old grandstand of former Aston Villa FC’s Wellington Road ground in Perry Barr. The construction is re-erected piece by piece as a terrace cover behind the goal at the Muntz Street end.
1901 / Runners-up in Football League Division 2, 1 point behind champions Grimsby Town FC, Small Heath FC manages a return to Division 1 after five years. The successful manager is Alf Jones.
1902 / Managed by Alf Jones, Small Heath FC finishes in second-last place in Football League Division 1, thus suffering immediate relegation back into Division 2, along with bottom club Manchester City FC.
1903 / Runners-up in Football League Division 2, 3 points behind champions Manchester City FC, Small Heath FC wins promotion to Division 1. The successful manager is Alf Jones.
1905 / Small Heath FC takes on the new name Birmingham FC.
1906 / Birmingham FC purchases a plot of wet, sloppy wasteland where a disused brickworks used to stand, near St Andrew’s Church, for the purpose of building a new ground there. It is bought at the instigation of club director Harry Morris, although he is not exactly enamoured with the location from the outset, “a wilderness of stagnant water and muddy slopes”, inhabited by gypsies. Nevertheless, the club decides to move here to meet the raised public interest in home games – and with Coventry Road not offering the opportunities for enlargement. Construction works get underway in February 1906, with the design being made by a local carpenter, Harry Pumfrey, and the works carried out under the aegis if builder and club director Thomas Turley. In the following months, three stands are erected; first, there is a grandstand on the north side of the ground, the Garrison Lane side, with 6,000 covered seats, subdivided into six sections, with a paddock in front of it, a terrace offering covered standing to some 5,000 more supporters. Subsequently, a huge embankment is built on the southern and eastern sides of the ground, the Spion Kop – later subdivided into the Kop itself (south) and the Tilton Road end (east), with up to 111 (!) steps of terracing, offering uncovered standing to some 48,000 spectators. Lastly, there is a much smaller open terrace on the western side, the Railway End, offering a place to some 4,000 more spectators, raising total capacity to an estimated 63,000. The playing field is originally surrounded by a cinder running track. The last match at Coventry Road is an encounter against Bury FC, resulting in a 3-1 win in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 on December 22, 1926. Merely four days later, the brand new St Andrew’s is inaugurated by Sir John Holder, with Birmingham FC being held to a goalless draw by Middlesbrough FC subsequently, in front of an estimated crowd of 32,000.
1907 / The old stadium at Coventry Road is knocked down to make way for housing, with a new street being laid out, Swanage Road. St Andrew’s hosts one of the semifinals of the FA Cup, in which The Wednesday FC knocks out Woolwich Arsenal FC (3-1). The venue is chosen three more times to host an FA Cup semi prior to the Second World War, in 1911, 1924, and 1934.
1908 / Finishing bottom of the table in Football League Division 1, Birmingham FC suffers relegation into Division 2 along with the club in second-last place, Bolton Wanderers FC. Alf Jones relinquishes his post as the club’s manager after sixteen years.
1910 / Birmingham FC finishes bottom of the table in Football League Division 2. As no third professional level has been introduced at that point, the club avoids relegation.
1914 / Regular league football is suspended soon after the outbreak of the First World War in the summer of 1914. Birmingham FC supports the war effort by allowing St Andrew’s to be used as a rifle shooting range for military training.
1921 / Champions in Football League Division 2, with an equal number of points as runners-up – and fellow promotion winners – Cardiff City FC, but with a better goal difference (+41 vs. +27), Birmingham FC manages a return to Division 1 after thirteen years. The successful manager is Frank Richards.
1923 / Birmingham centre-forward Joseph ‘Joe’ Bradford wins the first of his 12 caps for the England national team (7 goals).
1931 / Birmingham FC reaches the FA Cup final following successive wins over Liverpool FC, Port Vale FC, Watford FC, Chelsea FC, and Sunderland AFC, but the club misses out on the trophy, as it has to leave the honours to derby rivals West Bromwich Albion FC (2-1 at Wembley Stadium).
± 1934 / Roof constructions are built over the Spion Kop and Railway End terraces.
1935 / After fifteen years with the club, in the course of which he made 414 league appearances (with 249 goals, making him all-time club top scorer), Birmingham City FC centre-forward Joe Bradford leaves the club to spend the last year of his career at Bristol City FC.
1939 / Managed by George Liddell, Birmingham FC finishes in second-last place in Football League Division 1, thus dropping back into Division 2 along with bottom club Leicester City FC. Also in 1939, a record attendance of 66,844 – although other sources mention 67, 341 – flocks to St Andrew’s as Birmingham FC takes on Everton FC in R5 of the FA Cup (2-2).
1941 / St Andrew’s suffers twenty direct hits from a Luftwaffe bombing raid, which destroys the roof of the Spion Kop and badly damages the Railway End. It forces the team to play elsewhere for the time being. Nonetheless, later that same year, in October 1941, St Andrew’s is chosen as the venue for an international match between England and Wales (2-1) attended by an all-ticket crowd of 25,000.
1942 / The grandstand, otherwise known as the Garrison Lane End, of St Andrew’s, in use as a temporary National Fire Service station at the time, burns down in a fire which destroys all of the club’s pre-war record.
1943 / Birmingham FC takes on the adapted name Birmingham City FC. Also in 1943, after two years of playing – its very few matches during the war years – elsewhere, the club returns to St Andrew’s.
1946 / In the emergency league system set up for the first post-war season, Birmingham City FC finishes top of the league in Football League South, with an equal number of points as derby rivals Aston Villa FC, but with a better goal ratio. The successful manager is Harry Storer. Moreover, the club also reaches the semis of the FA Cup, in which the club takes on Derby County FC, drawing the first encounter (1-1 at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield), only to suffer a heavy defeat in the replay (4-0 at Maine Road, Manchester).
1948 / Clinching the title in Football League Division 2, 3 points ahead of runners-up – and fellow promotion winners – Newcastle United FC, Birmingham City FC wins promotion to Division 1. The successful coach is Harry Storer.
1950 / Finishing bottom of the table in Football League Division 1 with manager Bob Brocklebank, Birmingham City FC descends into Division 2 after two years, along with the club in second-last place, Manchester City FC.
1951 / Birmingham City FC reaches the semis of the FA Cup, in which the club takes on Blackpool FC, drawing the first encounter (0-0 at Maine Road, Manchester), only to suffer defeat in the replay (2-1 at Goodison Park, Liverpool). Also in 1951, Birmingham City goalkeeper Gil Merrick wins the first of 23 caps for the England national team.
1952 / Finishing in joint second place in Football League Division 2 with Cardiff City FC, 2 points behind champions Sheffield Wednesday FC, Birmingham City FC misses out on a return to the top flight of English football on goal difference (+ 11 vs. +18 for Cardiff).
1954 / The Garrison Lane Stand, so badly damaged in the 1942 fire, is finally replaced by a new construction. The new main stand boasts a capacity of 5,000 seats, with a terraced paddock still featuring in front of it.
1955 / Champions in Football League Division 2, with an equal number of points as runners-up – and fellow promotion winners – Luton Town FC, but with a better goal difference (+45 vs. +35), Birmingham City FC manages a return to Division 1 after five years. The successful manager is Arthur Turner.
1956 / In the best performance in club history – not taking into account the result in the 1945-46 emergency season – Birmingham City FC finishes in sixth place in Football League Division 1. Moreover, the club reaches the FA Cup final following successive wins over Torquay United FC, West Bromwich Albion FC, Arsenal FC, and Sunderland AFC. However, in the final, played at Wembley Stadium, the club has to leave the honours to Manchester City FC (3-1). Also in 1956, having been invited to play in the 1955-58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Birmingham City FC becomes the first-ever English club to feature in a European competition. Still in that same year, floodlights are inaugurated at St Andrew’s with an international friendly against Borussia Dortmund.
1957 / Birmingham City FC reaches the FA Cup semis, in which the club is knocked out by Manchester United FC in a tie played at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield (2-0). That same year, in May 1957, following a group win over FC Internazionale and a Zagreb XI, Birmingham City FC gets to play the semi-final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in which the club is knocked out by CF Barcelona (4-4 aggr. & replay at the Sankt-Jakob-Park in Basle: 2-1 defeat).
1960 / Being invited to take part in the 1958-60 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Birmingham City FC reaches the final following wins over a Cologne XI in R1 (4-2 aggr), a Zagreb XI in R2 (4-3 aggr), and R Union Saint-Gilloise in the semis (8-4 aggr). In the final, however, the club has to leave the honours to CF Barcelona (4-1 aggr.). Also in 1960, Birmingham City FC goalkeeper Gil Merrick hangs up his boots at the age of 38 after a 21-year-career, spent in its entirety at St Andrew’s; with 485 league matches and 551 matches in total, he has been the club’s appearance record holder until the present day. After ending his playing career, Merrick takes over as the club’s manager straightaway.
1961 / Being invited to take part in the 1960-61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Birmingham City FC reaches the final for the second time in a row, following wins over Újpest Dózsa SC in R1 (5-3 aggr), KB in R2 (9-4 aggr.), and FC Internazionale in the semis (4-2 aggr.). In the final, however, the club has to leave the honours to AS Roma (4-2 aggr.).
± 1962 / A new stand is erected at the Railway End to the same design as the main stand. Also around this time, more than twenty years after the Luftwaffe bombing of the ground, a new roof is constructed over the Spion Kop and the Tilton Road end.
1963 / Following successive wins over Doncaster Rovers FC, Barrow AFC, Notts County FC, Manchester City FC, and Bury FC, Birmingham City FC reaches the final of the League Cup, in which the club sees off derby rivals Aston Villa FC (3-1 aggr.). The successful coach is Gil Merrick.
1964 / After four years as the manager of Birmingham City FC, Gil Merrick relinquishes his post.
1965 / Managed by Joe Mallett, Birmingham City FC finishes bottom of the table in Football League Division 1, thus descending into Division 2 along with the club in second-last place, derby rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.
1968 / Birmingham City FC reaches the semis of the FA Cup, in which the club is knocked out by derby rivals West Bromwich Albion FC in a tie played at Villa Park (2-0).
1972 / Runners-up in Football League Division 2, 1 point behind Norwich City FC, Birmingham City FC wins promotion to Division 1 after an absence of seven years at that level. Moreover, the club also reaches the semis of the FA Cup, in which the club is knocked out by Leeds United FC in a tie played at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield (3-0). Birmingham’s successful manager is Freddie Goodwin.
1974 / After six years with Birmingham City FC (160 league matches, 68 goals), striker Bob Latchford, who had broken into the first team from the club’s youth academy, leaves St Andrew’s to sign a contract with Everton FC. Latchford would go on to have spells at Brisbane Lions FC, Swansea City AFC, NAC, Coventry City FC, Lincoln City FC, Newport Country FC, and Merthyr Tydfil FC, ultimately hanging up his boots in 1987; moreover, Latchford also won 12 caps for the English national team between 1977 and 1979, in which he managed to score 5 goals.
1975 / Birmingham City FC reaches the semis of the FA Cup, in which the club is knocked out by Fulham FC, with the first encounter ending in a draw (1-1 at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield) and the second in a defeat (1-0 at Maine Road, Manchester).
1979 / Managed by Jim Smith, Birmingham City FC finishes in second-last place in Football League Division 1, with the club suffering relegation into Division 2 along with Queens Park Rangers FC and bottom club Chelsea FC. Also in 1979, forward player Trevor Francis, who had made his senior debut for Birmingham City in 1970 from the club’s youth academy, leaves the club after nine years (280 league matches) to sign a deal with Detroit Express. Francis would go on to have spells with Nottingham Forest FC, Manchester City FC, UC Sampdoria, Atalanta BC, Rangers FC, Queens Park Rangers FC, Wollongong City FC, and Sheffield Wednesday FC, eventually hanging up his boots in 1994 at the age of 40. Moreover, Francis earned 52 caps for England (16 goals) between 1977 and 1986, being a member of his country’s squad for the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
1980 / Finishing in third place in Football League Division 2 on goal difference (+20 vs +14 for Chelsea FC), Birmingham City FC manages an immediate return to the top flight along with the clubs in first and second places, Leicester City FC and Sunderland AFC. The successful manager is Jim Smith. Also in 1980, Birmingham City all-time club top scorer Joseph ‘Joe’ Bradford passes away at the age of 79.
1984 / Managed by Ron Saunders, Birmingham City FC finishes in third-last position in Football League Division 1, thus descending into Division 2 after four years, along with Notts County FC and bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.
1985 / Runners-up in Football League Division 2, 2 points behind champions Oxford United FC, Birmingham City FC manages an immediate return to Division 1, along with Oxford and third-placed Manchester City FC. The successful manager is Ron Saunders. Also in 1985, in riots following the last home match at St Andrew’s of the 1984-85 season, an encounter with Leeds United FC – taking place on the same day as the Bradford City stadium fire – more than 500 supporters are injured, while a 15-year-old boy, Ian Hambridge, dies when a wall collapsed.
1986 / Managed by John Bond – the third manager of the club in the course of the 1985-86 season, following in the footsteps of Ron Saunders and caretaker Keith Leonard – Birmingham City FC finishes in second-last place in Football League Division 1, thus suffering immediate relegation into Division 2, along with Ipswich Town FC and bottom club West Bromwich Albion FC.
1987 / St Andrew’s is the venue for the Football League Division 1 play-off final replay, in which Charlton Athletic FC beats Leeds United FC to stay up at that level (att. 15,841).
1989 / Managed by Dave Mackay, who took over from Garry Pendrey in the course of the season, Birmingham City FC finishes in second-last place in Football League Division 2, thus suffering relegation into Division 3 for the first time in club history, along with Shrewsbury Town FC and derby rivals Walsall FC.
1990 / As a result of the Taylor Report, which follows the horrible stadium disaster at Hillsborough Stadium of the previous year, safety regulations are introduced applying to all English stadiums in the two top divisions. As a result, maximum capacity of St Andrew’s is reduced to 26,000, with plans being made to turn the ground into an all-seater.
1992 / Runners-up in Football League Division 3, 1 point behind champions Brentford FC, Birmingham City FC manages a return to the second tier of the English football pyramid – renamed Football League Division 1 for the 1992-93 season following the introduction of the FA Premiership as the new top flight – along with the aforementioned club and play-off winners Peterborough United FC. The successful manager is Terry Cooper.
1994 / Managed by Barry Fry, Birmingham City FC finishes in third-last position in Football League Division 1 on goal difference (-17 vs -9 for derby rivals West Bromwich Albion FC, which avoids the drop), thus descending into Division 2 along with Oxford United FC and bottom club Peterborough United FC. In the 1994 mid-season, the Kop and Tilton Road terraces are demolished; by the start of the 1994-95 season, a new all-seater Tilton Road Stand (capacity 7,000) is ready for use. Later that same year, in November 1994, the new 10,000 capacity Kop Stand, forming a continuous L-shaped single tier stand with the Tilton Road stand, is inaugurated by Baroness Trumpington of the Department of National Heritage, followed by a friendly against Aston Villa FC, attended by some 20,000 spectators.
1995 / Champions in Football League Division 2, 4 points ahead of Brentford FC, Birmingham City FC manages an immediate return to Division 1, along with the aforementioned club and play-off winners Huddersfield Town FC. The successful manager is Barry Fry.
1996 / Former Birmingham City FC star player Trevor Francis returns to the club after seventeen years, becoming the club’s manager.
1999 / Finishing in fourth place in Football League Division 1, Birmingham City FC qualifies for the Premier League promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in the semis by Watford FC (1-1 aggr. & penalty shoot-out). Also in 1999, completing the redevelopment of St Andrew’s into an all-seater stadium, the new Railway Stand is inaugurated, a two-tiered stand, offering a covered seat to some 8,000 supporters. Total capacity of the ground is now at 29,409.
2000 / Finishing in fifth place in Football League Division 1, Birmingham City FC qualifies for the Premier League promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in the semis by Barnsley FC (5-2 aggr.).
2001 / Finishing in fifth place in Football League Division 1, Birmingham City FC qualifies for the Premier League promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in the semis following defeat at the hands of Preston North End FC (4-4 aggr. & penalty shoot-out). That same year, Birmingham also reaches the League Cup final, in which the club suffers defeat against Liverpool FC following a penalty shoot-out (1-1 A.E.T.) in a tie played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. In October 2001, after a spell of more than five years, Trevor Francis is replaced as the manager of the club.
2002 / Finishing in fifth place in Football League Division 1, Birmingham City FC qualifies for the Premier League promotion play-offs, in which the club sees off Millwall FC in the semis (2-1 aggr.), going on to defeat Norwich City FC in the final, played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (1-1 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out). As such, the club wins promotion to the Premier League – heralding a return to the top flight of English football after an absence of sixteen years. The successful coach is former Manchester United FC legend Steve Bruce.
2004 / The first plans for a new stadium for Birmingham City FC on another location in Birmingham are presented, but these plans come to naught.
2006 / Managed by Steve Bruce, Birmingham City FC proves unable to cope with the Premier League level, with the club finishing in third-last place and suffering immediate relegation into the second tier – renamed the Championship for the 2006-07 season – along with West Bromwich Albion FC and bottom club Sunderland AFC.
2007 / Runners-up in the Championship, 2 points behind champions Sunderland AFC, Birmingham City FC manages an immediate return to the Premier League, along with the aforementioned club and play-off winners Derby County FC. The successful coach is Steve Bruce. In November 2007, Bruce is given the sack, with his post as manager being taken over by former Aberdeen FC, Motherwell FC, and Scottish international defender Alex McLeish, who represented his country as a player in the 1982, 1986, and 1990 World Cups.
2008 / Managed by Alex McLeish, Birmingham City FC finishes in second-last place in the Premier League, thus dropping back into the Championship along with Reading FC and bottom club Derby County FC.
2009 / Runners-up in the Championship, 7 points behind champions Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, Birmingham City FC manages an immediate return to the Premier League, along with the aforementioned club and play-off winners Burnley FC. The successful manager is Alex McLeish. Also in 2009, the Railway Stand is officially renamed the Gil Merrick Stand in honour of the club’s appearance record holder and former manager.
2010 / One year after the Railway Stand was named after him, ultimate Birmingham City FC club legend Gil Merrick passes away at the age of 88.
2011 / Managed by Alex McLeish, Birmingham City FC finishes in third-last place in the Premier League, thus descending into the Championship along with Blackpool FC and bottom club West Ham United FC. On the positive side, McLeish leads the club to its second League Cup win; following successive defeats of Rochdale AFC, Milton Keynes Dons FC, Brentford FC, Aston Villa FC, and West Ham United FC, the club goes on to have the better of Arsenal FC in the final (2-1 at Wembley Stadium). Following the relegation, Alex McLeish is replaced by former Tottenham Hotspur FC, West Ham United FC, Brentford FC, and Ireland international defender Chris Hughton (53 caps, part of his country’s Euro 1988 squad).
2012 / Finishing in fourth place in the Championship, Birmingham City FC qualifies for the Premier League promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out Blackpool FC in the semis (3-2 aggr.), only to suffer defeat in the final against West Ham United FC (2-1 at Wembley Stadium). Following the 2011-12 season, manager Chris Hughton leaves the club.
2018 / St Andrew’s is officially renamed St Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium in a sponsorship deal. Subsequent name changes for sponsorship reasons would take place in the following years.
2019 / Birmingham City FC youth academy prodigy, 16-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham, makes his league debut for the club. Also in 2019, as Coventry City FC fails to reach an agreement with the club’s landlords Wasps RFC to continue playing at the Ricoh Arena, this club concludes a groundsharing deal with Birmingham City FC to be allowed to play home matches at St Andrew’s; Coventry City FC plays in Football League Division 1 at the time.
2020 / After only one year in Birmingham City FC’s first team, Jude Bellingham leaves the club to sign a deal with Borussia Dortmund, moving on to Real Madrid CF later on; in November 2020, months after his move to Germany, Bellingham also made his full England debut. Also in 2020, crowning themselves Champions in Football League Division 1, 5 points ahead of closest followers Rotherham United FC, Coventry City FC wins promotion to the Championship, the level at which Birmingham City FC also play, along with Rotherham and play-off winners Wycombe Wanderers FC.
2021 / Following an agreement with Wasps RFC, Coventry City FC leaves St Andrew’s after two years to return to the Ricoh Arena.
2023 / Birmingham City FC legend Trevor Francis passes away at the age of 69.
2024 / Finishing in third-last place in the Championship with manager Gary Rowett – the last of six managers to be in charge of the club in the course of a chaotic season – Birmingham City FC descends into Football League Division 1, the third tier of the English football pyramid, along with Huddersfield Town FC and bottom club Rotherham United FC. Also in 2024, the Shelby Companies Limited (SCL), who became part-owners of the club the year before, acquires a plot of land in Bordesley Green in view of plans for a new stadium. The 48-acre site is the former home of Birmingham Wheels, a local short-track motor racing park.
2025 / Runaway champions in Football League Division 1, 19 points ahead of closest followers Wrexham AFC, Birmingham City FC manages an immediate return to the Championship, along with the aforementioned club and play-off winners Charlton Athletic FC. The successful manager is Chris Davies.
2029 (projected) / Inaugural date of the New Birmingham City Stadium, with a projected capacity of 62,000.