Birmingham City F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Birmingham City Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Blues | ||
| Founded | 1875 as Small Heath Alliance | ||
| Ground | St Andrew's | ||
| Capacity | 29,409 | ||
| Owner |
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| Chairman | Tom Wagner | ||
| Manager | Chris Davies | ||
| League | Championship | ||
| 2018–19 | Championship, 17th of 24 | ||
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Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football team from Birmingham, England. The club started in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance. Over the years, its name changed to Small Heath (1888), Birmingham (1905), and finally Birmingham City (1943). The team currently plays in the EFL Championship, which is the second-highest league in English football.
Birmingham City, known as Small Heath back then, was one of the first teams in the Football League Second Division. They even won the first championship of that league! The club's most successful time was in the 1950s and early 1960s. They finished sixth in the top league in the 1955–56 season and reached the 1956 FA Cup final. Birmingham also played in two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup finals, in 1960 and 1961. They were the first English club to reach a major European final.
The team has won the League Cup twice, in 1963 and 2011. Birmingham City has spent about half of its history in the top division of English football. They also won the Football League Trophy twice when they were in the third division.
St Andrew's, now called St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, has been their home stadium since 1906. Birmingham City has a big rivalry with their close neighbours, Aston Villa. This match is called the Second City derby. The club's nickname is the Blues because of their blue uniform, and their fans are called Bluenoses.
Contents
Club History
Early Days: Starting Strong (1875–1943)
Birmingham City began as Small Heath Alliance in 1875. From 1877, they played their home games at Muntz Street. In 1885, the club became professional. Three years later, they were the first football club to become a company with a board of directors, under the name Small Heath F.C. Ltd.
From the 1889–90 season, they played in the Football Alliance. In 1892, Small Heath joined the new Football League Second Division. They won the championship that season! The next year, they moved up to the First Division. In 1905, the club changed its name to Birmingham Football Club. They moved to their new home, St Andrew's Ground, in 1906.
The team was relegated in 1908 and stayed in the Second Division until after the First World War. In 1920–21, with Frank Womack as captain and Johnny Crosbie creating chances, Birmingham won their second Division Two title. Womack played 515 games, a club record for an outfield player. Joe Bradford also joined in 1920 and scored a club record 267 goals.
In 1931, manager Leslie Knighton led the club to their first FA Cup final, but they lost 2–1 to West Bromwich Albion. Birmingham stayed in the top league for 18 seasons, often relying on goalkeeper Harry Hibbs to save goals. They were relegated in 1939, just before the Second World War stopped league football.
Post-War Success: Winning Trophies (1943–1965)
The name Birmingham City F.C. was adopted in 1943. After the war, under manager Harry Storer, the club won the Football League South wartime league. They also reached the semi-final of the first post-war FA Cup. Two years later, they won their third Second Division title, letting in very few goals.
When Arthur Turner became manager in November 1954, he helped the team play much better. They won the championship on the last day of the 1954–55 season. In their first season back in the top division, Birmingham finished sixth, their highest league position ever. They also reached the FA Cup final, losing 3–1 to Manchester City. The next season, they lost in the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester United's "Busby Babes".
Birmingham was the first English club to play in a European competition, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in 1956. They reached the semi-final. They were also the first English club to reach a European final, losing to Barcelona in the 1960 Fairs Cup final and to A.S. Roma in 1961. In the 1961 semi-final, they beat Internazionale both home and away.
Gil Merrick's team played their best in cup competitions. In the 1963 League Cup final, they beat local rivals Aston Villa 3–1 to win their first major trophy. In 1965, after ten years in the top league, they went back down to the Second Division.
Ups and Downs: New Owners (1965–1993)
Businessman Clifford Coombs became chairman in 1965. He brought Stan Cullis out of retirement to manage the club. Cullis's team played exciting football and reached cup semi-finals. Later, Freddie Goodwin led the team to promotion and another FA Cup semi-final.
In 1978, Jim Smith took over as manager. The club sold Trevor Francis to Nottingham Forest for £1 million, making him the first player to be transferred for such a high fee. Francis had scored 133 goals for Birmingham. Smith quickly got Birmingham back to the First Division.
The club faced tough times in the 1980s. They were relegated in 1984. The last home game of the 1984–85 promotion season, against Leeds United, had some crowd trouble. By 1989, Birmingham was in the Third Division for the first time.
In 1989, the Kumar brothers bought the club. There were many manager changes and money problems. The club's only success was winning the Associate Members' Cup at Wembley. Terry Cooper helped the team get promoted. However, the Kumars' businesses faced problems, and the club was put up for sale in 1992.
New Beginnings: Promotion to Premier League (1992–2007)
In March 1993, Sport Newspapers owner David Sullivan bought the club for £700,000. He appointed 23-year-old Karren Brady as managing director. The team avoided relegation that season. After a poor start to the 1993–94 season, Cooper was replaced by Barry Fry.
Fry's first full season brought promotion back to the second tier. They also won the Football League Trophy against Carlisle United, completing a "lower-league Double." After one more year, Fry was replaced by the returning Trevor Francis.
Francis's team, with experienced players like Steve Bruce, nearly reached the play-offs in 1998. They then lost in the play-off semi-finals three years in a row. They reached the 2001 League Cup final against Liverpool at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Birmingham scored in the last minute to tie, but lost in a penalty shoot-out.
In October 2001, Trevor Francis left. Steve Bruce returned as manager and quickly improved the team. He led them from mid-table to the play-offs, where they beat Norwich City on penalties in the final. This secured their promotion to the Premier League.
With the help of Christophe Dugarry, Birmingham finished in the middle of the Premier League table in their first season back. Mikael Forssell's 17 goals helped them finish in the top half in 2003–04. However, injuries and a lack of new players led to relegation in 2005–06. Bruce's new plan, bringing in experienced free agents and young players, helped them get promoted automatically at the end of the next season.
Chinese and American Ownership (2007–Present)
In July 2007, Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung bought a large share of the club. Manager Bruce left, and Alex McLeish took over. McLeish couldn't stop relegation, but he got the team promoted back to the Premier League right away. Yeung's company took full control in 2009. The team finished ninth, their highest position in 51 years.
In 2011, they won their second League Cup, beating favourites Arsenal 2–1. This win qualified them for the Europa League. However, they were also relegated back to the second tier that same season. McLeish then left to join Aston Villa.
Birmingham almost reached the knockout rounds of the Europa League and the play-off final. Due to financial difficulties, manager Chris Hughton left. Under Lee Clark, Birmingham stayed in the division twice. In 2014, they avoided relegation on goal difference with a last-minute goal by Paul Caddis. Clark was dismissed in October 2014.
Gary Rowett made the team more stable. He led them to two tenth-place finishes. However, new owners Trillion Trophy Asia controversially replaced him with Gianfranco Zola. Zola's time was difficult, with only two wins in 24 matches. Harry Redknapp then took over and helped the team avoid relegation.
Redknapp left after a month, and his assistant Steve Cotterill lasted five months. Garry Monk then successfully fought another relegation battle. Despite money limits and a nine-point penalty for breaking league rules, the team finished 17th in 2018–19. Monk was sacked, and Pep Clotet took over. In the 2019–20 season, the club again avoided relegation.
Young star Jude Bellingham was sold to Borussia Dortmund for a club-record fee, reportedly up to £30 million. After this, Aitor Karanka and Lee Bowyer managed the team. In 2023, John Eustace became manager.
In July 2023, Shelby Companies Ltd, led by Tom Wagner, bought a controlling share in the club and full ownership of the stadium. Former Manchester City CEO Garry Cook joined as CEO. American football star Tom Brady also became a minority owner, bringing a lot of attention to the club.
In October 2023, Eustace was sacked. Wayne Rooney became manager, but after only two wins in 15 matches, he was replaced by Tony Mowbray. Mowbray's health issues led to Gary Rowett returning as interim manager. Despite Rowett's efforts, Birmingham was relegated to League One after 29 years in higher divisions. However, they quickly returned to the Championship by winning the League One title in the 2024–25 season. They also reached the 2025 EFL Trophy final but lost 2–0 to Peterborough United.
Team Colours and Badge
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| Small Heath Alliance original kit |
The first members of Small Heath Alliance chose blue as their colour. In the early days, they wore any blue shirt they had. Their first official uniform was a dark blue shirt with a white sash and white shorts. Over time, they tried different blue designs. The royal blue shirt with a white "V" became popular during the First World War and was used until the late 1920s.
Even though the design changed, royal blue remained the main colour. In 1971, they used a "penguin" strip, which was royal blue with a wide white panel in the middle. This lasted for five years. Since then, they usually wear plain royal blue shirts. Shorts have been blue or white, and socks are usually blue, white, or a mix. Away kits often use white, yellow, red, or black.
Some kits were quite unusual. The 1992 kit, sponsored by Triton Showers, had blue material with colourful splashes, looking like a shower curtain! The home shirt only had stripes once, in 1999, with narrow blue and white stripes on the front.
When the club changed its name to Birmingham in 1905, it used the city's coat of arms as its badge. This badge wasn't always on the shirts. In the 1970s, the "penguin" shirt had the letters "BCFC" on the chest. In 1972, a competition was held to design a new badge. The winning design, a globe and ball with the club's name and founding date, was adopted in 1976.
The club often changes its kit supplier. The first sponsor to have its name on the shirt was Ansells brewery in 1983. Other sponsors over the years have included Co-op Milk, Triton Showers, Auto Windscreens, Phones 4u, Flybe, F&C Investments, RationalFX, EZE Group, Nicolites, Zapaygo, 888sport, and BoyleSports.
In 2020, the club announced a four-year deal with Nike for kits. For the 2024–25 season, the home kit is royal blue with white trim and a white strip across the front, featuring the logo of their partner, Undefeated.
Stadiums
Small Heath Alliance first played on open land near Arthur Street. As more people came to watch, they moved to a fenced field in Ladypool Road, where they could charge for entry. A year later, they moved to a field next to Muntz Street in Small Heath. This ground could hold about 10,000 people. The capacity grew to 30,000, but it became too small for big matches.
Director Harry Morris found a new site for a stadium in Bordesley Green, about 1 km from Muntz Street. This area used to be a brickworks. The new stadium was built in less than a year and opened on Boxing Day 1906. Heavy snow almost stopped the opening game. The stadium is said to have been cursed by gypsies who were moved from the site, but there's no proof of this.
St Andrew's originally held 75,000 people, with 4,000 seats. By 1938, the official capacity was 68,000. The record attendance was set in February 1939, with over 66,000 fans watching an FA Cup game against Everton. During the Second World War, the stadium was badly damaged by bombs. The Main Stand burned down when a firefighter accidentally used petrol instead of water.
The new Main Stand had a special roof design that meant fewer pillars blocking views. Floodlights were added in 1956. By the early 1960s, more stands were built, and the stadium capacity was about 55,000.
After reports on stadium safety in the 1980s, St Andrew's capacity was set at 28,235. The stadium needed to be updated to have all seats. After the 1993–94 season, the standing areas were removed. New seated stands were built, including the 7,000-seat Tilton Road Stand and the 9,500-seat Kop. The 8,000-seat Railway Stand followed in 1999. Ten years later, it was renamed the Gil Merrick Stand, after a club legend. In 2021, the stadium capacity was 29,409.
In 2004, there was a plan to build a "sports village" with a new 55,000-seat stadium. This plan depended on getting a license for a super casino, which didn't happen. The club still has permission to rebuild the Main Stand.
In 2013, St Andrew's was listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). This means if the club wants to sell the stadium, the local community has a chance to make their own bid. In 2018, the stadium was renamed St Andrew's Trillion Trophy Stadium for sponsorship reasons.
The lower parts of the Tilton and Kop stands were closed for repairs for almost three years, reopening in November 2023. In 2024, the stadium was renamed St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park. This is part of the owners' plan to create a "Sports Quarter" in Birmingham.
Supporters
Birmingham City fans see Aston Villa as their main rivals because they are geographically close. They play in the Second City derby. Other rivalries include Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion.
Birmingham supporters are often called "Bluenoses." There's a public sculpture near the stadium called Sleeping Iron Giant, which has had its nose painted blue many times. From 1994 to 1997, the club mascot was a blue nose! Now, it's a dog named Beau Brummie, a fun name related to Birmingham.
Many supporters' clubs are connected to the football club, both in England and other countries. Fans have also helped the club financially in tough times, contributing money to buy players. A supporters' trust was formed in 2012 to give fans a voice.
There have been several fan magazines, called fanzines. Made in Brum is one that has been regularly sold. The Zulu fanzine ran for many seasons. The hooligan firm linked to the club, the Zulu Warriors, was known for having members from different backgrounds.
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The fans' special song is "Keep Right On To The End of the Road". It was adopted during the 1956 FA Cup campaign. Player Alex Govan helped make the song popular by singing it on the team bus and mentioning it in an interview. He said it was the proudest moment of his life when fans started singing it during a semi-final match.
Club Ownership
Small Heath F.C. became a company in 1888. Its first shares were worth £650. Local business people and important figures were on the board until 1965, when Clifford Coombs bought the club. By the mid-1980s, the club had money problems. Ken Wheldon took control, cutting costs and selling assets like the training ground.
Wheldon then sold the club to the Kumar brothers. The club's debt kept growing. When the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) collapsed, the Kumars' businesses faced problems. The club was managed by administrators for four months until Sport Newspapers owner David Sullivan bought most of the shares for £700,000 in March 1993. Birmingham City plc, which included the football club, was listed on the stock market in 1997, raising £7.5 million.
In July 2007, Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung bought 29.9% of the club's shares. His company, Grandtop International Holdings Limited (GIH), completed the full purchase in October 2009 for £81.5 million. They changed the holding company's name to Birmingham International Holdings (BIH).
Trading in BIH shares was stopped in June 2011 after Yeung was arrested. Financial results were delayed, leading the Football League to stop the club from buying new players. Offers to buy the club started coming in from 2012. After Yeung resigned in 2014, share trading restarted.
In June 2015, the club's administrators made deals with previous shareholders. This led to Trillion Trophy Asia (TTA), owned by Chinese businessman Paul Suen Cho Hung, buying 50.64% of BIH's shares in October 2016.
To help the company, TTA arranged loans. To reduce the club's financial losses and follow league rules, the stadium was sold for £22.8 million to a new company owned by the football club's parent company. The club then leased the stadium back. In 2020, part of the club and stadium were sold to Oriental Rainbow. In April 2021, the remaining 75% of the stadium was sold.
In April 2023, Birmingham Sports Holdings announced plans to sell shares in the club and the stadium to Shelby Companies Ltd. This company is a part of Knighthead Capital Management, led by Tom Wagner. The deal was approved by the English Football League (EFL) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE). On July 13, 2023, shareholders voted to accept the deal. Even though Birmingham Sports Holdings still owns 51% of the shares, Wagner confirmed that Shelby is now "responsible for the operations of the club."
Club Honours
Birmingham City has won several important trophies:
League Titles
- Second Division / First Division / Championship (Level 2)
- Champions: 1892–93, 1920–21, 1947–48, 1954–55
- Runners-up: 1893–94, 1900–01, 1902–03, 1971–72, 1984–85, 2006–07, 2008–09
- Play-off winners: 2002
- Third Division / Second Division / League One (Level 3)
- Champions: 1994–95, 2024–25
- Runners-up: 1991–92
Cup Wins
- FA Cup
- Runners-up: 1930–31, 1955–56
- Football League Cup
- Winners: 1962–63, 2010–11
- Runners-up: 2000–01
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
- Runners-up: 1958–60, 1960–61
- Associate Members' Cup / Football League Trophy / EFL Trophy
- Winners: 1990–91, 1994–95
- Runners-up: 2024–25
- Birmingham Senior Cup
- Winners: 1905
Small Heath first played in the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1878–79. They won it for the first time in 1905, beating West Bromwich Albion 7–2. This cup became less important as league games increased.
- Football League South (Wartime)
- Champions: 1945–46
Before the Football League restarted in 1946–47, teams played in regional leagues. Birmingham won the Football League South title in 1945–46. They won it on the last day of the season by a very small margin!
Club Records and Statistics
Birmingham's highest league finish was sixth place in the top division in 1955–56. Frank Womack holds the record for most league appearances, playing 491 matches between 1908 and 1928. Gil Merrick played 551 games in all competitions, a club record. The player who earned the most international caps while at the club is Maik Taylor with 58 for Northern Ireland.
The club's top goal scorer is Joe Bradford, with 267 goals in total between 1920 and 1935. No other player has scored as many. Walter Abbott holds the record for most goals in a single season, with 42 goals in 1898–99.
Birmingham's biggest league win was 12–0, which they achieved three times. They have lost a league match by eight goals on eight occasions. Their record FA Cup win was 10–0 against Druids in 1899. Their biggest FA Cup defeat was 7–0 at home to Liverpool in 2006.
The highest attendance at a Birmingham home game was on February 11, 1939, for an FA Cup tie against Everton. It was either 66,844 or 67,341 fans. The highest transfer fee received for a Birmingham player was for Jude Bellingham in July 2020, reportedly £25 million, making him the most expensive 17-year-old in world football. The highest fee paid by Birmingham was for Jay Stansfield in August 2024, reported to be between £10 million and £15 million.
Players
First-Team Squad
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Players on Loan
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Reserves and Academy
Retired Numbers
The club decided to retire the number 22 shirt in honour of Jude Bellingham. He was the club's youngest player to debut and score a goal. He played a full season before becoming Birmingham's record transfer. The club retired his number to remember his talent and hard work, hoping to inspire other young players.
Birmingham City Women
Birmingham City Ladies Football Club started in 1968. They moved up through the leagues and joined the FA Women's Premier League in 2002. In 2005, the men's club stopped giving them money, but a personal donation kept the women's team going. They rejoined Birmingham City in 2010 and were one of the first teams in the FA WSL. They won the FA Women's Cup in 2012.
In 2012, they finished second in the FA WSL, which meant they could play in the 2013–14 Champions League. They reached the semi-final of that competition! When TTA took over Birmingham City F.C. in 2016, the women's club became a full part of the organization. It was officially renamed Birmingham City Women in 2018.
Club Officials
Owners:
- Birmingham Sports Holdings 51.7%
- Shelby Companies Ltd 45.96%
Board:
- Chairman: Tom Wagner
- CEO: Jeremy Dale (interim)
- Directors: Matthew Alvarez • Andrew Shannahan • Kyle Kneisly • Wenqing Zhao • Gannan Zheng
Football Staff:
- Director of football: Craig Gardner
- Manager: Chris Davies
- Assistant manager: Ben Petty
- Coaching staff: Tom Huddlestone • Nathan Gardiner
- Goalkeeper coach: Maik Taylor
- Head of physical performance: Sean Rush
Managers
Gil Merrick was the first Birmingham manager to win a major trophy, the League Cup in 1963. Merrick also led the club to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final in 1961, following Pat Beasley who had done the same in 1960. Leslie Knighton took the club to the final of the FA Cup in 1931. Arthur Turner also reached the FA Cup final in 1956 and led the club to its highest league finish, sixth place in the 1955–56 First Division.
Birmingham reached the 2001 Football League Cup Final under Trevor Francis. His successor, Steve Bruce, helped the club get promoted to the Premier League twice. Birmingham won the League Cup for the second time under Alex McLeish in 2011. The manager who won the 1966 World Cup, Sir Alf Ramsey, briefly managed the club in 1977.
See also
In Spanish: Birmingham City Football Club para niños
