Birmingham City FC is gearing up for a huge move. No, it hasn’t been promoted to the Premier League, but it has just unveiled plans for its magnificent new ground: Powerhouse Stadium.
The spectacular new stadium will sit on Bordesley Green in the east of the city and will be able to fit 62,000 fans. That’s more the double the capacity of the Blues’ current home, St Andrew’s. Once complete the venue will be the fourth largest club-owned stadium in England, after Old Trafford, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and London Stadium. The club hopes it’ll open in time for the 2030-31 season.
Developed by Heatherwick Studio and MANICA Architecture, the plans for the venue were revealed yesterday in a video starring former B’ham City player Jude Bellingham, NFL star Tom Brady and Peaky Blinders actor Paul Anderson. Twelve chimneys containing staircases and lifts, inspired by the brickworks that once stood on the site, will wrap around stadium. One of the towers will be home to a bar overlooking the city and an immersive storytelling experience.
It’ll have a retractable roof and moveable pitch, meaning it’ll be able to host music concerts, cultural experiences and sporting events like NFL and rugby, as well as football. On top of that, there’ll be a spread of markets, cafés, restaurants, play areas and social spaces to make it a year-round destination.
Tom Wagner, the Birmingham City chair, said: ‘There will be a modern-day, accessible, Colosseum – a sporting venue that will stand tallest in the city, visible for many miles around and permanent home to the football club that bears its name, Birmingham City.
‘It will be a beacon for excellence for Birmingham on the global stage, attracting the very best sporting and entertainment events. It’s the place where the world’s best will want to perform.’
Thomas Heatherwick, founder and design director of Heatherwick Studio, said: ‘Too often, stadiums feel like spaceships that could have landed anywhere, sterilising the surrounding area. This stadium grows from Birmingham itself – from its brickworks, its thousand trades, and the craft at its core.
‘It's also a wholehearted place for the community. The stadium will truly come alive where it meets the ground; a place for play, gathering, and everyday life. The goal is to capture the spirit of the city and give it back to Birmingham.’
ICYMI: All the UK stadiums that will be hosting football matches at Euro 2028.
Plus: The massive north London football stadium that could be getting even bigger.
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