Birmingham City would like England's Lionesses to share their proposed new 'Powerhouse' stadium as the Blues continue their ambitious plans for the £1.2 billion ($1.57bn) new ground, which was officially announced in Thursday. The venue is hoped to be open by the 2030-31 season and could also host the Lionesses, who do not have a permanent home at present.
Lionesses could join Birmingham in £1.2bn new stadium
Reported by , Birmingham’s owners, Knighthead Capital, would like the Lionesses to become one of the long-term tenants of their state-of-the-art new arena. They aim for the stadium to be fully in use all year round, including not only hosting Blues’ home games, but a range of international sports, conferences and boxing fights.
Offering to become the new home of the Lionesses takes these ambitions to a new level, as to make Birmingham synonymous with the two-time European champions would go a long way to raising the profile of the new stadium and attracting a new fanbase to the city’s new 62,000-capacity ground.
Amidst aims to have the stadium opened in less than five years’ time – in time for the 2030-31 season – plans are coming together to see the club’s dream home become a reality in the not-too-distant future.
Birmingham would like to speak to the FA regarding the potential ground-share with the Lionesses, who are not currently tied down to use of Wembley Stadium as are their male counterparts. Sarina Wiegman’s side currently play at Wembley two to three times per year and spend the remainder of their domestic fixtures travelling around other stadiums up and down the country.
Their proposed use of Birmingham’s ‘Powerhouse’ stadium would put an end to this and see the Euro 2025 winners have a new permanent home.
AdvertisementBirmingham City'Fantastic opportunity' – Blues chief speaks on proposed Lionesses share
A senior figure at Birmingham City said of the proposition: "The Lionesses do not have a permanent, or even semi-permanent, home to call their own.
"We believe we are ideally situated to host them.
"It’s less than an hour’s drive from St George’s Park and, once HS2 is operational, we estimate that around 80 per cent of the country will be able to access Birmingham within two hours.
"The Powerhouse presents a fantastic opportunity to showcase the Lionesses in a home they can call theirs which will be accessible to a huge number of people."
Birmingham aim to convince FA ahead of submitting final plans
Birmingham have reportedly told the FA that they will alter their plans for the build to incorporate the Lionesses if they agree to their idea to share the stadium. The current document outlining the plans for the development is currently more than 500 pages long, which reflects the extensive planning which the ambitious Championship club have put into their future home, which they hope will be hosting Premier League football by the time the stadium is fully functional.
The stadium will also offer ‘top-of-the-range corporate packages’ as part of the deal, with the final plans set to be tabled in front of Birmingham City council once a decision has been reached.
With the stadium set to be ‘comfortably the biggest’ within an 80-mile radius of the city, the use of HS2 could also prove influential in the FA’s decision thanks to its ability to attract fans from across the nation with a much-reduced travel time.
Getty/GOALWagner speaks of 'huge milestone'
Chairman and co-owner Tom Wagner told the club’s website of his excitement for the ambitious plans: "This is a huge milestone for Birmingham City Football Club, creating a home for the club that reflects our ambition to compete at the highest level. More than that, the iconic design is a statement of intent for the City of Birmingham and the West Midlands, testament to a region that is on the rise. The stadium draws upon the proud heritage of the West Midlands – a heritage of industry, ingenuity and growth. I believe those same qualities can create a new era of success on and off the field and prosperity for local communities that have been starved of opportunities for too long."