Wayne Rooney finally got that elusive first win as the new manager of Birmingham City at the weekend. He has been quick to back up the poor results so far under his leadership, saying that the project is very much long term and that the results will come, and then catch fire.
This project is something that the new owners are clearly looking at, and there is renewed talk of how the club could move away from its St. Andrews roots. This is something that club CEO Garry Cook has been asked about and given an honest answer to.
Moving a club, or even a rebuild on current ground, is always a divisive subject with fans. Some will be sad to see an old friend go, others will be refreshed by it. The second city has often been overlooked when new builds have been talked about, indeed some would have preferred a new national stadium in the Midlands.
New Stadium Project?
Now though, with Tom Wagner and his American friends having started a new phase at City, talk has inevitably turned to talk of a new ground. In the meantime, the new regime has said they will do what they can to make their current home better.
This will in turn increase revenue and serve the playing budget well. Which will suit Rooney as he aims to move the team back up the table. A completely new stadium will also be a huge benefit to the team, the club in general, and the community.
Cook was talking to Birmingham Live. “This stadium (St. Andrews) was built many years ago and the lifestyle was very different. There weren’t as many cars on the road, there weren’t as many buses on the road, or trains. People used to walk to the stadium from the local vicinity.
“One of the challenges now in modern sports is that your sports arena has to be multi-functional, it has to create lots of revenue – not just from tickets, but from hospitality – and if you look at this environment, it’s very difficult to do that.
“What we have got to make some decisions on is what do we do to grow our revenue? We talked a bit about commercial partners, hospitality and ticketing and all those elements that make you a great club, but it’s a difficult one when your stadium was built in the 20s and 30s.
“If you look at the journey that we are on, we’re on the journey of fixing the football club, we’re on the journey of a desire to compete with the very best in the country – and we know what that looks like – but the ultimate goal is to be the beacon for Birmingham and if you go on that pathway, it’s professionally naïve not to think about the next 10 years. Where we will be in 10 years is still debatable and it’s still being worked on. But it would be fair to say that if growth is part of the agenda then we should always be looking at our options.”
Writer’s View
Too often we hear the phrase ‘sleeping giant’ when it comes to football clubs in the EFL. Birmingham City may not come exactly under that umbrella but with the huge catchment area they have, albeit fighting for support with other large fan bases, they will fancy themselves as being a big club.
The new owners are talking a very good game, and of course, success is largely driven by what is on the field, no pressure then on Mr. Rooney! The ambition is there though, and with that, a hunger comes, a desire to succeed. Should they choose to build a new stadium, then it shows that they could well be a major force in years to come.
