St Andrew's (stadium)

History

Former grounds

Main article: Muntz Street

Small Heath Alliancethe original name of Birmingham City Football Clubplayed their first home games on waste ground off Arthur Street, in the Bordesley Green district of Birmingham, very near the site where St Andrew's would be built. In 1876, they made a temporary move to a fenced-off field in Ladypool Road, Sparkbrook, with an estimated capacity of 3,000 spectators; because the field was enclosed, admission could be charged. Interest in the team grew, and a year later they moved again, this time to a rented field in Small Heath, situated on the eastern edge of Birmingham's built-up area, just north of the main road to Coventry. This ground, which became known as Muntz Street, had four sides of open terracing, a small covered wooden stand, and a changing-room for the players. When first opened it could hold approximately 10,000 spectators. but several thousand more climbed walls or forced turnstiles to gain entry. The landlords refused to sell the freehold of the ground, nor would they permit major extensions to be made. As the board of directors estimated that staying at Muntz Street was costing the club £2,000 a year (£ at today's prices), they began the search for an alternative site.

Construction

Director Harry Morris identified a site for a new ground in Bordesley, some three-quarters of a mile (1 km) from Muntz Street towards the city centre. Covering an area of 7.5 acres, bounded by Cattell Road, Coventry Road, Tilton Road, Garrison Lane and the railway, and near St Andrew's church, the site was where a brickworks had once operated. Though Morris described the land itself as "a wilderness of stagnant water and muddy slopes", the Sporting Mail considered it "very favourably situated for obtaining easy communication with the city and many of the suburbs, and will be served by an excellent service of electric cars [trams], while the provision of a railway station close at hand is also considered as within the bounds of possibility."

The club took the land on a 21-year lease, and entrusted the role of surveyor and engineer to a local carpenter, Harry Pumfrey, who despite a lack of qualifications produced plans "which would have done credit to the most expensive professional architect". Club director Thomas Turley, a builder, acted as clerk of works, and it is estimated the club saved more than £2,000 in professional fees by keeping the work in-house. Tradition has it that gypsies, evicted from the site before work could begin, laid a 100-year curse on the club; although gypsies are known to have camped nearby, there is no contemporary evidence for their eviction by the club, and construction began in February 1906.

Early years

St Andrew's was officially opened by Sir John Holder on 26 December 1906, when Birmingham played Middlesbrough in a First Division fixture. There had been heavy snowfall overnight, and dozens of volunteers, including members of the club's board, worked all morning to clear the pitch. The game finally kicked off an hour late, finishing goalless in front of 32,000 spectators. The Birmingham Daily Post editorial next day suggested that "the fact that so many spectators attended under such adverse conditions augurs well for the step that the directors have taken", and that the directors were "to be congratulated in having provided their supporters with a ground second to none in the country".

The Football Association chose St Andrew's to host the 1907 FA Cup semifinal between The Wednesday and Woolwich Arsenal; Wednesday won 3–1, and went on to win the tournament. This was the first FA Cup tie to be played at the ground, as Birmingham had lost their opening match away from home. Three more semifinals took place at St Andrew's before the Second World War, in 1911, 1924 and 1934. The club bought the freehold of the ground in 1921 for a price believed to be less than £7,000 (£ today). In the 1930s, roofs were erected over the Kop and Railway End terraces, and in February 1939, the ground attendance record of 66,844 or 67,341, was set at the fifth-round FA Cup tie against Everton.

Wartime

During the First World War, the club supported the war effort by allowing the ground to be used as a rifle range for military training. On the outbreak of the Second World War, all outdoor sport was banned by the Government until safety implications could be assessed. When football resumed a few weeks later, Birmingham's Chief Constable ordered the ground's closure because of its proximity to air-raid targets such as the BSA munitions factories. The matter was first raised in Parliament in November 1939, but the Home Secretary felt unable to intervene. By March 1940, when St Andrew's had for some time been the only football ground in England still closed, the Chief Constable bowed to public pressure, and a crowd of 13,241 witnessed Birmingham's first home game in more than six months.

In 1941, St Andrew's suffered 20 direct hits from Luftwaffe bombing, which destroyed the roof of the Kop, badly damaged the Railway End, and forced the team to play elsewhere. It was therefore a surprising choice of venue for a wartime international match between England and Wales; on safety grounds, spectators were required to purchase tickets in advance, and numbers were limited to 25,000. Three months later, the Main Stand, which was being used as a temporary National Fire Service station, burned down, destroying the club's records and equipment"not so much as a lead pencil was saved from the wreckage"when a fireman mistook a bucket of petrol for water when intending to damp down a brazier. The team returned to the ground in 1943.

Improvements

The replacement Main Stand, built in the early 1950s, used a propped cantilever roof design, which meant fewer pillars to block spectators' view of the pitch. Floodlights were installed, and officially switched on for a friendly match against Borussia Dortmund in October 1956. By the early 1960s, a stand had been built at the Railway End to the same design as the Main Stand, a new roof erected over the Kop, and the Tilton Road end covered for the first time. A scoreboard and clock were installed at the City end of the ground in memory of Birmingham and England player Jeff Hall, who died of polio during the 1958–59 season. In the 1970s, the Asda chain proposed to share the cost of a new stand as part of a supermarket development on land behind the Kop made vacant by slum clearance; in the face of opposition from commercial rivals, the proposal fell through.

Modernisation

The last home game of the 1984–85 promotion season, against Leeds United, was marred by rioting, culminating in the death of a 15-year-old boy, Ian Hambridge, when a wall collapsed on him; a memorial plaque was eventually placed near the spot. The riot was on the same day as the Bradford City stadium fire, and the events at St Andrew's were included in the remit of the Popplewell inquiry into safety at sports grounds. In response to this and the later Taylor Report, the capacity of St Andrew's was cut to 26,000, but it was accepted that the stadium had to be brought up to modern standards. Club chairman David Gold recalled his first visit in March 1993:

Though relegation to the Third Division meant the club was no longer bound by the Taylor Report's 1994 deadline for conversion to all-seater, new owner David Sullivan continued the £4.5 million development as planned. After the last home game of the 1993–94 season, the Kop and Tilton Road terraces were demolished, helped by fans who took home a significant proportion as souvenirs, the land was clearedthe rubbish tip beneath the Kop which had earned the club £800 in 1906 (£ at 1994 prices) cost £250,000 to decontaminateand by the start of the new season, 7,000 seats in the Tilton Road Stand were ready for use. On completion of the Kop Stand, the stadium was formally re-opened in November 1994 by Baroness Trumpington, representing the Department of National Heritage, who unveiled a commemorative plaque and presented a cheque for £2.5 million on behalf of the Football Trust; the ceremony was followed by a friendly match against Aston Villa, attended by a crowd of 20,000. Planning permission for an all-seater Railway Stand was granted in March 1995, but work was delayed by a dispute over land owned by Railtrack and the stand opened only in 1999.

The 21st century

In 2004 a proposal was put forward to build a "sports village" comprising a new 55,000 stadium for the club, to be known as the City of Birmingham Stadium, other sports and leisure facilities, and a super casino. The project would be jointly financed by Birmingham City Council, Birmingham City F.C. (via the proceeds of the sale of St Andrew's) and the casino group Las Vegas Sands. The feasibility of the plan depended on the government issuing a licence for a super casino as permitted under the Gambling Act 2005, and Birmingham being chosen as the venue, but this did not happen. The club have planning permission to redevelop the Main Stand, and a derelict building behind the stand has been demolished, but club and council continued for a time to seek alternative sources of funding for the City of Birmingham Stadium project.

In 2013, the Birmingham City Supporters' Trust's application for listing St Andrew's as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) under the Localism Act 2011 was approved by Birmingham City Council. It requires any proposed sale to be notified to the council, and provides for a six-month moratorium on that sale to allow the Trust and other community groups to submit their own bid.

For sponsorship reasons, the stadium was officially renamed the St. Andrew's Trillion Trophy Stadium in June 2018. During the 2018–19 season, in a further move to reduce the club's losses in light of breaches of the EFL's Profitability and Sustainability Regulations, the stadium was sold for £22.8 million to Birmingham City Stadium Ltd, a new company wholly owned by the football club's parent, Birmingham Sports Holdings, and would be leased back to the club for £1.25 million per year for 25 years.

Having failed to reach an agreement with the club's landlords, Wasps RFC, to continue playing at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry City F.C. played their matches at St Andrew's in 2019–20 and 2020–21.

An annual survey conducted during the 2020–21 season revealed the need for repairs to remedy the effects of water ingress on both Kop and Tilton Road Stands. Although the upper tiers were expected to be usable by the first home match of the 2021–22 season, resulting in a temporary reduction of total capacity to 19,000, the deadline for full completion was not until May 2022. However, the upper Tilton did not reopen until a month into the season, the upper Kop took a further six weeks, and May 2022 ended with the club still awaiting full results of site investigations. Work began during the 2022–23 season to demolish and rebuild the lower tiers, which had remained closed because of what was eventually revealed to be asbestos-related damage. Installation of rail seats to permit safe standing in the lower tier of the Tilton was due to complete in September 2023, and the Kop was expected to fully re-open two months later. Work stopped after main contractors Buckingham Group filed for administration in mid-August, and resumed in mid-September under the management of Mace Consult, with completion expected by the end of November. Both lower tiers were open for the last match of November, although the western end of the Kop was still incomplete.

In January 2024, the club's owners, Shelby Companies, renamed the stadium St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park as part of what it described as "the largest commercial agreement in the club's history". According to Tom Wagner, chairman of both club and Shelby's parent company Knighthead, it was "step one in our plan to create a world-renowned 'Sports Quarter' in Birmingham. We invested in Blues because of the opportunity to not only transform a football club but to also be a catalyst for change in the city itself."

On 9 January 2026, during the intensification of Storm Goretti, the sky over Birmingham took on a vivid pink hue. This atmospheric phenomenon was caused by the stadium's powerful LED lights being used on the pitch reflecting off low cloud cover and falling snow. The visual effect, which was widely shared on social media and compared to a "cyberpunk" aesthetic, was most intense in the Bordesley Green and Small Heath areas surrounding the ground.

Structure and facilities

The stadium has four stands. The Main Stand (renamed the Garrison Lane Stand from 2010 to 2012), a free-standing structure on the north side of the playing area, was completed in 1954 and has seating for fewer than 5,000 spectators. The lower tier, known as the Paddocks, consists of a few rows of seats placed on the uncovered terraced area in front of the stand; the view from this area can be obstructed by the central tunnel and the dugouts. A row of executive boxes was added at the back of the Paddocks in the 1970s. The family area is divided between the eastern end of the Main Stand and the Paddock beneath. The club planned £1.3 million worth of restructuring and refurbishment work on the stand, which contained hospitality areas and offices, during the 2009 closed season, and seating was replaced in 2010. The broadcasting gantry is situated in the roof of this stand.

The Railway Stand, on the west side of the stadium nearest to Birmingham city centre, is also free-standing. It was opened in 1999 and holds some 8,000 spectators in two tiers; the upper tier, a small area known as the Olympic Gallery, overhangs the lower, at the back of which is a row of executive boxes. From the 2009–10 season, the Railway Stand was renamed the Gil Merrick Stand, in honour of the club's appearance record-holder and former manager. Visiting supporters are housed in the lower Railway Stand, segregated from home fans by netting over the seats.

The various function rooms and corporate boxes are available for hire for business or social events, and the stadium is licensed as a venue for civil weddings. There are accessible entrances, wheelchair areas and accessible toilets in all parts of the stadium, and commentary headsets for visually impaired spectators are available.

The pitch measures 100 x. and then done for a third time in the closed season. The postponement of an FA Cup-tie in January 2009 highlighted the lack of under-soil heating, which was installed in June. In 2017 the surface was converted to use the SISGrass hybrid grass reinforced turf system.

Other uses

Teams representing England have played international matches at St Andrew's, though not at senior level. In 1957, England B defeated Scotland B under floodlights in front of nearly 40,000 spectators. England's junior sides have played there on several occasions, at under-23, under-21the 4–0 defeat to Spain in 2001 was the England under-21 team's worst home defeatand youth levels. Before competitive football resumed after the First World War, a Scottish Football League XI beat their English counterparts, including Birmingham players Frank Womack and Billy Morgan, 3–1 at St Andrew's.

As of 2009, four FA Cup semifinals have taken place at St Andrew's, and the ground has hosted semifinal replays on five occasions, most recently in 1961. It was the venue for the 1987 play-off final replay, in which Charlton Athletic beat Leeds United to remain in the Football League First Division, and for the final of the FA Vase in 2004 and 2006.

The ground has also been used for other sports. Small Heath Harriers athletic club, whose headquarters had been at the Muntz Street ground, trained at St Andrew's until the 1920s. The 1960 South African touring rugby union team beat a Midland Counties XV by 16 points to 5 on a muddy St Andrew's pitch in front of a 17,000 crowd. In 1949, Dick Turpin beat Albert Finch on points to retain his British and Empire middleweight boxing title; Turpin's brothers Jack and future world champion Randolph fought on the undercard. In 1965, Henry Cooper defeated Johnny Prescott at St Andrew's to retain his British and Empire heavyweight title; the fight took place two days after originally scheduled, having been rained off at the last minute, which prompted debate as to the feasibility of outdoor boxing promotions in light of the uncertain British weather.

St Andrew's was the location for the rally scene in Peter Watkins' 1967 film Privilege. It has hosted a number of music concerts: performers and events include UB40, supported by The Pogues, in 1989, Duran Duran in 2005, and the 2002 Party in the Park, featuring Westlife and Sugababes among others.

Records

The record attendance at St Andrew's was set at the fifth-round FA Cup tie against Everton on 11 February 1939; the actual figure is variously reported as 66,844 or 67,341. The highest attendance recorded for a league match is 60,250, against Aston Villa in the First Division on 23 November 1935. The highest average attendance over a league season, 38,821, was set during the 1948–49 First Division season, and the lowest, 6,289, was recorded in the Second Division in 1988–89. Since the stadium was converted to all-seater, the record attendance is 29,588, set against Arsenal in the Premier League on 22 November 2003.

St Andrew's was the venue for the first use of a penalty shootout to determine the winner of an FA Cup match. For five seasons, between 1970 and 1974, the losing FA Cup semifinalists were obliged to play off for third and fourth place; Birmingham City finished third in the 1971–72 FA Cup by beating Stoke City 4–3 on penalties following a goalless 90 minutes.

Transport

The nearest railway station to the stadium is , on the Birmingham to Stratford Line between and stations, which has regular services only on match days. The stadium is a 30-minute walk from , which is served by direct trains from most parts of the country, and slightly less far from Moor Street, which is served by Chiltern Railways trains from . Birmingham Coach Station, served by National Express coaches, is a 20-minute walk away, and buses run from the city centre past the ground. There is no parking at the stadium itself.

Notes

Sources

References

References

1. "Local Bus Routes".
2. "New to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park". Birmingham City F.C..
3. (1883}}, hosted at {{cite web). "New Ordnance Atlas of the British Isles, with large-scale plans of towns... by G.W. Bacon". George W. Bacon.
4. Beauchampé, Steve. (26 December 2006). "100 years of St. Andrews – Part One".
5. (25 February 1905). "The Day's Football". Birmingham Daily Mail.
6. Linesman. (27 January 1906). "The Week's Gossip". Sporting Mail.
7. Smith, Martin. (26 December 2006). "Birmingham hope curse has run course". The Daily Telegraph.
8. Marsden, Bob. (March 1987). "A.B.C. of Small Heath and Bordesley Green Past and Present". Small Heath Local History Society.
9. (27 December 1906). "Christmas Football: St. Andrew's Ground opened". Birmingham Daily Post.
10. (27 December 1906). "News summary". Birmingham Daily Post.
11. (15 November 1939). "Commons: Written Answers: Civil Defence: Football Matches (Spectators)". Hansard.
12. (22 February 1940). "Commons: Commons Chamber: Oral Answers To Questions: Civil Defence: Football Prohibition (Birmingham)". Hansard.
13. Courtney, Barrie. (21 March 2004). "England – War-Time/Victory Internationals – Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF).
14. Contemporary report, cited in {{harvp. Rollin. 2005
15. Cole, Paul. (11 May 2017). "RIP Ian Hambridge – reflecting on the 1985 Birmingham City v Leeds United tragedy". Birmingham Mail.
16. Webster, Philip. (25 July 1985). "Ban on visiting fans urged in judge's football safety report". The Times.
17. (May 2002). "Fact Sheet Number 2: Football Stadia After Taylor". Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research, University of Leicester.
18. (28 March 1995). "Details Page for Planning Application 1995/00356/PA". Birmingham City Council.
19. Sharrock, Gordon. (27 September 2007). "St.Andrews: A Brief History". USA Branch, Birmingham City Supporters Club.
20. Connor, Neil. (26 October 2005). "Blues unveil stadium plan". Birmingham Post.
21. Tattum, Colin. (24 December 2006). "Blues still hoping for new stadium". Birmingham Mail.
22. Bradley, Paul. (31 January 2007). "Blues given green light for flats demolition". Midland Heart.
23. Tattum, Colin. (9 March 2007). "Blues revive bid for new stadium". Birmingham Mail.
24. "Localism Act 2011 Chapter 20 Section 88".
25. Barnfield, Stacey. (2 November 2013). "Birmingham City fans succeed in getting St Andrew's awarded Asset of Community Value status". Birmingham Mail.
26. (14 June 2018). "St. Andrew's and Wast Hills naming rights". Birmingham City F.C..
27. (7 January 2020). "Birmingham City: St Andrew's sale helps reduce Blues losses for 2018–19 season". BBC Sport.
28. (7 June 2019). "Coventry City to groundshare with Birmingham City for 2019–20 season". BBC Sport.
29. Dick, Brian. (8 April 2021). "Birmingham City fans dealt blow as St Andrew's repairs 'will not be ready' for new season". Birmingham City F.C..
30. (9 September 2021). "Birmingham City can reopen upper Tilton stand for Derby County game". BBC Sport.
31. (1 June 2022). "Club update: June 2022". Birmingham City F.C..
32. (8 April 2021). "Birmingham City fans dealt blow as St Andrew's repairs 'will not be ready' for new season". Birmingham Mail.
33. Dicken, Alex. (14 June 2023). "Birmingham City confirm two key dates for St Andrew's reopening after repair work". Birmingham Mail.
34. Khan, Shehnaz. (18 August 2023). "Construction firm's collapse could affect Birmingham City's stadium".
35. (12 September 2023). "Mace replaces Buckingham on Blues stadium".
36. (22 November 2023). "The return to the Kop Lower". Birmingham City F.C..
37. (26 January 2024). "Birmingham City announces naming rights partnership with Knighthead". Birmingham City F.C..
38. (2026-01-09). "Mystery of Birmingham's dazzling pink sky solved".
39. (2026-01-09). "Dazzling pink sky seen over Birmingham in Storm Goretti snowfall".
40. (17 April 2010). "Old Main Stand to be renamed". Birmingham City F.C.
41. Bounds, Jon. (11 April 2008). "Blues have priced loyal fans out of football". Birmingham Post.
42. (18 July 2001). "Fans standing firm over Blues moves". Birmingham Post.
43. "Family Zone". Birmingham City F.C.
44. (20 January 2009). "Birmingham City plc (the 'Company') Preliminary Statement of Final Results for the Year Ended 31 August 2008". Birmingham City F.C..
45. (5 August 2010). "Bluenoses set for refreshing change". Birmingham City F.C.
46. (3 October 2005). "Havin' A Laff: Video that didn't thrill a radio star". Birmingham Evening Mail.
47. Cowan, Mark. (15 September 2008). "Birmingham City legends unveil new Jeff Hall memorial clock". Birmingham Mail.
48. Tattum, Colin. (22 September 2008). "Jeff Hall clock to be replaced by Birmingham City". Birmingham Mail.
49. Tattum, Colin. (1 January 2009). "Birmingham City cut season ticket prices". Birmingham Mail.
50. Connor, Neil. (27 April 2004). "Space may lure City's elite". Birmingham Post.
51. Tattum, Colin. (27 April 2009). "Railway End to be named after Blues legend Gil Merrick". Birmingham Mail.
52. (31 August 2017). "Conferences & events". Birmingham City F.C..
53. "Disabled information". Birmingham City F.C..
54. (12 January 2007). "League probes Blues' postponement". BBC Sport.
55. (20 April 2007). "Birmingham avoid pitch punishment". BBC Sport.
56. (8 March 2007). "Birmingham will relay new pitch". BBC Sport.
57. Walker, Andy. (4 January 2009). "Fury as big freeze hits Birmingham City v Wolverhampton Wanderers FA Cup tie". Sunday Mercury.
58. Tattum, Colin. (30 March 2010). "Birmingham City's pitch battle explained". Birmingham Mail.
59. (17 June 2017). "St Andrew's undergoes pitch transformation". Birmingham City F.C..
60. (7 February 1957). "Scotland B Internationals". Scottish Football Association}}
    {{cite news.
61. Courtney, Barrie. (27 March 2004). "England – U-23 International Results– Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
62. Winter, Henry. (27 February 2001). "Under-21 International: Gifted young Spanish side hand out lesson". The Daily Telegraph.
63. (24 February 1919). "Sat 22 Feb 1919 English Football League 3 SFL 1". London Hearts Supporters Club.
64. "8. Charlton 2 Leeds United 1 (aet)". Charlton Athletic F.C..
65. (28 January 2016). "Club history". Winchester City F.C..
66. "Small Heath Harriers". Solihull and Small Heath Athletic Club.
67. (29 December 1960). "Weighty problem for Counties". The Times.
68. "Dick Turpin".
69. "Monday 20, June 1949".
70. "Henry Cooper".
71. (16 June 1965). "Cooper's bout off". The Times.
72. (21 August 1966). "The Grand turmoil". Sunday Mercury.
73. Leek, Martyn. (17 June 2001). "21 things you never knew about UB40". Sunday Mercury.
74. (28 May 2005). "Hometown concert for Duran Duran". BBC News.
75. Wishaw, John. (8 July 2002). "Let's Party in the Park". Birmingham Post.
76. "Birmingham City Records". Birmingham City F.C..
77. (1990). "Rothmans Football Yearbook 1990–91". Queen Anne Press.
78. "BCFC club history". Birmingham City F.C.
79. (13 February 1939). "Fifth round official figures". The Times.
80. (28 December 2019). "Birmingham City: Ground Guide". Leeds United F.C..
81. Amos, Owen. (February 2011). "Best of the rest".
82. (November 2011). "Birmingham City". Duncan Adams.