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| Birmingham City Football Club |
From its historic origins in Victorian England to high-profile American investment, Birmingham City Football Club is undergoing one of the most talked-about transformations in English football.
Here is everything you need to know about Birmingham City FC—including managerial details, ownership, financial health, pop culture ties, and club history.
Who is the Birmingham City Manager & What is His Salary?
Who Owns Birmingham City FC Now?
Birmingham City FC is fully owned by Knighthead Capital Management LLC through its affiliate Shelby Companies Limited. American investor Thomas Wagner serves as Club Chairman.
Seven-time NFL Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is a minority partner and serves as the Chairman of the Advisory Board, actively consulting on athletic nutrition, recovery, and global marketing.
Knighthead completed its multi-phase buyout by acquiring all remaining shares from former foreign owners, giving the group total strategic control over both the men's and women's clubs.
Knighthead has acquired 48 acres in East Birmingham to build a state-of-the-art 62,000-seat stadium and Sports Quarter complex.
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| Chris Davies | Birmingham City Football Club |
How Much Debt is Birmingham City FC In?
Historically, the club suffered financial instability under previous foreign ownership. Under Knighthead Capital’s restructuring:
Birmingham City reported owner-funded liabilities and operating losses of around £34 million to £72 million.
Unlike bank debt, the club's financial obligations are primary internal shareholder loans funded directly by Knighthead to finance aggressive transfer windows, squad wage restructuring, and land acquisition for the new multi-billion-pound stadium project.
What Football Team Did the Peaky Blinders Support?
The real-life Peaky Blinders gang—and the characters featured in the BBC hit drama—supported Birmingham City FC.
The club was founded in the neighborhood of Small Heath, where the Shelby family gang operated.
Birmingham City officially leaned into this history, even temporarily rebranding as Small Heath Alliance during official media takeovers and hosting matchdays with Peaky Blinders branding and flat caps. Show creator Steven Knight is also a lifelong fan and works alongside the owners on stadium development plans.
When Did Birmingham City Get Relegated from the Premier League?
Birmingham City was last relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2010/11 season (May 2011).
Trivia: The 2010/11 campaign remains one of the most unusual seasons in English football history—Birmingham City won the FA League Cup at Wembley against Arsenal to qualify for European football, only to suffer a dramatic final-day relegation from the Premier League just three months later.
Birmingham City First Eleven (Core Squad)
Under Chris Davies' fluid 4-2-3-1 setup, the core XI features a balance of international talent and attacking depth:
| Position | Key Player |
| Goalkeeper | Ryan Allsop / Bailey Peacock-Farrell |
| Defenders | Ethan Laird (RB), Krystian Bielik (CB), Christoph Klarer (CB), Alex Cochrane (LB) |
| Midfielders | Paik Seung-ho (CM), Tomoki Iwata (CM), Willum Þór Willumsson (CAM) |
| Attackers / Forwards | Emil Hansson (LW), Jay Stansfield (RW/ST), Luis Vázquez / Marvin Ducksch (ST) |
