Yahoo News Knighthead begin £15m revamp to Birmingham City stadium and training grounds
Birmingham City are planning a number of improvements to St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park during the close season and work has already begun.
Chief executive Garry Cook told supporters at Sunday evening’s awards dinner that the coast was clear for Nick Smith – the club’s head of infrastructure – and the diggers to roll in and recommence work. Smith has led all of Knighthead’s work on St Andrew’s and its two training grounds during the last 12 months.
At the Open House event in April, Smith revealed Knighthead are planning to deliver 22 projects this summer at a cost of £15million. Two fan parks will be created to house supporters before and after games when the League One season begins in August.
The first fan park will be situated in the Main Stand car park behind the Royal George and will be able to host 1,000 supporters. Smith hopes to have this permanent fan park up and running by early July to give Bluenoses the chance to congregate and watch the knockout stages of the Euros on home turf.
READ: Coach bids farewell as Jay Stansfield names Birmingham City ‘role model’
READ: Relegation to League One could be the making of seven Blues whizz kids
"Over 1,000 people per match day will be able to attend this fan park," said Smith. "We will welcome families, we have a kids play area, five-a-side and teqball. We have an adults area with food and bars and a stage where we will be putting on local bands, acts and comedians.
“We will have a hospitality area with a TV studio. We will have an area for match days and, hopefully if all goes well, and I can get this done before the end of the Euros, you’ll have somewhere to come and watch the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final and England go on to win the Euros.”
A pop up fan park will be erected outside the Kop in close proximity to a revamped club shop. The idea is to create spaces supporters want to spend time in, which in turn will lead to them spending more money.
The club's leadership team recognises that repurposing the Main Stand car park means that alternative parking solutions will need to be sourced. Something which is being considered is whether part of the Birmingham Wheels site, which Knighthead now owns, can be used for secure parking for supporters.
Smith is also working on more high-end ‘eatertainment’ solutions inside the stadium. Revamping the suites inside the Gil Merrick is high on Knighthead’s agenda.
As is improving the tannoy system. Those of us inside St Andrew’s on the final day could barely make out what the stadium announcer was saying due to the dated system. That was a frustrating theme of last season.
Work to improve the quality of the warm up area at the men’s training ground in Henley-in-Arden has already started. The grass was dug up before the final game of the season against Norwich.
Blues’ first team currently have two pitches at the Elite Performance and Innovation Centre (EPIC) after a second pitch was installed midway through last season. The club are hoping to make better use of the large warm up area behind the main building.
