Yahoo News Knighthead are reaping rewards of £15m investment as Birmingham City pay Jay Stansfield price
The queues at Birmingham City’s temporary club shop continued over the weekend as fans flocked for shirts and season tickets.
Relegation to League One hasn’t dampened spirits amongst Blues fans who are convinced the club’s trajectory is upwards under American owners Knighthead. The club announced a record first day of season ticket sales on Thursday with almost 4,000 snapped up.
More interestingly, 52 percent of those sales were new according to the club. That means more than 2,000 of those seats were snapped up by people who weren’t season ticket holders last season.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that Blues are therefore on course to have more season ticket holders than last term. Provided new manager Chris Davies has Blues competing at the top of League One, the club’s average attendance should be higher than 21,180. That figure, which Blues averaged in the Championship last season, already dwarfs the average attendance of any other current League One club.
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The sales vindicate Knighthead’s decision to invest heavily on the club’s existing stadium and infrastructure this summer, despite having plans to relocate by the end of the decade. Blues’ owners pledged £15million to fund the two enormous state-of-the-art screens at St Andrew’s and other improvements.
Head of infrastructure, Nick Smith, said: “I think they are going to transform the match day experience. If you think these screens are 16 metres by five metres, and weigh five tonnes each. They give us four times the amount of screen space. We’re also adding a new audio system and putting new Wi-Fi in. All of those into one experience is just going to transform it.”
500 free season tickets to underprivileged fans
A Blues-supporting businessman has funded 500 season tickets for underprivileged young fans and community workers. Andy Griffiths, AMG Managing Director, has purchased 500 season tickets to watch the men’s and women’s teams to be distributed amongst Bluenoses who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend matches at St Andrew’s.
This is another act of generosity from Griffiths who donated his sleeve sponsorship deal on last season’s shirt to the foundation. Instead of AMG branding, the club’s foundation logo was stitched into the shirt.
Griffiths said: "Birmingham City is and forever will be my club, but what our ownership have set out to do within the city is something I am fully onboard with, I can’t wait to be back at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park soon with a full house and with Bluenoses in full voice, KRO!”
Hull in for Stansfield
Those of a Blues persuasion will wince a bit if Jay Stansfield joins a Championship club this summer. Stansfield captured the hearts of Birmingham with his gritty performances and goals on loan from Fulham last term.
Had Blues remained in the Championship, they would certainly have made a play to bring 13-goal Stansfield back to B9 permanently. The 21-year-old’s tears after cleaning up at Blues’ end-of-season awards dinner told the story.
“Going up there and knowing my teammates have voted for me, and the supporters, I just felt sad to be leaving,” said Stansfield. “It’s one of those things, I signed up for a season’s loan and I’ve loved every minute and learnt a lot.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva has already suggested Stansfield will now get his opportunity in the Premier League, but that isn't likely to stop Championship clubs chancing their arm. Hull City, who narrowly missed out on the play-offs last term, have registered an interest.
HullLive states the Tigers want to sign a striker this summer and have cast an eye over Stansfield. Any deal for Stansfield would likely have to wait until the end of the summer window after Silva has taken an extended look at him.
