One of Knighthead’s ‘core pillars’ for Birmingham City is making a difference

It has taken a long time and more managers than most fans will care to remember, but Birmingham City are getting things right on the field under Chris Davies. The first team is finally catching up with the club’s improving trajectory away from the pitch.

Not only is Birmingham going to become home to a sparkling new Sports Quarter, with a stadium owner Tom Wagner has dubbed the ‘Wembley of the Midlands’, the ball and globe is starting to mean more in the community. The relaunch of the Birmingham City Foundation has seen the club propel itself into the conversations that matter in Birmingham.

In the hours leading up to Blues’ match with Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night, a host of local business people descended on the revamped Sponsors’ Lounge at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park. They were there to support a cause that everyone in Birmingham can get behind, irrespective of football allegiances.

Addressing the room, chief executive Garry Cook said: “Change is the only thing that’s consistent here. As we go through change, we will improve the fan experience, hospitality and our football. The reason we are here is one of our core pillars, the reintroduction of our Birmingham City Foundation, which is also going through tremendous change.

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“Maybe we could be one of those brands that represent this great city. I think this city is coming back big style and as I look at our football club, we’re coming back big style.”

The purpose of this gathering was to mark the opening of a new community hub just behind the Gil Merrick Stand on Emmeline Street. Those in the room included Andy Griffiths, a Blues fan and owner of AMG Logistics who has single-handedly pledged to fund the Foundation in its first three years.

Cook, Jeremy Dale – who has played an integral role in the Foundation’s relaunch – and staff members were hoping to find more sponsors and fundraisers. As the meeting wore on, and stories were told, it became difficult to imagine how those with the financial means to help Blues on this journey wouldn’t.

Dale invited a 15-year-old Bluenose called McKenzie onto the stage soon after Cook had finished his opening gambit. McKenzie attends Balaam Wood Academy, a school which the Foundation have worked alongside in the last 12 months, and answers the morning register by shouting ‘Up the Blues’.

His mom said: “Birmingham City have given my child something to keep him out of trouble. I talk to other mothers involved in the foundation and we’re extremely grateful for the opportunities our children have had.”

The foundation’s focus extends to young adults, too. During our visit to the new community hub we watched Foundation coaches oversee a match between Refugees Birmingham and Let’s Feed Brum. Refugees are typically stopped from accessing these services due to a lack of transport, therefore the Foundation has provided a free bus service to and from the hub.

They were invited to watch the match as part of the Foundation’s community ticket incentive scheme. More importantly, they can learn key skills at the hub such as English and cookery. Dale later pointed out that many of the people they encounter struggle to apply for jobs due to not having the internet – a service the hub provides free of charge. By day the hub is used to help people gain higher education qualifications, by night it effectively becomes an employability centre.

Foundation employee Dave Woodrow revealed that around 25 percent of students in programmes across the last five years have ended up joining the workforce. They can then help others in similar situations strive for better in Birmingham.

Once Cook had helped cut the ribbon to mark the hub’s opening, he told BirminghamLive: “The foundation is one of the core pillars of what we’re driving. Football clubs have changed, haven’t they? They are such big parts of the community and if we don’t instigate the change I’m not sure who will.

“One of the things we’ve got to do is engage the fanbase to help change hundreds of thousands of lives here in the community. The foundation is the perfect vehicle for that.”