Populous appointed to design Sports Quarter complex
Birmingham City’s stadium plans have taken another step forward, after a Kansas-based architecture firm was hired to design the club’s new training facility.
Populous, who also designed the 2012 London Olympic Stadium and England’s national stadium at Wembley among others, will draw up plans for a new complex designed to house the men’s, women’s and academy teams, set to be hosted on a single site adjacent to the proposed main stadium in Bordesley Green.
The club currently uses a 13-acre site in Henley in Arden as its main training facility, with the academy based at the club’s Knighthead Performance Centre in Wast Hills.
Birmingham City backers, Knighthead Capital, say the project will include “state of the art gyms, treatment and recuperation areas, office and administration spaces” alongside a “full range” of training pitches and groundskeeping facilities.
Early designs for the club’s new stadium and £2bn Sports Quarter project were released earlier this year, with a planning application expected to be submitted to Birmingham City Council in 2026.
Nick Smith, Head of Infrastructure at Birmingham City Football Club said, “This is another important step as we press ahead with the delivery of the Sports Quarter. We are convinced that Populous will help us set new standards in sports infrastructure.
“Together we can create a beacon of excellence that will inspire and support our local communities as well as setting the club up for success on the pitch.”
Declan Sharkey, Senior Principal and Global Director at Populous, added: “We are extremely proud to be designing the new training centre for Birmingham City FC. Our aim is to combine our global expertise in elite training facility design with a bespoke approach, providing the Club with an innovative, sustainable performance training environment and holistic environment for all of its teams and the staff who will use it.”
