Birmingham aim to reach Premier League next year – Wagner

Tom Wagner, the chairman of Birmingham City, says that the ultimate goal is to win the Premier League next year and that he is open to the possibility of hosting domestic cup competitions abroad to raise money.

The League One champions celebrated their highest point total in a season in 2024-2019 by breaking the EFL record for that time frame. In an exclusive interview, the American businessman told BBC Sport he wants to increase his ambitions for a top flight runoff “as soon as we can.”

Wagner thinks the Blues will be “highly competitive” in the Championship with plans for a new stadium receiving a significant boost on Tuesday following the government’s confirmation of £2.4 billion in investment in local transport links.

After being demoted from the Premier League, Leicester City, Southampton, and Ipswich Town will each receive almost £50m next year.

After the government approved a new tramline to a planned “Sports Quarter” in the east of the city, Wagner’s hopes for a new 62, 000-seat stadium to replace St. Andrews significantly increased.

Owners of the club, US investment firm Knighthead Capital, have been trying to persuade ministers to give the West Midlands billions of pounds to build new transport links for the regeneration project. Wagner founded the group and wants to build a 125-acre sports and leisure complex on abandoned land in Bordesley Green.

Wagner says the goal is for the “transformative” Sports Quarter, which will also include a 20, 000-seat arena, hotel, and training complex for the club’s men’s, women’s, and academy teams, to be open by 2030. He also pledges between £2 and $3 billion of private investment.

Wagner argued that “we needed the transportation links to make the site viable.”

“This will be a unique venue for entertainment,” he declared.

“We have a fantastic opportunity. It would be difficult to find another city with such a large land area in western Europe where a project of this size could be built.

The goal would be to host a wide range of international competitions, not just football but also American football and rugby, according to the statement, “This will be a venue that is used 365 days a year.”

Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion, owns Birmingham City in part because of it.

When asked if there was a chance the new stadium would cause more expensive tickets for fans, Wagner responded, “If you price out the fans who are here, you lose the singing, you lose the passion, and then you’ve lost your product.

The answer to growing commercial revenue isn’t solved by raising ticket prices; rather, it’s solved by creating a better product, as the people’s club has been taught.

Former Birmingham City manager Garry Cook stated last year that playing a league game against Wrexham, a rival team owned by the US, on American soil would be “a great idea.”

Wagner said, “I don’t believe it makes sense to do it necessarily with regular-season games.”

When asked what he thought might be the subject of some domestic cup competitions in the US, he responded, “It’s something that needs to be thought about.”

When you consider the top-tier Premier League clubs, they compete internationally, which means they must have global fans and scale revenue, and if doing so means playing some games abroad to increase the club’s following and revenue, I believe that’s a good thing.

It’s a very balancing act because you have to find a way to do it that doesn’t harm your neighborhood. There is a very fine line to be crossed, but I believe it needs to be carefully considered for the best clubs.

Perhaps there is a different tournament or a circumstance that permits that, perhaps at a different time during the season. Beyond just the pre-season tours, there are a number of options that can be pursued.

Wagner responded to fans’ questions about the number of English clubs currently owned by US investors by saying, “The reason Americans are drawn to investing here is because it’s English football.