Club Profile
-
Overview
Birmingham City Football Club is based in Birmingham, England. Originally founded in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, the club went through several name changes—Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and finally Birmingham City in 1943. They currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of English football.
History
The club began playing at Muntz Street in 1877 and became professional in 1885. Small Heath joined the Football Alliance in 1889 and were founder members of the Football League Second Division in 1892, winning the inaugural title but initially failing to secure promotion. Promotion to the First Division followed the next season. Birmingham adopted their current name in 1943, following post-war success that included winning the Second Division in 1947 and 1955 and reaching the FA Cup final in 1956.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Birmingham City established themselves in top-flight football, achieving a highest league finish of sixth in 1955–56. They were the first English club to reach a major European final in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, appearing in consecutive finals in 1960 and 1961. The club won the League Cup in 1963 and again in 2011. Subsequent decades saw fluctuating fortunes, including relegations, promotions, ownership changes, and financial difficulties. Recent years have seen the club under American ownership, with significant investment and the appointment of Chris Davies leading to promotion back to the Championship in 2025.
Competition Performance
Birmingham City has a mixed record in league competitions, spending around half their history in the top tier. Their most notable league performance was a sixth-place finish in the First Division in 1955–56. The club has won the Football League Second Division title on multiple occasions, securing promotion several times. Cup competitions have been a highlight, with FA Cup final appearances in 1931 and 1956, and League Cup victories in 1963 and 2011. European competition saw them become the first English club to reach a major European final in 1960.
Stadium
Initially, the club played on waste ground off Arthur Street before moving to Ladypool Road and then Muntz Street, which ultimately became insufficient for large crowds. In 1906, Birmingham moved to St Andrew's, which has remained their home ground.
During the First World War, Birmingham supported the war effort by allowing their home stadium, St. Andrew's, to be used as a rifle range for military training.
The stadium has undergone various renovations and, as of 2024, is known as St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for sponsorship purposes. Plans for a new stadium have been linked to broader redevelopment and investment strategies under current ownership.
Identity
The Small Heath Alliance members who founded the club decided that the club's colours would be blue, a colour that has remained ever since. Birmingham fans are known as Bluenoses.
In 1972, a Birmingham City supporter won a newspaper competition to design the club's new badge — a simple globe and football motif in blue and white, bearing the club's name and founding date. Though adopted by the club, it did not appear on playing shirts until 1976.
Birmingham's mascot is a dog named Beau Brummie, a play on the name Beau Brummell and Brummie, the slang word for a person from Birmingham, and his girlfriend Belle. Beau Brummie was originally introduced in October 1966.
The Birmingham supporters’ anthem, Keep Right On, is an adaptation of Harry Lauder’s Keep Right On to the End of the Road and was adopted during the club’s 1956 FA Cup run.
Rivalries
Birmingham City's main rivalry is with Aston Villa, with whom they have contested the Second City derby since 1879. The fixture takes its name from Birmingham's status as the United Kingdom's second city, but the teams have not played each other since Villa's promotion to the Premier League in 2019.
The fixture has produced some notable indicents over the years. Birmingham supporters sarcastically voted Peter Enckelman runner-up in their Player of the Year poll after his infamous error in a 3–0 derby defeat for Aston Villa on 16 September 2002. Enckelman failed to control a throw-in from Olof Mellberg, allowing the ball to roll into his own net in a goal that remained controversial. The incident was further marred when a fan invaded the pitch and confronted him, later resulting in arrest and imprisonment.
On 10 March 2019, during a fixture at St Andrew’s, a Birmingham supporter invaded the pitch and struck Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish from behind. The incident was widely condemned by fans of both clubs, leading to the attacker’s arrest and criticism of stadium security. Villa went on to win 1–0, with Grealish ironically scoring the decisive goal.
Birmingham also contests the West Midlands derby with West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.