IE has been 14 seasons since the blue side of Birmingham have been able to cherish the glories of Premier League football.
Since relegation in the 2010-11 season, the club have meandered in the Championship and met face with higher-ups negligence last season as they were relegated to League One.
Chinese-owned group Birmingham Sports Holdings (BSH), formerly Trillion Trophy Asia Limited, were maligned throughout their tenure.
They eventually ceded control to American investment firm Knighthead Capital Management, headed up by financier Tom Wagner, in July 2023.
Though the US-based Shelby Companies Limited (SCL) company oversaw relegation to League 1 – the first time the club have been out of the top two divisions since 1995 – they’ve caused a rebirth in response.
Blues are undoubtedly the most expensively formed, having spent between £20 million and £25 million ($24.7 million to $31 million) over the summer.
The record-breaking investment that sent shockwaves through the rest of the league, even amongst Hollywood rivals Wrexham – owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney.
The club is first in League 1 – fourth points and two games in hand ahead of closet rivals Wycombe and are in the fourth round of the FA Cup as they host Premier League Newcastle United.
The revival of a once forsaken club is firmly underway so who’s behind the ownership?
Who owns Birmingham City?
As stated, SCL, fronted by the company’s co-founder Wagner acquired a majority share in the team and complete ownership of the stadium with a 45.96% stake.
Although BSH retains 51% of the shares, Wagner said that Shelby will be “responsible for the operations of the club moving forward” and that “nothing about the way the transaction is structured will prevent us from achieving the long-term goals we have for the club.”
Since takeover, swift changes have been ensued, particularly off the pitch.
Garry Cook, former Manchester City CEO, was appointed to the same job at Birmingham before stepping down in January this year.
Fellow Blues fan and former Microsoft executive Jeremy Dale, who helped broker the deal to bring American owners Knighthead to St Andrew’s, has assumed the role of interim CEO since.
The blockbuster arrival of NFL great Tom Brady as minority owner has gained considerable publicity.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback may have the glitz and nosie, but he apparently has no voting rights and serves mostly as the club’s face, spreading the message and drumming up interest across the pond.
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