Birmingham City F.C.

This article is about the men's football club. For the women's football club, see Birmingham City W.F.C.
"Birmingham City" redirects here. For the city itself, see Birmingham.

Birmingham City
Badge of Birmingham City: a line-drawn globe above a football, with ribbon carrying the club name and year of foundation
Full nameBirmingham City Football Club
Nickname(s)Blues[1][2]
Founded1875; 149 years ago (1875) as Small Heath Alliance
GroundSt Andrew's
Capacity29,409[3]
Coordinates52°28′32″N 1°52′04″W / 52.47556°N 1.86778°W / 52.47556; -1.86778
Owner
ChairmanTom Wagner[4]
ManagerChris Davies[5]
LeagueEFL League One
2023–24EFL Championship, 22nd of 24 (relegated)
Websitewww.bcfc.com Edit this at Wikidata
Current season

Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943.[6] Its first team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, following relegation in 2024.

As Small Heath, they played in the Football Alliance before becoming founder members and first champions of the Football League Second Division. The most successful period in their history was in the 1950s and early 1960s. They achieved their highest finishing position of sixth in the First Division in the 1955–56 season and reached the 1956 FA Cup final. Birmingham played in two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup finals, in 1960, as the first English club side to reach a major European final, and again the following year. They won the League Cup in 1963 and again in 2011. Birmingham have played in the top tier of English football for around half of their history:[7] the longest period spent outside the top division, between 1986 and 2002, included two brief spells in the third tier of English football, during which time they won the Football League Trophy twice.

St Andrew's, renamed St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in 2024 for sponsorship reasons, has been their home ground since 1906. They have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with Aston Villa, their nearest neighbours, with whom they play the Second City derby. The club's nickname is Blues, after the colour of their kit, and the fans are known as Bluenoses.

  1. ^ Rollin & Rollin (2010), p. 70.
  2. ^ "UEFA Europa League 2011/12 Season: Match press kit: NK Maribor Birmingham City FC" (PDF). UEFA. 27 September 2011. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference capacity was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Oct 23 Board was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Chris Davies in was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Matthews (2000), p. 55. "City was added to Birmingham (to make Birmingham City Football Club) in the summer of 1943 (and not 1945 as previously thought). The official Blues home programmes for the 1943–44 season clearly show Birmingham City Football Club on the front cover."
  7. ^ "Birmingham City". Football Facts and Figures. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2017.