Heatherwick Studio and Manica Architecture have been selected to design the new stadium for Birmingham City FC, which will be more than twice the size of the club’s current ground. The £4 billion project, called the Birmingham Sports Quarter, will host 62,000 spectators.

A remarkable collaboration

Birmingham City CEO Tom Wagner highlighted at an investment summit in Birmingham that Heatherwick and Manica will create a truly remarkable stadium — recognizable worldwide, yet deeply rooted in Birmingham’s history. Other firms competing for the project included Populous, Herzog & de Meuron, Zaha Hadid Architects, and AECOM, whose global sports director, Dan Meis, designed Everton’s stadium.

Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio, added that the new stadium will be a living part of the city, built around the passion of Birmingham City fans and the local community. Not another spaceship in a car park that stands empty outside matchdays, but a venue that will feel alive and connected to Birmingham’s history. We are very proud to be involved.

Advising the architects behind the Birmingham Sports Quarter, already dubbed the Midlands Wembley, will be Peaky Blinders creator and longtime Blues supporter Steven Knight. He emphasized that his role is to provide guidance on fan expectations. This stadium should reflect 150 years of history and, I hope, last another 150. We are creating something truly exceptional on an international scale, Knight said.

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First visuals coming in weeks

Wagner, who became CEO in July 2023 after taking over the club, presented his vision for a sports district in January 2024. The new stadium will replace St Andrew’s, which currently holds 27,500 spectators. The plan also has backing from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who in June granted £2.4 billion to extend the West Midlands Metro from the city center to the planned sports quarter.

While the club has not yet revealed details of the Heatherwick–Manica design, the Birmingham Sports Quarter will include not only the stadium but also a sports complex, football academy, training pitches, commercial and leisure spaces, and residential development. Project visuals are expected in November.

The Birmingham Sports Quarter is the first joint project by Manica Architecture and Heatherwick Studio in the city. Heatherwick previously worked on a new stand over the Thames for Fulham FC (later taken over by Populous). Manica is collaborating with Grimshaw Architects on the YTL Arena in Bristol, built on the former Concorde hangars, due to open in 2028. Manica’s chairman, David Manica, previously worked on London’s O2 Arena while at HOK Sport (now Populous).

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