Club Profile: Birmingham City

Started in 1875 under the name Small Heath, City had their current name and ground by 1906, when their long story of up-and-down began. Their peak came from the mid-1950s to the early ’60s. They were promoted to the First Division in 1955 and finished sixth the following season. They made the 1956 FA Cup final despite never having a home game due to terrible luck in the draw. They lost but made the semifinals again in 1957.

Also in 1956, they became the first British club team to play in a European competition, debuting in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In 1960 they made the final of that Cup, losing to Barcelona. In 1961 they won at Inter Milan (the last English team to do that for 40 years) on the way to losing another final, this time to Roma.

They capped off this run in 1963 by winning their first major trophy, beating local rivals Aston Villa to win the League Cup. But after that, decline set in, and the next 30 years saw six relegations and five promotions, leaving them in the second tier. They made the Premier League in 2002, but from 2006 to 2011 they switched leagues five times.

It was during this stretch that they hit their modern highlight, beating Arsenal to win the 2011 League Cup. But they got relegated that year, went out in the group stages of the Europa League the next year, and had languished in the Championship. Then in 2024, despite new ownership, they finished 22nd in the Championship and were relegated to the third tier for the first time in 29 years.  

All they did down in League One was smash the all-time Football record with 111 points, losing just three games along the way, and make the League Trophy Final. So they are back in the Championship with their sights, I am sure, set a lot higher.

2024–25 SEASON: Champions of League One (promoted), 4th Round FA Cup, 2nd Round League Cup

2025–26 SEASON: Championship (promoted in 2025)

All the other West Midlands clubs qualify as rivals: Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion, and Wolverhampton. Aston Villa, in the Second City derby, is hated the most. Any of the others would be called a West Midlands derby. But without a cup draw going their way, they will only face West Brom this season.

Birmingham City Women play in the Women’s Championship at tier 2 of the English women’s football pyramid. Games are at Saint Andrews, same as the men’s team.

Their anthem is “Keep Right on to the End of the Road,” an old tune that caught on during their 1956 FA Cup run, during which City became the first team to ever make the final without playing a home game. A player named Alex Govan liked to sing it on the team bus, and then he mentioned to the press that he liked it. When the fans started singing it during a semifinal win, he said, “It was the proudest moment of my life.”

No matter whom they are playing, you will almost certainly hear “Stand Up if You Hate the Villa” and “Shit on the Villa.”

St. Andrews, right in the middle of town, is kind of a funny ground in some ways. From the street it looks quite small, but it holds 29,409 people. The Main Stand is actually the smallest and oldest. It runs along one side of the pitch and looks rather outclassed by the rest of the place, which came along in the 1990s. The Kop along the other side and the Tilton Road End behind a goal are connected, and the latter holds the rowdy home fans. Away fans will be in the opposite end, in the Gil Merrick Stand.

The best seating is in the Main Stand but not too low. It feels old-fashioned and has the best views of the impressive Kop Stand.

They spent a lot of money on the place in the last couple of years, and they saw that by 2029 they will be in a shiny new stadium basically right next door.

TOURS: Adults are £10 for this friendly tour led (when we took it, anyway) by a guy who just loves the club and really wants you to see the League Cup trophy. It’s offered on most nongame days during the season.

GETTING THERE: It’s about a 30-minute walk from the main station, which is called New Street, and not all of that walk is scenic. A cab from there would be less than £10. You can also walk a few minutes from New Street to the other station, Moor Street, and catch bus 17, 60, or 97.

PUBS: If you’re walking over, on the way you will pass the Old Crown on Digbeth Street; it’s Birmingham’s oldest building and a very cool pub. Closer to the ground, along the main Coventry Road, look for The Roost just past the stadium. It has plenty of Blues stuff on the wall and a patio out back. A few blocks behind it is The Cricketers Arms, more of a small local place. The Royal George Hotel is just around behind the stadium and is a bit more modern. It also has hotel rooms.

Nearer the New Street station, the Wellington on Bennetts Hill is a beer-lovers mecca with 16 real ales on tap. The Shakespeare, just outside the station, often has folks in it headed for a game at one of the other grounds in town.

GRUB: You’ll want to get a balti pie at the ground; it’s a curry style invented in town. But the Balti Triangle area, along Ladypool Road in Sparkbrook, is just a half-hour walk away and will offer much better versions of the local delicacy. Otherwise, all the food is in town, like in the cool Chinese Quarter near New Street station.

AROUND TOWN: Birmingham doesn’t make most tourists’ radar, but there are a lot of nice museums and other cultural attractions around. Check visitbirmingham.com/what-to-do and see what strikes your fancy.

I do love the Black Country Living Museum. It’s a collection of homes, shops and other buildings collected from the area and brought in to reproduce a Victorian village and a 1940s-60s village, with folks walking around in character and lots of fun events planned. It’s a bit remote but worth the trip. And if this means anything to you, they shot a lot of “Peaky Blinders” there. See their website for more.