Blues ask fans what they would pay at the Powerhouse stadium

Birmingham City are asking season ticket holders what they would be willing to pay to watch matches at the club's planned Powerhouse stadium, as planning for the Sports Quarter in Bordesley Green steps up.

The survey covers everything from ticket prices and premium hospitality packages to the other events supporters might attend on the more than 300 days a year when there is no match.

A Premier League scenario

The club stresses that the concepts in the survey are "purely hypothetical", but its introduction gives an insight into its thinking.

"The aim of the club is to compete at the highest possible level; as such this survey has assumed a future scenario in which Birmingham City is competing at Premier League level regularly contesting towards the European qualification places," it says. "The concepts and indicative pricing shown reflect this Premier League context."

A disclaimer explains that a wide range of prices is being tested across different categories, in line with market research used for major stadium projects, and does not represent the final offer or prices.

From the Tilton to pitchside boxes

Under its American owners, Knighthead, the club has tried to keep football affordable behind the goals at St Andrew's, in the Tilton and the Gil Merrick stands, while charging more for the seats with the best views. This season, adult season tickets peak at £475 in the Tilton, compared with £565 in the Kop.

The survey uses hospitality at some of the world's leading stadiums, including the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Sporting's Estádio José Alvalade, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and the Parc des Princes, to show supporters what could be built. Proposals include boxes for four to 18 guests, ranging from suites to pitchside boxes.

The most expensive general admission ticket in the survey, excluding premium packages, was £2,600, for a seat in the lower tier opposite the main stand with access to a sports bar.

A longer timetable

Knighthead recently changed the Sports Quarter masterplan by removing the 80-acre training ground site, including a mini stadium for the women's team, because it constrained the proposed 62,000-seat stadium. As a result, the planning application is not expected until late 2027, and the club's head of infrastructure, Nick Smith, is aiming for the Powerhouse to be completed in 2031.

The club's ticket prices for the current season have not been universally popular, and chief executive Jeremy Dale explained the club's strategy at a recent open house event for supporters.

Why it matters

The Powerhouse would be the centrepiece of a £2.9 billion Sports Quarter, and would be one of the largest club stadiums in England. A Metro tram extension from the city centre is planned to serve it, with the aim of opening to passengers by 2031.

For supporters, the survey is the first detailed glimpse of what a move away from St Andrew's, the club's home since 1906, could mean for the price of following Blues, and of the kind of experience the owners hope to offer.