22/11/2025
Here's to another 150 years 💙
Ahead of today's 150th anniversary fixture, CEO Jeremy Dale has penned a message to the Club's supporters. 🔵
Today promises to be a fantastic occasion at the end of a momentous week for our Club.
This is the fixture we designated as our 150th anniversary game, and while we do not have categorical proof, we believe our first match was probably played on Saturday 27 November 1875, when Small Heath Alliance drew 1-1 with our local rivals Holte Wanderers.
As we celebrate our 150th year, it is right to look back and fondly remember the past - the goals, the games, the players and probably most importantly, the people we shared our journey with.
I’ll think about Trevor Francis, about Craig Gardner’s winning goal in the Carling Cup semi-final and how St. Andrew’s bounced when we beat our local rivals 3-0 in our first year in the Premier League. But more than anything, I’ll remember my Grandad.
I was introduced to Blues by my Grandad or ‘Pop’ as we called him. On Saturday 28 November 1970 he brought me to my first game, a 2-2 draw with Norwich City and that was it – I was Blues. So today, let’s think back and thank all those people who brought us here, many of whom may no longer be with us. We raise a glass in their name and in gratitude.
Like so many of you, Blues has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve lived and worked in various cities in England and America, but the one thing that always pulls me back is Birmingham City. That is why it is an absolute joy to be CEO of this club, and it is an undoubted privilege to spend every day working to transform our club and deliver the vision that Tom Wagner and the Knighthead board have outlined.
While today is a moment to celebrate our past, this week has shown us we should also be focusing on the exciting future, because 150 years in, the real story starts now! This is our time and I am utterly convinced we are going to be the football story of the next decade.
Since Knighthead took ownership in July 2023, under the stewardship of Tom Wagner and the board, our club has been transformed beyond all recognition in an amazingly short period of time. From the very first meeting I had with Tom and the Knighthead team, it was clear they had huge ambitions for our club but the thing that impressed me the most was that they very quickly understood Birmingham – the city, the club and the fans. The recent second tranche of shares that they have purchased in the Club now mean it is theirs. That was a significant if not unsurprising step in the journey with Knighthead. We now have the best owners in football at the helm of our club.
Just two days ago, we revealed the design for our stadium of the future. An iconic stadium that is true to Birmingham. This will be the best stadium in Europe, and the Sports Quarter will be a must visit destination for any football fan or concert goer from across Europe.
We can now see what the next 150 years of Birmingham City will look like, and when the time comes to open the doors to our new home, we will see a football club that has not only rewarded its long-standing fanbase but has become one of the fastest growing and most admired in the world. Our men’s, women’s and academy teams will be competing at the top of their respective leagues, both domestically and across Europe, we will have partnered with global and local brands who have grown alongside us, and our incredible Foundation will continue to be changing lives for the better in our city.
When the time comes it will understandably be a wrench to leave St. Andrew’s, because we have so many memories here and we don’t want to lose the spirit of being Blues. But what I’ve come to realise is that the spirit of Blues doesn’t lie in the concrete and metal of St. Andrew’s, it lies in the hearts of all Bluenoses, and it will come with us when we all walk just a few hundred yards down the street.
Every morning, I wake up and pinch myself at the transformation of our club. Often, I will walk into the directors’ box and look at the stadium bowl and smile at the transformation laid out before me. When I did that the other morning, I started to laugh to myself because I knew what we were about to announce and I know we are only just getting started – I can assure you there is so much more to come.
It would be totally remiss of me without saying, on behalf of all Blues fans, thank you to Tom, Andrew, Kyle, Matt and the wider Knighthead team. I don’t know how to fully convey the appreciation of Bluenoses – there are no words sufficient to do that justice. Perhaps we will all show our gratitude during today’s game, singing loud and proud and belting out ‘Keep Right On’ again and again.
To close, as we mark this very special anniversary, let’s celebrate the generations who have carried this club to where it is today, and look ahead with pride to where we’re going next. The spirit that began in 1875 still burns as fiercely as ever, and together we are writing the next chapter in our history.
Enjoy the day, enjoy the celebrations, and remember the best is yet to come.
Keep Right On,
Jeremy
