St Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium – Birmingham City

Apart from the Main Stand on one side, the rest of the ground is fairly modern. This Main Stand, which was opened in 1952, is two-tiered and runs along one side of the pitch and has a row of executive boxes running across its middle. This stand is the smallest at the stadium and is looking particularly tired amongst its more modern neighbours. This stand also houses the press area, television gantry and has the team dugouts located in front of it. The team dressing rooms are situated within the Gil Merrick Stand, which results in the teams entering the field of play from one corner of the stadium between this stand and the Main Stand. Also in this corner is a large video screen, above which is the Jeff Hall Memorial Clock. This clock is in remembrance to a former player and England International who tragically lost his life at the age of 29 to Polio in 1959.

The rest of the ground is quite smart looking. One large two-tiered tiered stand, incorporating the Tilton Road End and Spion Kop, completely surrounds half the pitch and replaced a former huge terrace. The new Tilton Road End was opened for the start of the 1994-95 season, with the new Spion Kop following in 1995. At the back of the Spion Kop Stand, which runs along one side of the pitch, are a row of executive boxes, as well as a central seated executive area which also incorporates the Directors ‘box’. The other modern stand, the Gil Merrick Stand (previously known as the Railway End) was opened in February 1999. It is a large two-tiered stand and is unusual in having quite a small top tier, which overhangs the larger lower area. Again there is a row of executive boxes in this stand, housed at the back of the lower section.

In June 2018 the ground was renamed the St Andrews Trillion Trophy Stadium, in a three-year corporate sponsorship deal. Trillion Trophy Asia are the Club’s Far East owners.

Away supporters are housed on one side of the Gil Merrick Stand, which is located at one end of the stadium in the lower tier. The normal allocation is 3,000 tickets, but this can be increased to around 4,500 for cup games (when the whole of the lower tier is allocated). This stand is normally shared with home fans housed on the other side who are separated by plastic netting. Although for most of the 2018/19 season the upper tier of the Gil Merrick Stand has been closed, when it has been opened then this results in home fans being housed above the away support. The facilities and the view from this stand are pretty good. On the concourse, food includes A range of Pies; Chicken Balti, Steak and Kidney, Chicken & Mushroom, Meat and Potato (all £3). Cornish Pasties (£3), Cheese and Onion Pasties (£3), Sausage Rolls (£2), Cheeseburgers (£3.70), Hot Dogs (£3.70) and Chips (£2). If a large away following is expected then an additional burger van is brought into onto the open area just up from the visitors turnstiles. Fans can normally also have a smoke there in this open area, but obviously not inside the stand.

John a visiting Burnley informs me; ‘The beer inside the ground was drinkable and the Balti pies were delicious! On the downside, the seat I had been allocated was in Row 21 seat 002 which was right up against the wall. I’ve had more legroom on a package tour flight to the Canaries! What really annoyed me were a small section of the City fans who spent the entire game screaming abuse and gesturing to the away fans’. Jordan Cottrell a visiting Chelsea fan tells me; ‘Away fans were searched by the stewards prior to entering the ground. I also noticed that any plastic bottles were being confiscated.’ Alan Sexton a visiting West Ham supporter adds; ‘The ground itself is three-quarters of the way to being a top class stadium but desperately needs a new Main Stand. If this is built, joining with the Tilton Road and Railway Stands then St Andrews will be one of the best if not the best ground in the Midlands. Atmosphere wise it was the best ground I have visited all season for sheer volume before and during the game. As for the concourses, they left little to be desired and were extremely crowded, the scrum to try and get a pie was not for the faint-hearted’.

If arriving early and looking for food, then just down from the visitors entrance are a number of burger vans, dotted along the side of the road selling the usual fayre. Further on down towards the roundabout there is a McDonalds outlet. Also across the road from the away fans gates is a small retail park that has a Morrisons Supermarket. This contains a cafe and also has a cash point.

It is worth bearing mind though, that a certain section of Birmingham fans are particularly passionate about their club and this can make for an intimidating atmosphere for away supporters. I would advise as a precaution to keep your club colours covered around the ground or in the city centre.’

There are not many pubs located near to St Andrews and what ones there are quite intimidating for away supporters and are not recommended. One exception is the Cricketers Arms on Green Lane, as Simon a visiting Chelsea fan informs me; ‘On our last visit to St Andrews, we managed to find a friendly pub within proximity of the ground. The pub is called The Cricketers Arms and is about 10 minutes walk, maybe less. To find the pub (with your back to the away section) walk along the road ahead of you going away from the ground (not the road going right up by the stadium, but the road going towards Morrisons). Walk through Morrisons car park heading towards the store then join the road next to it, which is called Green Lane. The pub is 30 seconds from there on the left. The pub itself is shared between home and away fans but all the Birmingham fans were very friendly. The pub is small but you can drink outside where there are beer tables’.

It is best to drink in the city centre and get a taxi to the ground (about £9). If you are walking to the ground from the city centre, then you may care to stop at the Anchor Pub on Bradford Street, renowned for its range of real ales on offer. Although there are a number of Blues fans that frequent the pub they tend to be of the CAMRA bearded variety and therefore as long as you don’t turn up mobbed handed, you should be okay. The pub is situated just behind Birmingham Coach Station. Going on further towards the ground then you are likely to pass the Old Crown, on Digbeth High Street, which apart from being Birmingham’s oldest building, is also a pub which normally allows in away fans. Also in the same area is the DigBrew Company who are based on River Street (B5 5SA) and are open on Saturdays from 12noon. This brewery which is located in an old industrial unit has a bar inside and is welcoming to visiting supporters. Although basic inside, the beer (both real ale and craft) is good and the brewery is around a 15 minute walk away from the visitor’s turnstiles (going in the general direction of the city centre)

If you coming by train, or decide to drink in the city centre beforehand, then if you like your real ale, then you can’t do much better than visiting the Wellington Pub on Bennetts Hill. With 16 real ales on tap, including 12 guest ales, this is somewhat of a mecca for real ale drinkers. Also on Bennetts Hill, there is the ‘Sun On The Hill’ pub, which also shows televised sports and there is a Wetherspoons Pub called the Briar Rose, which normally admits visiting fans as long as no colours are shown. The Wellington does not provide food but has no objections to you bringing in your own. There are a couple of taxi ranks nearby that you can use if you wish to get you to the St Andrews ground. You can get more info on the Wellington pub website, including a live ‘beer board’ showing which ales they are currently serving. Just outside the main entrance to Birmingham New Street Station, is the Shakespeare pub, which is also popular with visiting supporters (normally under the watchful eye of the local Constabulary). Frequented not only those on their way to St Andrews but those on their way to the Hawthorns, as West Brom normally play their Saturday home games on the same day as Birmingham City.

Alcohol is normally made available to away fans inside the ground in the form of John Smith’s Bitter or Fosters Lager (£3.80 per pint), as well as Bottles of Bulmers Cider (£3.60) and Wine (£3.90). However, for certain high profile fixtures, the Club opts not to sell any to away fans.

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Birmingham’s St Andrew’s Stadium reopened its Upper Tilton Stand ahead of their clash with Derby County on 10th September 2021. The stand had been closed since before the start of the 2021/22 season, along with the Upper Kop Stand. Construction is ongoing at the Upper Kop Stand and the Blues hope to reopen it sometime during this campaign. Once completed, the Upper Kop Stand will seat nearly 3000 season ticket holders.

On top of that, the Club are still weighing up the options as to the possibility of a moving to new stadium or whether to further re-develop St Andrews. If the latter option was chosen then this would involve the re-building of the Main Stand. This would increase the overall capacity of St Andrews to around 36,500 at a cost of around £12m. Of course, the more works carried out on the existing ground, the less likely a move becomes.

Birmingham initially played on waste grounds off Arthur Street at Bordesley Green. Back then, they were operating under the name of Small Heath Alliance FC. The Blues relocated to a small fenced off field in Sparkbrook where they played for a year, before moving to a field adjoining Muntz Street, which was known as Small Heath.

The Muntz Street ground, which had a 10,000 capacity, was upgraded to occupy 30,000 people. In February 1905, during a league match with Aston Villa, —who would go on to be their biggest rivals— thousands of fans climbed the walls in order to gain entry with the total attendance estimated to sit at around the 35k mark. This incident led to a search for a new home.

A year later, the Blues moved to the St Andrew’s Stadium. St Andrew’s Stadium has been Birmingham’s stadium for 115 years, with the stadium most recently being renovated in the 1990s.

Leave the M6 at Junction 6 and take the A38(M) (known locally as the Aston Expressway) for Birmingham City Centre. Continue past the first turn off (Aston, Waterlinks) and then take the next turn off, for the Inner Ring Road.

Turn left at the island at the top of the slip road and take the Ring Road East, signposted Coventry/Stratford. Continue along the ring road for two miles, crossing straight across three roundabouts. At the fourth roundabout (there is a large McDonalds on the far left-hand side) turn left into Coventry Road going towards Small Heath. Birmingham City’s ground is about a 1/4 of a mile up this road on your left. The ground is well signposted on the Inner Ring Road.

Car Parking

There is no parking available, except for coaches, for visiting supporters at the ground itself.  To further complicate things then the main Coventry Road leading up to the ground and the away entrance is closed one hour before kick off and then for an hour (starting 15 minutes before the end of the game) afterwards, so really is a case of trying to find some street parking. There is plenty of street parking off the left hand side of the ring road. Either around the small park at the third roundabout that you cross (by Big John’s) or along the road next to and behind the BP garage before the fourth roundabout. Bear in mind that if you arrive after 1.30pm these areas are likely to be already full. There are some local schools and firms that offer parking facilities for around £5. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near St Andrews via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

Post Code for SAT NAV: B9 4RL

The nearest station is Bordesley, which is about a ten minute walk away from the ground. It is served by trains from Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street. Normally most trains don’t stop at Bordesley but on Saturday matchdays there is a regular service (every 10 minutes) and the train ride from Birmingham Moor Street only takes two to three minutes. For evening matches after the game has ended they run back from Bordesley to Moor Street at 21:51, 22:16, 22:22, 22:43 and 22:54.

If you arrive at Birmingham New Street Station in the city centre, either walk to Moor Street station (ten minutes) or take a taxi (about £9) or embark on the 25-30 minute walk to the ground, some of which is uphill.

Birmingham New Street Station has recently undergone some major refurbishment, so if you have not been for a while it will seem quite different, but for the better! As you come up off the platforms onto the main concourse follow the overhead signs towards Moor Street and Bullring. After passing through some glass doors you will come out onto the street and you will see a large Debenhams Store in front of you. Cross over the street towards Debenhams and then turn right. Go down to the end of the block and on the left you will see a doorway with a sign pointing downwards towards Bull Ring Markets. Enter the doorway and go down the stairs. At the bottom, turn left and proceed along the street with Debenhams now on your left. Pass the markets on your right and then St Martins Church on your left.  As you pass the Church you will reach the end of the pedestrianised area where you turn right into Moat Lane. Go down Moat Lane following it around to the left, passing a Chinese supermarket on your right. At the next traffic lights turn right onto Digbeth High Street (busy dual carriageway). Passing Birmingham Coach Station on your right, use the pedestrian crossing to cross over to the other side of the carriageway. Continue up the High Street Passing the Old Crown pub on your left (Birminghams oldest building and normally okay for away fans in small numbers). You will then reach a fork in the road where you want to bear left passing underneath a railway bridge. Continue straight down this road, crossing a large roundabout (with a McDonalds over on one corner). The entrance to the away section is further up the road on your left.

Otherwise, you can take the number 60 bus from the city centre to the ground. The bus departs from bus stop MS4, which is located across the road from Moor Street Station (see Network West Midlands Birmingham City Centre Bus Stop map). It is a regular service running every ten minutes and takes around 15 minutes to reach the ground. Alternatively, the number 60 can also be caught outside Birmingham Coach Station.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets:

Birmingham Coach Station is located just over a mile away from St Andrews and is about a 20 minute walk away. As you come out of the main entrance, turn right and proceed along Digbeth High Street. At the traffic lights cross over onto the other side and continue along Digbeth High Street. You will pass the Old Crown pub on your left and then the handily located Deritend Fish & Chip shop. At the top of the road, the road forks into two. Take the left hand fork onto Coventry Road. Pass underneath a railway bridge (where Bordesley Station is located) and past the Clements Arms (not recommended for away fans) on your left. Just continue straight down this road, crossing a large roundabout (with a McDonalds over on one corner). The entrance to the away section is further up the road on your left. Otherwise, you can catch Bus No 60 from across the road to the main Coach Station Entrance which will take you up to the ground.

Like a number of Clubs, Birmingham City operate a match category policy (A, B C & D) whereby the ticket prices cost more for the most popular games.

Home Fans*
Spion Kop Club Class: Adults £40 (B £35) (C £30) (D £25), Concessions £30 (B £25) (C £20) (D £15)
Spion Kop: Adults £32 (B £28) (C £25) (D £20), Senior Citizens/Students £20 (B £20) (C £20) (D £14), Under 18’s £15 (B £15) (C £15) (D £7), Under 13’s £10 (B £10) (C £10) (D £5)
Main Stand (Upper Centre): Adults £32 (B £28) (C £25) (D £20), Senior Citizens/Students £20 (B £20) (C £20) (D £14), Under 18’s £15 (B £15) (C £15) (D £7), Under 13’s £10 (B £10) (C £10) (D £5)
Spion Kop Corner: Adults £30 (B £27) (C £25) (D £18), Senior Citizens/Students £18 (B £16) (C £15) (D £12), Under 18’s £13 (B £11) (C £10) (D £7), Under 13’s £7 (B £7) (C £5) (D £5)
Main Stand (Upper Wings): Adults £30 (B £27) (C £25) (D £18), Senior Citizens/Students £18 (B £16) (C £15) (D £12), Under 18’s £13 (B £11) (C £10) (D £7), Under 13’s £7 (B £7) (C £5) (D £5)
Tilton Road Stand: Adults £30 (B £27) (C £20) (D £18), Senior Citizens/Students £18 (B £16) (C £15) (D £12), Under 18’s £13 (B £11) (C £10) (D £7), Under 13’s £7 (B £7) (C £5) (D £5)
Gil Merrick Stand (Lower): Adults £30 (B £27) (C £23) (D £18), Senior Citizens/Students £18 (B £16) (C £14) (D £12), Under 18’s £13 (B £11) (C £9) (D £7), Under 13’s £7 (B £7) (C £5) (D £5)
Family Area (Lower Gil Merrick): Adults £27 (£B 24), (C £20) (D £16), Senior Citizens/Students £16 (B £14) (C £12) (D £10), Under 16’s £13 (B £11) (C £9) (D £7), Under 12’s £11 (£6), Under 8’s £5 (all categories)
Family Area (Main Stand Paddocks): Adults £27 (£B 24), (C £15) (D £16), Senior Citizens/Students £16 (B £14) (C £10) (D £10), Under 16’s £13 (B £11) (C £10) (D £7), Under 13’s £5 (all categories)

Away Fans

Gil Merrick Stand Lower Tier: Adults £30 (B £27) (C £20) (D £18) Senior Citizens/Students £18 (B £16) (C £15) (D £12) Under 18’s £13 (B £11) (C £10) (D £7) Under 13’s £7 (B £7) (C £5) (D £5)

* Please note that fans who become Club Members can gain a discount on these ticket prices.

Official Programme £3
Made In Brum Fanzine £1.50

Birmingham vs Aston Villa rivalry: With both teams based in the city of Birmingham, only 2.4 miles separate the two grounds and, as such, the affairs, which are dubbed as the Second City Derby, often bring about some serious spice.

Birmingham vs Wolverhampton Wanderers rivalry: Although this isn’t as fierce as the Second City Derby, Birmingham and Wolverhampton fans do not like each other. There are just 19 between the clubs and their matches are one of the biggest rivalries in the Midlands.

Birmingham vs West Brom rivalry: Unlike the above-mentioned rivalries, this is more of a friendly derby game. It exists as a derby because of the proximity of West Bromwich to Birmingham. Even so, the bragging rights that are on the line mean it’s more than points at stake when WBA come to Birmingham’s stadium.

Record Attendance

66,844 v Everton
FA Cup 5th Round, February 11th, 1939.

Modern All Seated Attendance Record:
29,588 v Arsenal
Premier League, November 22nd, 2003.

Average Attendance
2019-2020: 20,412 (Championship League)
2018-2019: 22,483 (Championship League)
2017-2018: 21,042 (Championship League)

If you require hotel accommodation in the Birmingham area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Just input the dates below that you wish to stay and then select from the map the hotel of interest to get more information. The map is centered to the football ground. However, you can drag the map around or click on +/- to reveal more hotels in the City Centre or further afield.

Birmingham City fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).

For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the
Level Playing Field website.

Official Web Site:
ww.bcfc.com

Unofficial Web Sites:
Singing The Blues (Footy Mad Network)
Often Partisan
Supporters Trust

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.