Birmingham City have confirmed the sale of their women's team to owners Shelby Companies Limited
A general view of St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park
A general view of St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park
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Birmingham City have become the latest English club to sell their women's team to their ownership group.
Blues have announced that Birmingham City Women has been bought by Shelby Companies Limited - the holding company through which Knighthead Capital Management control the club.
The women's team are now officially a separate entity to the umbrella that Blues men's and academy teams sit within, but Knighthead have moved to reassure supporters that 'the club’s leadership team will continue to manage the day-to-day operations, with no immediate changes to staffing or football operations.'
Blues have brought a number of minority investors on board including former player Karen Carney and ex-tennis star Kim Clijsters, who is known to have business links to Knighthead.
The sale of the women's team is something numerous clubs have done in recent seasons to boost their finances in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations - now known as Profit and Sustainability (P&S) in the Championship.
Chelsea sold their women's team to owners BlueCo in the summer of 2024 in a deal worth a reported £200million. Aston Villa sold their women's team to parent company V Sports in a £55m move last summer.
Chief executive Jeremy Dale said: “Birmingham City has a strong heritage in the women’s game, competing at the highest levels and winning the FA Cup in 2012. It has developed outstanding talents like Karen Carney, Kerys Harrop and Jess Carter, who have represented the women’s game with distinction. To now have Karen, along with Kim Clijsters and several other prominent women business leaders as investors is a pivotal moment for the club.”
The Birmingham City Women’s Football Club Board added: “The ambition is to go beyond anything that Birmingham City Women has achieved before – domestically and internationally. And in the process, inspire a new generation of young girls, who will get the opportunity to perform in the planned women’s stadium within the Birmingham Sports Quarter. This transaction will be a catalyst to make it happen.”
The club's men's team have just enjoyed a transfer window which saw them acquire six new players at a cost of around £15million.
Similarly, Knighthead have spent big on the women's team and bankrolled key signings in the window including the record-breaking deal for midfielder Wilma Leidhammar from IFK Norrköping.
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