Jeremy Dale makes staggering financial claim as Birmingham City build for Championship return
Birmingham City will be ready to compete financially with the Championship’s elite when they return to the second tier, interim chief executive Jeremy Dale has told BirminghamLive.
Blues are currently four points clear at the top of League One, with games in hand, and are on course for an immediate return to the Championship. Manager Chris Davies was allowed to spend in excess of £20m to rebuild Blues’ squad last summer by owners Knighthead and used it wisely to tee up promotion.
Knighthead will no doubt bankroll another shopping spree in the summer if Blues return to the Championship. Dale, who has stepped up as CEO since Garry Cook’s departure, has given an insight into the enormous revenue Blues are bringing in thanks to partnerships with the likes of Nike, Delta Air Lines and Undefeated.
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“From a commercial perspective the club is doing better than it has ever done before,” said Dale. “If we got promoted, even to the Premier League, if we had the Premier League TV money we would not be in the bottom few teams in that league. We would be just below half way from a commercial perspective.
“The parachute payments make a huge difference in the Championship. It would be fair to say that we believe next season, from a commercial point of view, we would be performing within the top five or six teams in the Championship.”
Blues seem to be announcing new partnerships on a daily basis with Vertu Motors among those recently joining the party at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park. The stadium naming rights deal is also raking in the cash by way of a unique set-up based on social media impressions.
Dale added: “The commercial partners who have come on board have seen the journey we’re on and they have bought into our future. We talk to them about the ambitions and they come around and, as they walk around, they say they can feel the vibe.
"We brought one partner in a couple of months ago and it was on a day like this when no one was in the stadium, and they are literally walking around going, ‘I can feel there’s a buzz in this place’. Whether that’s the people in the offices or the stewards walking around, there is an entirely different vibe to this place than there was before.
"And when they come to games like Wrexham at home, when this place is absolutely rocking, and they can’t believe this is a League One game, they realise it’s not the league you’re in, it’s the club you are.
“When you look at average attendances across the 92 professional teams, I think we lie in 22nd at the moment. When you look at social media impressions this season out of the 92 teams, we are lying 15th. That’s the level of attention which we’ve attracted through a whole load of activities.
“Those who come on board with us first and join the journey, we are going to look after them, care for them and show them that loyalty about being one of those first movers.”
