Birmingham owners complete takeover of women's side

"Shelby Companies Limited (SCL) are a subsidiary of Knighthead Capital Management - an investment firm co-founded by Blues chairman Tom Wagner. They bought a controlling share of the Championship club in July 2023 before increasing that to a full takeover last November. They have now acquired a 97% stake in the women's side. The remaining 3% has been taken up by a group of "prominent female business leaders and global professional sporting icons" including 144-cap Carney and former three-time US Open tennis champion Kim Clijsters."

"In a statement,, external the club said the deal "will elevate the focus on the women's team" and "deliver on the stated ambition to compete at the highest levels in the women's game". They added there would be "no immediate changes to staffing or football operations" following the takeover."

"Birmingham chief executive Jeremy Dale called the deal "a pivotal moment" in the club's history. "Birmingham City has a strong heritage in the women's game, competing at the highest levels and winning the FA Cup in 2012," he said. "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.""

Shelby Companies Limited (SCL), a subsidiary of Knighthead Capital Management, has acquired a 97% stake in Birmingham City Women's team. SCL's parent firm was co-founded by club chairman Tom Wagner, and SCL previously bought a controlling share of the men's Championship club in July 2023 before completing a full takeover in November. The remaining 3% of the women's side has been taken by prominent female business leaders and sporting icons, including Karen Carney and Kim Clijsters. The club said the deal will elevate focus on the women's team, deliver on ambitions to compete at the highest levels, and involve no immediate staffing changes. Birmingham sit in the second automatic promotion place in WSL2 as they pursue a return to the top flight after relegation in 2021-22.

Read at www.bbc.com