Is this English soccer club the next Wrexham story?

In the heart of Birmingham, in a district that was once the rugged industrial center of England’s second city, there is a pilgrimage. It takes you past former factories, abandoned buildings and leads you through “spit and sawdust” pubs that are brimming with character and tradition.

In the heart of Birmingham, in a district that was once the rugged industrial center of England’s second city, there is a pilgrimage. It takes you past former factories, abandoned buildings and leads you through “spit and sawdust” pubs that are brimming with character and tradition. But the destination you reach isn’t strictly a place of worship – at least, not in a traditional sense. St. Andrew’s, the stadium that greets you at the end of this journey, stands tall. It has been home to soccer club Birmingham City FC for more than a century. The Blues – as the team is known – are beloved in this part of the city and have been since they were founded as the Small Heath Alliance in 1875. Above the ground, three flags fly high. Two of them you might expect to find at this stadium; one bears the club’s crest and the other the St. George’s cross that adorns the national flag of England. But the third – the famous stars and stripes of the United States – is more surprising. The US flag has been flying above St. Andrew’s for more than a year now, ever since the beleaguered Birmingham City was taken over by the American-based Knighthead Capital Management, which counts NFL legend Tom Brady as a partner in its ownership of the club. Knighthead co-founder Tom Wagner and Brady have, from across the pond, promised to rejuvenate the club both on and off the pitch.