Birmingham Set to Have Three Football Teams in the Top Flight

With the promotion of both Wolves and Birmingham City to football’s top flight, the city of Birmingham looks set to be a soccer nirvana from August, the month in which the 2009/10 Premier League football season begins.

Although West Bromwich Albion drop to The Championship making the net gain to the region one team, the city will still boast no less than three representatives in English football’s top league, as the newly promoted duo join top-six finisher, Aston Villa. Because of their elevated finish in the Premier League, Villa will be involved in European competition during the 2009/10 season meaning that - along with an influx of Premier League supporters each week - foreign football fans will also visit the Midlands capital on at least one occasion.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, who topped The Coca Cola Championship with a seven point cushion, are returning to the Premier League five years after they were last relegated, while runners-up Birmingham City will be re-joining the top flight after an absence of only one season.

Both clubs will be hoping to strengthen their squads to prepare for life in the big League, and survival will inevitably be the target, as it is for all newly promoted clubs; such is the gap in class between England’s top two leagues. But, as they did during the 2008/09 season, rather than welcoming the fans of Doncaster, Ipswich and Watford the city of Birmingham will be bracing itself for the considerable travelling support of such prestige teams as Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Owners of Birmingham hotels, pubs and restaurants will doubtless be hoping that many away supporters will opt to stay overnight in the city on game days, sampling the legendary Birmingham nightlife and boosting the city’s economy. Following the extensive rejuvenation of the Bull Ring shopping centre those fans may even bring their partners and choose to make a weekend of it.

If those fans do choose to take a break to discover Birmingham at the same time as supporting their club, they will not be disappointed. As well as a buzzing nightlife the shopping at the Bull Ring is exceptional, featuring many well-known high street names and a stack of on-trend fashion stores.

Of course, as there are three Premier League teams based in the city that provides travelling fans with three separate opportunities to take advantage of an overnight stay in Birmingham. Thanks to the standard of pubs, clubs, and nightclubs in the city, once sampled many fans will undoubtedly return to complete the Birmingham hat-trick in support of their clubs!