By Knighthead, Birmingham City Football Club, Delta Air Lines
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Birmingham City Football Club is pleased to announce Delta Air Lines as its Official Airline Partner for the 2024-2025 season. The new commercial relationship reflects the growing appeal of Birmingham City Football Club to leading global brands.
The relationship officially 'kicks-off' Monday, September 16, to coincide with Birmingham City's appearance on Sky TV's Live Monday Night Football. The Sky Bet League 1 match against Wrexham, a 29,000 sell out, will be broadcast live in the UK, the US, and across the globe. Delta branding will be visible on the Men's First Team's shirt sleeve and appear on the Club's new digital screens and advertising boards at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park. Delta branding will also appear on the Club's Women's First Team shirt sleeve, starting with the Barclays Women's Championship home match against Portsmouth on 22 September 2024.
Delta and Birmingham City will work together on storytelling opportunities that demonstrate the club's climb, surprising and delighting football fans around the world, bringing them ever closer together.
Tom Wagner, Birmingham City Owner and Chairman of the Board, said: "We're excited to welcome Delta to the Blues family. As we continue leveraging our resources to bring Birmingham City to a global audience, Delta's vast network will help us connect our international fan bases and bring them and our team to new heights. Alongside world-class brands like UNDEFEATED and Nike, Delta shares our vision to elevate the club. This marks the beginning of a defining era in our nearly 150-year history."
Garry Cook, CEO and Board Member, Birmingham City said: "Delta is one of the world's leading brands. Delta's rally cry, "Keep Climbing", resonates with the journey that Birmingham City is now on. Blues is going to be one of the most exciting stories in football in the next five years. Our teams are at the start of a transformational journey; our charitable Foundation is now helping hundreds of thousands of people across the city start to enjoy better lives; leading global brands are excited to partner with us due to the value we can bring; and our owners are spearheading one of the country's largest infrastructure projects, the Sports Quarter, here in East Birmingham. It will attract millions of visitors each year and many of them will choose to arrive on Delta planes. Birmingham, in partnership with Delta, is most definitely on the rise."
"Birmingham City Football Club is an important part of the fabric of England's second-largest city," said Matteo Curcio, Delta's senior vice president for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. "We're excited to be part of the club's storytelling as they work towards the highest levels of football."
Global interest in Birmingham City has grown since July 13, 2023, when Knighthead Capital Management invested in the Club. An ambition was set for Blues to become a beacon of excellence for Birmingham on the global stage. Since then, the Club has become a worldwide story, driven in part by Knighthead's commitment to create a £2-3bn Sports Quarter in East Birmingham, with the football club at the epicentre.
The appeal of the Club has been amplified by the involvement of American Football legend and entrepreneur Tom Brady, who is an investor in Birmingham City and advisor to the Board on sports medicine, recovery, nutrition, and mental preparation.
About Knighthead Capital Management, LLC
Knighthead Capital Management, LLC ("Knighthead Capital") was co-founded in 2008 by Ara Cohen and Thomas Wagner. Knighthead Capital is an event driven and deep value focused SEC registered investment advisor that specializes in investing in companies that need financial and operational restructuring. Knighthead Capital has worked to create a diversified credit platform with an experienced team of investment professionals, specializing in credit analysis, sourcing, trading and restructuring. Knighthead Capital's long-term objective is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its clients while emphasizing the preservation of capital. Knighthead Capital manages assets across a variety of investment vehicles including a long/short Evergreen Hedge Fund, a number of Closed-End Credit Vehicles, a dedicated Real Estate Lending business and a sizable Insurance Asset Management business.
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SOURCE Knighthead