Birmingham City: Between lines

Words: Millie Evans

Images: Millie Evans

Results often measure football clubs. League tables, points totals and trophies provide the statistics that define success.

Yet, some of the most meaningful stories in football are found away from the pitch, embedded in the places that supporters return to week after week.

St Andrew’s is one of those places. Its ageing stands, weathered surfaces and decades-old character tell a story of loyalty, memory and belonging.

Long before a ball is kicked, the stadium reveals something about the people who call it home.

I have become increasingly interested in the culture that surrounds football: the rituals, traditions and identities that transform a football club into a community.

©Millie Evans/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC.

Looking beyond the action of the game itself reveals a network of people, places and experiences that give meaning to supporting a club.

Spending time around St Andrew’s highlighted how deeply Birmingham City Football Club is woven into everyday life.

It exists in the scarves worn by supporters on matchday mornings, in the stickers layered across stadium seats and railings, and in the familiar walks families make towards the ground.

The club’s colours appear everywhere, acting almost as a visual language shared between strangers.

What I found most striking was the diversity of those connected by that language.

©Millie Evans/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC supporters.

Supporters of different ages, backgrounds and experiences all gather beneath the same stands.

Grandparents, parents and children stand side by side, carrying traditions that have often been passed down through generations.

For many, supporting Birmingham City is not simply a hobby; it is an inheritance.

I am particularly interested in these moments of connection: A supporter raising a scarf above a crowd. A family making their way to the stadium. Faces marked by years of loyalty. Empty seats waiting to be filled.

Together, these moments contribute to a wider narrative about belonging and collective identity.

©Millie Evans/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC supporter.

Visually, I am drawn to the repetition of royal blue and white throughout the stadium and its surroundings.

These colours create a thread linking people, places and details together. They demonstrate how a football club can shape both physical spaces and personal identities, creating a sense of place that extends far beyond the stadium walls.

There is also a strong sense of continuity within Birmingham City’s support.

Individuals from different generations often share the same rituals and emotional investment. The club becomes a constant presence through changing times, connecting past and present through shared experience.

What interested me most was how the stadium itself reflects that history. Layers of paint, weathered concrete, old signage and countless personal touches all hint at the thousands of people who have passed through its gates.

Ultimately, these photographs are an exploration of place as much as people. They document the relationship between a football club, its supporters, and the ground they return to week after week.

Together, they reveal how identity, memory and community can become embedded within the spaces we share.