The Birmingham City 150th Anniversary “Penguin” Jersey is a special heritage release created as part of the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations, commemorating Birmingham City’s origins in 1875. This is not the regular 2025/26 Home shirt; it is a limited-edition fourth/special kit created specifically to revive one of the most recognisable designs in Birmingham City history.

The design returns to the famous “Penguin” look, featuring a rich royal-blue body divided by a wide white vertical panel running directly through the centre of the shirt. The nickname comes from the distinctive tuxedo-like appearance created by the blue sides and contrasting white centre. The style became strongly associated with Birmingham during the 1970s.

As shown on this version, the 150th-anniversary Birmingham City crest is positioned centrally, incorporating the commemorative 1875–2025 detail. The white round neckline and white sleeve-edge detailing continue the deliberately simple retro presentation.

Another distinctive feature is the use of tonal white-on-white front branding within the central panel. Birmingham City specifically stated that the commercial partners agreed to understated tonal marks so that the heritage design remained the main visual focus.

The result is a modern recreation of an unmistakably Birmingham design—combining the club’s traditional royal blue with one of the most recognisable visual identities from its past.

Please refer to the size guidance on this product page for detailed measurements.

Size Guidance (Men’s Jersey)

Note: All sizes are for reference only. Manual measurement may result in an error of ±1 inch.

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TOP FIT

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Season Information

Season/Year: 2025/26 Club: Birmingham City Country: England Competition: EFL Championship / FA Cup Kit Type: 150th Anniversary Special / Fourth Nickname: “The Penguin” Anniversary: 150 Years Founded: 1875, originally as Small Heath Alliance Design Inspiration: Birmingham City’s iconic 1970s “Penguin” shirts Primary Colours: Royal Blue / White Head Coach: Chris Davies Key Players: Jay Stansfield, Demarai Gray, Paik Seung-ho, Tomoki Iwata, Tommy Doyle, Patrick Roberts Special Match: Birmingham City vs Leeds United – FA Cup Fourth Round, 15 February 2026

The shirt forms part of Birmingham City’s 150th anniversary programme, celebrating a history that began with the formation of Small Heath Alliance in 1875. Rather than creating an entirely new anniversary design, the club chose to bring back a visual identity immediately recognisable to generations of Blues supporters.

The inspiration comes from Birmingham’s celebrated 1970s “Penguin” strip. Royal blue had long been fundamental to the club’s identity, but in 1971 Birmingham introduced the striking combination of a blue shirt with a broad white central panel. That basic design remained in use for several seasons and became associated with an important period in the club’s top-flight history.

That era included legendary Birmingham forwards Trevor Francis and Bob Latchford, both of whom became closely associated with the Penguin design. Francis in particular occupies an exceptional place in Birmingham City history, having emerged from the club’s youth system before becoming one of English football’s outstanding forwards. The 2026 anniversary version deliberately reconnects the current team with that generation.

The special shirt was unveiled in January 2026 and designated as a limited-edition fourth kit. Birmingham confirmed that it would make its on-field debut against Leeds United in the FA Cup Fourth Round on 15 February 2026.

That match added another unusual historical touch. Birmingham wore the anniversary kit with squad numbers but no player names on the back, while the shorts also omitted player names and numbers. The simplified treatment was another deliberate reference to football shirts from an earlier era.

The modern Birmingham side wearing the shirt included Jay Stansfield, Demarai Gray, Tomoki Iwata, Paik Seung-ho, Tommy Doyle and Patrick Roberts, connecting the club’s current generation with a design made famous more than half a century earlier.

For that reason, this shirt is best classified as the Birmingham City 2025/26 150th Anniversary “Penguin” Special Jersey, rather than the standard 2025/26 Home Jersey.

Rec. Player Printing Options

Important printing detail: for the anniversary shirt’s actual FA Cup appearance against Leeds United, Birmingham deliberately used numbers without player surnames. Therefore, a number-only back is the most match-accurate presentation for this particular shirt.

STANSFIELD 28 provides the strongest contemporary-player connection to the Birmingham City 150th Anniversary “Penguin” Jersey.

Jay Stansfield was one of the central attacking players of Birmingham’s anniversary-era team and remained among the club’s most regularly used players during the 2025/26 Championship campaign.

However, for customers wanting the most accurate recreation of the shirt as actually worn, a number-only back is preferable. Birmingham specifically removed player surnames for the anniversary kit’s FA Cup appearance against Leeds, strengthening the retro character of the Penguin revival.

For a printing connected directly to that special match, ROBERTS 16 is especially meaningful: Patrick Roberts scored the late equaliser that forced extra time while Birmingham were wearing the anniversary Penguin strip.