At the behest of the Peaky Blinders, Birmingham City FC are going back to their roots

Birmingham City Football Club responded to an order from Peaky Blinders by reverting to the club’s original name, Small Heath Alliance.

The club has returned to its historic roots to celebrate its unique connection to the hit crime drama, which is set in Birmingham’s Small Heath.

The BBC show, which follows the lives of the infamous Shelby family, a gang that rose to prominence in post-war Birmingham, returns for its sixth and final series on Sunday.

The football club’s social media re-brand comes after Peaky Blinders issued an order on their Instagram account.

It read: “Birmingham City FC, proud of where you come from, proud to have grown up on the cobbled streets of Small Heath, just like Peaky Blinders.

“So it’s time to wear that pride like a badge of honor. This Saturday you must go back to your roots and become the Small Heath Alliance again. At the behest of the Peaky Blinders.”

The club responded to the post by writing simply: “Order accepted.”

Birmingham City FC was originally founded in 1875 as the Small Health Alliance, before the club’s name was later changed to its current nickname.

This Saturday, the club’s home ground, St Andrews, will once again play host to the Small Heath Alliance as they take on Huddersfield Town.

For one game only, Birmingham City players will leave the tunnel to the sound of the Red Right Hand series theme song and Peaky Blinders themed hoardings will surround the pitch.

Ticket office staff and reception team will also be decked out in flat caps, and fans attending the match will be able to get their hands on Small Heath Alliance merchandise, including a special matchday program and collaborative Peaky scarves Blinders.

The club’s social media will also have a retro theme in the run-up to the match and the launch of the weekend series.

Last week, the much-anticipated return date for Peaky Blinders was revealed in a stunning 40-foot-tall mural in Birmingham featuring the show’s gang leader Tommy Shelby.

The series will see the return of actor Cillian Murphy as the infamous Tommy Shelby.

Murphy previously said this final series would be a tribute to the late Helen McCrory, after the actress, who played family matriarch Polly Gray for the past five seasons, died of cancer in April 2021.

Peaky Blinders returns to BBC One and iPlayer for series six on February 27 at 9pm.