On 23rd April 1886, Small Heath Athletic Society held their first athletic sports meeting on a grass track, rolled and marked out on the Small Heath Alliance's football field. There was one bicycle race, a one mile handicap which was run with three heats and in the final, a short marker GH Wareham, Forward BC, won easily by twenty yards. Later that year, on Whit Tuesday, Birchfield Harriers held an amateur cycling and athletics race meeting, a band was employed, there was dancing on the green and a fireworks display, admission was sixpence.
In 1888, the club changed its name to Small Heath FC and became a limited liability company, issuing 300 ten shilling shares. This move, novel at the time, was made to free the club from debt and to financially safeguard its future. Small Heath were the first football club in the country to adopt professionalism, because its players were mostly working men and could not afford to lose time from work travelling to games.
There were bicycle races at the ground throughout the 1890s. The Forward BC held their club championship races in 1891. Birchfield and Redhill Harriers club had bicycle races at their meetings, in 1894 these were half and one mile handicaps and a ten miles scratch race, but the attendance was very low. There were Charity Sports in1895 and Small Heath FC organised annual sports meetings with one and two miles bicycle races.
There seemed to be very little bicycle racing after 1900. Small Heath Harriers held an athletics and cycling meeting on 26th July 1902 with half and one mile bicycle races. This was probably the last time that there was any bicycle racing at the ground.
In 1904, Small Heath FC changed their name again to Birmingham City FC. The rent of the Small Heath ground had risen to £300 per annum and after failing to negotiate a new lease, Birmingham City FC moved to a new ground at St Andrews in 1906.
The site of the Small Heath ground is now mainly covered with housing around the area currently known as Swanage Road.