The Redevelopment of Villa Park: Could this be the next big stadium in Europe?
Premier League football club, Aston Villa, announced an expansion of their stadium that will modernise the club and turn them into a "world-class sporting venue" at the end of 2022.
Credit - Aston Villa Football Club. A look into the future of Villa Park.
Under Dean Smith, Aston Villa was promoted to the Premier League in 2019 following a challenging three-year stint in the EFL Championship. Wes Edens of the United States and Nasser Sawiris of Egypt each acquired a 55% stake in the club in 2018, but by August of that year, the two billionaires had acquired complete ownership.
The 19-20 season would see Villa finishing in a difficult 17th place. Relegation was avoided due to goal difference and the fans were unpleased with the progression of the club.
Despite this, Villa has had two fine seasons; their current place being 11th and their previous season placement in 14th place. With Steven Gerrard's sacking, Unai Emery was appointed, and significant spending on the field has improved the Villains' initial gleamy outlook on the future.
Aston Villa End of Season Placements.
Businesses all across the world were impacted by COVID-19, which resulted in the demise of an estimated 5,000 grassroots football teams and a massive impact on professional football clubs. Aston Villa, however, claimed a two-year increase in turnover.
This year, Aston Villa had a turnover of £178.4 million, compared to their financial year 2020 revenue of £112.6 million.
On April 17, 1897, Villa Park was completed, and in the 126 years since then, it has undergone significant growth. Fans have been discussing a more modernised update to the stadium for many years, according to Villa supporter and online user Ady Johnston.
Credit - @adjyj29.
Ady has become a well known face around Villa gaining over 1,400 followers for his views on the club.
Speaking to Ady, he said this to say about the future of Villa Park: “Villa is one of the greatest football clubs in English history and hopefully we’re going to be in a place alongside the European giants… give us a few years!”
“Our stadium is one of the best but could definitely do with some changes. Unless you have a season ticket it’s near enough impossible to purchase tickets because it’s consistently sold out. The atmosphere is incredible and to be fair a lot more deserve to experience it!”
Credit - @adjyj29.
Ady has been a lifelong Villa fan and has sat in the North Stand since his first season ticket in
Talking about the redevelopment he said: “An expansion to the stadium to 50,000 capacity is so exciting I’d say for all fans. The whole of the ground being changed while keeping its legacy is something I’ve been wanting for ages.
“People talk about it all the time because anything like this is huge for the club you love”
He finished off by saying: “Aston Villa is a legendary club but we just need to expand to be more than just a mid table Prem side. We’re more than that and I want to see our club going further and further back to the glory days.”
Credit - Aston Villa Football Club. The new centralised hub to be built.
Ady's opinion of the necessity of a ground expansion coincided with the almost 10,000 replies to the redevelopment plans issued earlier the previous year.
The North Stand is being expanded as part of Villa Park's first phase of renovation. The stadium's capacity will increase to 50,000 as a result, allowing it to host large international tournaments and participate in them. More to this, they have made the UK and Ireland's shortlist of potential host cities for the 2028 UEFA Euro Championship. Villa themselves stated that they wanted a "world-class sporting stadium" when they made the modification.
Although this phase will cost close to £100 million, it will benefit the West Midlands economy by £119.9 million annually. This is done by creating jobs both during and after construction and by drawing more than a million tourists to the area.
Current North Stand.
Kayleigh Powell is a North Stand season ticket holder of 5 years, we spoke to her about the impact of the redevelopments:
“It’s exciting to be fair because I love my stand and I really think that the changes will give it the credit it deserves… it definitely gets overshadowed by the Holte End.”
In response to asking her about what will happen with her seat when the changes happen, she said:
“I literally have no idea… the website gives no indication except we will be updated but I’ve asked around and I don’t think there are any concrete answers yet because it’s somewhat far away.”
She further said: “But yeah I literally cannot wait… how can this be anything other than great for Villa who want to push into that next step of Europe football? It’s a great time, Up The Villa!”
Alongside the changes to the North Stand, Villa Live is a large part of the redevelopment and something that will massively affect fans.
Villa Live is described as “a brand-new commercial destination venue and community space.” Placed opposite the North Stand, the five key elements included in the building are:
A central hub space
Retail space such as the new club shop. The old one will be replaced with this building.
Food and drink options
What is described as room to recognise the clubs’ history
Plus, an outdoor space which will include a bar and a cafe
Credit - Aston Villa Football Club. A preview of Villa Live.
The club is collaborating with the West Midlands Combined Authority and West Midlands Rail Executive to guarantee designs for renovations near B6 as part of an ongoing effort to improve public transportation near Villa Park.
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We approached Aston Villa Football Club for further comments on the plans for the stadium but got no comment. Here’s what they had to say in their official press release:
“Villa Park is home to a rich heritage and unique atmosphere that we want to celebrate, expand and enhance… The redevelopment of Villa Park will not only benefit our fans and players but also make a difference beyond the stadium grounds.”
Aston Villa CEO, Christian Purslow said: “We have received a hugely positive response from the local community, our supporters and other stakeholders and are confident that this project will transform both the stadium and the local area.”
“These new CGI images showcase our spectacular vision for Villa Park which includes a brand-new commercial destination, Villa Live and high-quality public space for the community. We look forward to continuing to work with all partners to realise our future vision.”
