Aston Villa today officially announced plans to redevelop the North Stand – finally!
There has been a lot of talk recently that Villa were set to announce plans that work would finally begin on the stand, if we are all honest, that lets Villa Park down.
Those within the club have spoken about the need to expand Villa Park, and the new development will take the ground above 50,000 capacity with a new modern look to add to the work already going on around that part of the stadium.
The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2027 in time for Euro 2028.
Plans were revealed in the past, but Villa have always made it clear that they couldn’t progress until Birmingham City Council agreed to upgrade Witton Station. The ground is already a nightmare to escape at full-time so adding to the capacity would only cause more problems without the improvement at the stadium.
The announcement was made cleverly by using former Villa favourites Dion Dublin and Alan McInally in a video announcement. Watch the video here.
Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris, stated: “Since Wes and I became owners of this storied Club in 2018 and Atairos joined us as partners in 2024, we have shared a clear ambition: to restore Aston Villa to its rightful position competing at the highest levels of English and European football, and to transform the Club into a global brand and European powerhouse. Thanks to the Mayor’s commitment to develop Witton Station and to improve local transport links, this project will mark an important milestone in the Club’s journey to becoming a world-class sports and entertainment venue. A bigger, better North Stand will not only allow many more Villans to see their team in person, improving matchday experience, but will also dramatically improve the Club’s ability to invest and compete in the long term.”
Verdict
As I already touched upon, it’s about time! I know it hasn’t been Villa’s fault, and they needed all the cogs to come together, but it’s certainly long overdue. There are a lot of good things taking place on the field and in some cases off (not everything though, but we can’t have it all, can we?), so it’s only positive news to see this finally be given the green light.
What’s more positive is that work will take place without impacting the current capacity, meaning fans won’t miss out and the club won’t be impacted financially. The North Stand car park has had plenty of work done to it recently, with the new club shop and the pop-up bars that now sit on the Trinity Road corner. There will be a new matchday and music venue due to be open at the back end of this year.
Credit where it’s due, well done to all those involved at Villa Park. Dare I ask for a price freeze on season tickets now?
