Rename Villa Park??

[Rick_avfc]

Apologies if this topic has been started somewhere else but just wanted to know people's feelings about if Villa Park was to be renamed for a large sum of money.  Man City apparently have agreed a deal with Eithad Airways to rename their stadium for £150m?  Would Villa fans accept a name change of some sort or maybe keeping the name Villa Park and possibly getting companies to sponsor the different stands?

[Irish villain]

No way, I'm a traditionalist. What makes Aston Villa FC unique is the touch of class that radiates from it.

[not3bad]

While I hate the idea I guess you have to do what you can to keep up.  I'm dreading who the sponsors for the ground name might be though.

[john e]

Absolutely NO on principle, but for £150mill, I could always get some different principles

[darren woolley]

No way I like the fact that we play at Villa Park couldn't get use to it being called by any other name.

[Villan For Life]

No way I like the fact that we play at Villa Park couldn't get use to it being called by any other name.

But it will always be Villa Park, whatever the naming rights say.

[Summers]

£150m is a lot of cash. I don't think we'd get anywhere near that amount if we did - if someone offered us £150m for it we'd be foolish to turn it down.

[Rick_avfc]

No way I like the fact that we play at Villa Park couldn't get use to it being called by any other name.

But it will always be Villa Park, whatever the naming rights say.

True.  Just because someone owns the naming rights to it, it will always be known as Villa Park to the die hard fans.  Say if Villa got £120M for it?  Would people change their minds then? I doubt this will ever happen tho.

[Meanwood Villa]

I think with newer grounds like Citeh's it's less of an issue. We'd always call it Villa Park of course but it would grate a little to hear in the media, "over to Pat Murphy at the Forex Pro Stadium" or whatever. What I do find a bit of a farce is when new stadiums immediately get a sponsor so that's what the ground's known as, then that sponshorship deal runs out. What's the McAlpine called these days? And what will the Emirates become?

[Concrete John]

I think this will start to become more common over the next few years and although I don't like the idea, we'll get left behind if we can't keep up.

[CJ]

Wash your mouth out for even suggesting it

[Rick_avfc]

Leicester City have just done it as well right?  I do believe moving forward, more and more clubs will start renaming their stadiums for more money.  I guess you have to move with the times to keep up. 

[cdward]

The Doug Ellis is Great Stadium

[Dante Lavelli]

Villa Park will always be Villa Park but I'd have no problem buying a ticket to sit in a new Rover Stand rather than the current North Stand.

[cb]

We have to remember though that the Man City thing is just a scam by the sheikh to get around the FFP rules. I'm not sure we could command £150M for the naming rights to VP. When you think about it that's virtually the cost of an entire new stadium.