What is the future of Villa Park?

[Virgil Caine]

For me Villa Park is a link with my past though in truth none of the stands are in the original form when I first went in 1968. Indeed I admit any emotional tie to the fabric of the place disappeared when the Trinity Road stand was bulldozed and its soulless replacement built in its place. However to go to a purpose built, architectural vacuum of a stadium near the City Centre does not appeal.

[Rigadon]

Most modern football grounds are a bit 'triggers broom' in that they have been redesigned and rebuilt so the fabrics do change over time.  It's more the place and the journey to the place that becomes special.  As others have said, until we sell our current capacity out consistently, it would seem stupid to build a bigger ground.  The imagined extra income that swelled gate numbers might generate, based on the convenience of being in the city centre, could soon be negated by the extra money it'd probably cost to get in the ground caused by a bigger debt to pay for the building of said ground. 

[fbriai]

I just don't see the point of this. Villa Park is one of the great grounds. There are few locations in the history of sport in the British Isles with a history as long and as significant. Do we really want to even think about moving to nearer the city centre - when it is already practically in the city centre - just so that it makes shopping in town easier of a Saturday afternoon? Besides, given the way kick-off times are moved about, I doubt that we actually play at times when shops are open that frequently anymore.

I see absolutely no up side to moving. We would be tearing up our roots, which are more and more important in the world of modern football, where nothing more than chasing the money seems to be important. The stands themselves have changed over time, but it is still the site of some of our greatest moments and the home of so many memories. These things are important and shouldn't be thrown out lightly.

[oldtimernow]

The answer is already in the name of the club

it's ASTON Villa

not Ladywood Villa or any such other construct

[Risso]

Villa Park is close enough to the City centre as it is, it takes 6 minutes on the train from New Street to Witton and 10 minutes on the bus.

Before I say this, it is worth remembering that I'm speaking as an outsider (Londoner to be specific) who only visits Brum every so often to watch the Villa when I can. So some of what I say may be incorrect. Although the journey to VP from the city centre is quite quick, I get the impression that Brum is one of those cities where nearly every journey from one part of the city to another has to be via the city centre. I remember once going to Small Heath (came early for a match and thought I'd check out the enemy area for something to do) and thought I could probably go directly to VP (or at least somewhere near) from there. Little did I know that I had to go all the way back to the town centre and then on from there. So I assume it is pretty awkward to get to VP from some parts of Brum? Also, although Witton is a decent enough area, I am not sure it is best suited hosting a top-flight football club. It seems very much like a humble residential area with a localised outlook. By this I mean it isn't really great for catering to the needs of people who come from many different places (which the stadium obviously attracts) and is mainly suited for the local community. Look at the little high road that is there. Some small eateries, a couple of butchers, hairdressers, internet cafe...oh and a Mosque if I remember correct. The Tescos is the only real landmark of any kind there. To me the stadium actually seems out of place there and almost like Aston Villa have outgrown the area.

That goes for a lot of the old grounds though, eg Anfield and Goodison.  All built in areas 100 years ago that you wouldn't choose to build a stadium in these days.  They may be inconvenient, but I prefer them to the soulless, identikit new stadia on retail parks like Wigan, Bolton and Stoke etc.

[Brend'Watkins]

Here is the link by the way: www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7513646

Thought the arguments were well put myself.

In it's current location Villa Park could not be in a better placed as it is.  Just off the motorway, in a predominantly business park type landscape easily commutable by public transport.  Villa Park is one of the easiest grounds in the country to get to. 

If it needs to expand at anytime in the future there is room to do so.

As for well put thought out arguments....moving would be the most ridiculous business, historical and practical, decision that anybody could come up with. 

[Lambert and Payne]

Villa Park is close enough to the City centre as it is, it takes 6 minutes on the train from New Street to Witton and 10 minutes on the bus.

Before I say this, it is worth remembering that I'm speaking as an outsider (Londoner to be specific) who only visits Brum every so often to watch the Villa when I can. So some of what I say may be incorrect. Although the journey to VP from the city centre is quite quick, I get the impression that Brum is one of those cities where nearly every journey from one part of the city to another has to be via the city centre. I remember once going to Small Heath (came early for a match and thought I'd check out the enemy area for something to do) and thought I could probably go directly to VP (or at least somewhere near) from there. Little did I know that I had to go all the way back to the town centre and then on from there. So I assume it is pretty awkward to get to VP from some parts of Brum? Also, although Witton is a decent enough area, I am not sure it is best suited hosting a top-flight football club. It seems very much like a humble residential area with a localised outlook. By this I mean it isn't really great for catering to the needs of people who come from many different places (which the stadium obviously attracts) and is mainly suited for the local community. Look at the little high road that is there. Some small eateries, a couple of butchers, hairdressers, internet cafe...oh and a Mosque if I remember correct. The Tescos is the only real landmark of any kind there. To me the stadium actually seems out of place there and almost like Aston Villa have outgrown the area.

That goes for a lot of the old grounds though, eg Anfield and Goodison.  All built in areas 100 years ago that you wouldn't choose to build a stadium in these days.  They may be inconvenient, but I prefer them to the soulless, identikit new stadia on retail parks like Wigan, Bolton and Stoke etc.

This.
I'm proud our area has a number of pubs, kebab shops, chippys and 2 train stations on its doorstep. Better than having to get a shuttle bus to an industrial estate. With how closely its linked into town in regards to train, you can drink in the city centre until 2 15/30ish and still make kick off. Location is no problem with Villa Park

[Lambert and Payne]

Forgot to add, the m6 is 5 minutes away from it and there are many places to park 10/15 minutes walk from the ground which makes life a hell of a lot easier. Add in Aston Park and Aston Hall along those walks its beautiful, theres a real auro surrounding VP. Football would never be the same without it.

[Brend'Watkins]

Villa Park is close enough to the City centre as it is, it takes 6 minutes on the train from New Street to Witton and 10 minutes on the bus.

Before I say this, it is worth remembering that I'm speaking as an outsider (Londoner to be specific) who only visits Brum every so often to watch the Villa when I can. So some of what I say may be incorrect. Although the journey to VP from the city centre is quite quick, I get the impression that Brum is one of those cities where nearly every journey from one part of the city to another has to be via the city centre. I remember once going to Small Heath (came early for a match and thought I'd check out the enemy area for something to do) and thought I could probably go directly to VP (or at least somewhere near) from there. Little did I know that I had to go all the way back to the town centre and then on from there. So I assume it is pretty awkward to get to VP from some parts of Brum? Also, although Witton is a decent enough area, I am not sure it is best suited hosting a top-flight football club. It seems very much like a humble residential area with a localised outlook. By this I mean it isn't really great for catering to the needs of people who come from many different places (which the stadium obviously attracts) and is mainly suited for the local community. Look at the little high road that is there. Some small eateries, a couple of butchers, hairdressers, internet cafe...oh and a Mosque if I remember correct. The Tescos is the only real landmark of any kind there. To me the stadium actually seems out of place there and almost like Aston Villa have outgrown the area.

What?  Have you ever been to Aston Hall?  If you don't know it look for the the large Jacobean House on your left hand side as you approach the ground, it's quite spectacular. 

[Dr Butler]

my family(Dad's side) have been going to the Villa for many many many years and it would certainly not feel the same if it ever moved, it is so easy to get there from Cambridge and I have beaten home certain season ticket holding Hammers fans that have been held up in London traffic for about 20 mins on a Saturday.

UTV
The Doc

 

[SW9-VILLA]

Love the ground, would hate to see it moved and to be perfectly honest I don't have enough faith in the people currently running the club to believe that they wouldn't make a complete hash of it anyway.

[peter w]

The thing that left me cold, more than anything, was the idea of moving to the science park and it being on the east side of the city centre. Now it would be funny to start encroaching on their neck of the woods but the east of anything Brum wise leaves me falling all cold and dirty.

[FatSam]

The Tescos is the only real landmark of any kind there. To me the stadium actually seems out of place there and almost like Aston Villa have outgrown the area.

Well, if Aston Villa have outgrown Aston they did so a century ago. I don't think that 'landmarks' are the issue either; Villa Park itself is a landmark, as is Aston Hall. The area actually has a very strong sense of local distinctiveness, with Aston Park, Aston Hall, the church, and the expressway in the background. The immediate surroundings are not dense and urban, but these are partly the reasons why there hasn't been a pressing need to relocate in order to develop the ground.

Holloway Road is more urban, has more activity during the week, and is on the tube network, but there aren't many landmarks other than the Emirates and the University. Although large development sites in inner London are scarce, Arsenal were very careful not to stray outside of what their supporters consider to be 'their' area. Old Traffford has been an ideal location for a football ground precisely because it has few constraints around it, not because there are any notable landmarks that I'm aware of.

Rather than relocating, I would like to see the club lobby to regenerate the area, with an emphasis on uses and developments that would complement a football ground, and more broadly an events venue. That means homes and businesses that would bring activity on non-matchdays - perhaps a sports and hospitality quarter? Better accessibility from the expressway as mentioned previously would also help. I haven't lived in Birmingham for a few years so I'm not sure how Star City would affect this.

In terms of the ground itself, I'd ultimately like to see a redeveloped Witton End with facilities such as a club shop, museum, hospitality suites, and an improved relationship to the area to the North of the ground and Witton Station. But this would only work as part of an overall masterplan for the wider area, and this is what the club should be focusing on at the moment rather than rushing into piecemeal ground redevelopment like Doug always did. Especially as wider regeneration could be steered towards increasing demand for Aston Villa. I'd also like to see the Holte End returned to a single tier with some safe standing (authorities permitting), and extended over Trinity Rd in the same way as the Trinity Rd Stand.

[oldtimernow]

Birmingham Villa is so very new money

[peter w]

I think the city should pay us a retainer to keep us here. I bet we shift a lot more money for the city's coffers than just about any other 'business' in the area.