NSWE Investment

[PeterWithe]

Any updates on ticket office , academy and shop where demolition was due to start on 22/7 and be finished in August ? Where is it all being relocated  ?

There were plenty of rubble filled skips outside the Academy last week so it looks to have started, also it wasn’t possible to park outside the ticket office, just over the road in the away coach park.

[villa_cads]

We don’t need a bigger stadium, we need a better stadium. Villa’s attendances have never really been much to write home about bar the odd blip.

Also my preference is for four stands with open corners and brick faces. That’s Villa Park and I love the view of the trees in the park. Not that anyone should give too hoots what I think.

I concur

Likewise - the ground needs modification no doubt, but not another bowl variation or filled in corners as an afterthought. We should restore Villa Park as a beacon of traditional British football ground ideals fit for modern times, four distinctly separate stands, carefully hemmed into the space it's grown from, influenced by the Jacobean/Victorian context of the surrounding area and unified by the best of contemporary architecture and engineering. If that adds some seats along the way, then all the better. There a few grounds that are as instantly recognisable as Villa Park, let's keep it that way.

[ChicagoLion]

We don’t need a bigger stadium, we need a better stadium. Villa’s attendances have never really been much to write home about bar the odd blip.

Also my preference is for four stands with open corners and brick faces. That’s Villa Park and I love the view of the trees in the park. Not that anyone should give too hoots what I think.

I concur

Likewise - the ground needs modification no doubt, but not another bowl variation or filled in corners as an afterthought. We should restore Villa Park as a beacon of traditional British football ground ideals fit for modern times, four distinctly separate stands, carefully hemmed into the space it's grown from, influenced by the Jacobean/Victorian context of the surrounding area and unified by the best of contemporary architecture and engineering. If that adds some seats along the way, then all the better. There a few grounds that are as instantly recognisable as Villa Park, let's keep it that way.

Spot on mate.

[Des Little]

With some creative thinking, a good relationship with the local community/council and new Stands on Witton Lane and North Stand, we'd be able to reach 55k I'm sure, and that would do us.

[Villa75]

The ground and the immediate surrounding area, and the decades of memories involving my father, brother, and my now grown up children, are a major part of my match day enjoyment.

I'm sure I'm in a minority but, I don't think I would spend the hours I do, travelling a couple of hundred miles at a time, to go to a new stadium.

I'm a dying breed though. I get into the ground about 15 minutes before the game starts, sit in my seat, and I stay there until the end. The facilities, or lack of, have never been important to me.

There are grounds that hold more than ours. There are grounds that have better facilities, if that's your thing. But there is, and only ever will be, one Villa Park. It's not my 'second home'. It is home.

[FatSam]

I haven’t voted in the poll because I don’t know what I think the best solution is. I’m just keen that the club explores all of the options, in the same way that Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton have done, each with a different end result. I don’t know what the end result should be in our case, and I wouldn’t want to pre-empt this process. I have more confidence in the current owners undertaking a proper options appraisal than I ever had with Xia, Lerner or Ellis. I don’t have confidence that the scheme conceived by Ellis in the last millennium is the right course of action now, and so wouldn’t want us to rush to re-build the north stand without having considered all of the options.

I am broadly in favour of staying in the same location, but not if it limits our potential. Instinctively, I think that becoming more successful in the current location would require an overarching vision for the regeneration of the area with investment in infrastructure to match. I want us to be rubbing shoulders with the biggest and the best, and if that means we have to relocate within the areas of North Birmingham that have been mentioned in this thread, then so be it. However, I am fundamentally opposed to moving to some identikit stadium on a retail park. I would only be in favour of relocating if it is essentially a reconnection with our roots, rather than a disconnection from them (i.e. reconnecting with our roots by showing the same level of ambition as Rinder).

Even if we did re-build completely, either on the same site or elsewhere, I would be in favour of four stands rather than a bowl (at least from the second tier upwards) and a single-tier kop stand. I would like those four stands to have been conceived together rather than independently as is currently the case. I find the haphazard relationship between the three stands that were built in less than a decade really disappointing.

I would be happy for relatively minor and inexpensive improvements to be made to the current stands whilst all of the options are being considered, and we are (hopefully) consolidating our position in the top half of the EPL. The proposals for Everton’s new ground allow for future expansion if justified by demand. It would be difficult for us to justify a 60,000 capacity any time soon, but I think it is important to anticipate that the level of demand might increase in future. International tournaments and European finals would obviously boost the local economy if they could be attracted to a redeveloped stadium.

[Drummond]

Wolves have just finished in th etop half on the top-flight for the first time in nearly 40 years, they need 4-5 years to show it's not a flash in the pan. We were regularly top half of the league for 20 years and are coming back from a 7-8 year 'blip' of relegation battles and lower league football. The circumstances are very different and we're not taling about qualifying for the champions league this year, just pointing out that we should be considering our options for a new ground given 1 stand is woefully out of date, another is barely fit for purpose and the final 2, whilst functional, have a number of problems that would be hard to resolve.

7-8 years is more than a 'blip'! We've also not won a trophy for 23 years and never played in the Champions League.

I'm not sure why, just because we've finally been promoted back to where we all agree we belong, we feel that Villa Park is suddenly a shithole that needs erasing from memory so we can go somewhere flash.

I'm as positive about our potential future as the next person, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. If it was your money, would you speculate in this way? Just because we have wealthy owners doesn't mean we should get all entitled and demand they spend more.

[Percy McCarthy]

Wolves have just finished in th etop half on the top-flight for the first time in nearly 40 years, they need 4-5 years to show it's not a flash in the pan. We were regularly top half of the league for 20 years and are coming back from a 7-8 year 'blip' of relegation battles and lower league football. The circumstances are very different and we're not taling about qualifying for the champions league this year, just pointing out that we should be considering our options for a new ground given 1 stand is woefully out of date, another is barely fit for purpose and the final 2, whilst functional, have a number of problems that would be hard to resolve.

7-8 years is more than a 'blip'! We've also not won a trophy for 23 years and never played in the Champions League.

I'm not sure why, just because we've finally been promoted back to where we all agree we belong, we feel that Villa Park is suddenly a shithole that needs erasing from memory so we can go somewhere flash.

I'm as positive about our potential future as the next person, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. If it was your money, would you speculate in this way? Just because we have wealthy owners doesn't mean we should get all entitled and demand they spend more.

If it was my money, I’d be getting on with it, because I’d be buying some of the world’s best players and I know for a fact that if we had a team like Man City or Liverpool we’d need a bigger ground than either of them has got at the minute. Only the owners (and people close to them) know the extent of their ambition, but if it’s to constantly compete for trophies and play in the Champions League they should build the new ground or massively increase capacity and improve facilities at Villa Park.

[Risso]

Wolves have just finished in th etop half on the top-flight for the first time in nearly 40 years, they need 4-5 years to show it's not a flash in the pan. We were regularly top half of the league for 20 years and are coming back from a 7-8 year 'blip' of relegation battles and lower league football. The circumstances are very different and we're not taling about qualifying for the champions league this year, just pointing out that we should be considering our options for a new ground given 1 stand is woefully out of date, another is barely fit for purpose and the final 2, whilst functional, have a number of problems that would be hard to resolve.

7-8 years is more than a 'blip'! We've also not won a trophy for 23 years and never played in the Champions League.

I'm not sure why, just because we've finally been promoted back to where we all agree we belong, we feel that Villa Park is suddenly a shithole that needs erasing from memory so we can go somewhere flash.

I'm as positive about our potential future as the next person, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. If it was your money, would you speculate in this way? Just because we have wealthy owners doesn't mean we should get all entitled and demand they spend more.

It's not just the fact that we're back up and having a resurgence, it's the fact that if we're ever going to be one of the really successful clubs in the UK, we'll need a lot more income and a bigger ground.  Everybody's entitled to their opinion, but for me the fact that it's quite a nice walk past Aston Hall is secondary to the fact that it's really difficult to park anywhere, then get away afterwards, and the seating is cramped in a lot of the ground and getting served at half time is nearly impossible.  Obviously new grounds don't get built 6 months from having the idea, I reckon it's at least a 5 year project, from finding a potential site, to selecting architects, to drawing up plans, getting permission, choosing the construction company, getting it built and fitted out and so on.  Probably even longer than that.

So it's absolutely not a case of "we finished in 5th and won the play offs, let's build a new 60,000 stadium quick."

[paul_e]

Wolves have just finished in th etop half on the top-flight for the first time in nearly 40 years, they need 4-5 years to show it's not a flash in the pan. We were regularly top half of the league for 20 years and are coming back from a 7-8 year 'blip' of relegation battles and lower league football. The circumstances are very different and we're not taling about qualifying for the champions league this year, just pointing out that we should be considering our options for a new ground given 1 stand is woefully out of date, another is barely fit for purpose and the final 2, whilst functional, have a number of problems that would be hard to resolve.

7-8 years is more than a 'blip'! We've also not won a trophy for 23 years and never played in the Champions League.

I'm not sure why, just because we've finally been promoted back to where we all agree we belong, we feel that Villa Park is suddenly a shithole that needs erasing from memory so we can go somewhere flash.

I'm as positive about our potential future as the next person, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. If it was your money, would you speculate in this way? Just because we have wealthy owners doesn't mean we should get all entitled and demand they spend more.

It's not just the fact that we're back up and having a resurgence, it's the fact that if we're ever going to be one of the really successful clubs in the UK, we'll need a lot more income and a bigger ground.  Everybody's entitled to their opinion, but for me the fact that it's quite a nice walk past Aston Hall is secondary to the fact that it's really difficult to park anywhere, then get away afterwards, and the seating is cramped in a lot of the ground and getting served at half time is nearly impossible.  Obviously new grounds don't get built 6 months from having the idea, I reckon it's at least a 5 year project, from finding a potential site, to selecting architects, to drawing up plans, getting permission, choosing the construction company, getting it built and fitted out and so on.  Probably even longer than that.

So it's absolutely not a case of "we finished in 5th and won the play offs, let's build a new 60,000 stadium quick."

I started out writing a long post but Risso has nailed about half of it. The bit that he didn't add is that, for me, 7-8 years is a blip for a club that is one of the biggest in the country; in terms of trophies, average attendance, online following, years in the top flight, the fact that we've won the European cup and plenty more reasons. Comparing us to Wolves is to completely ignore almost everything that makes Villa the club it is and isn't something I'd expect from our own fans, I guess I'm just not sure why some people on here seem determined to play down the potential of the club. I guess they just see what clubs like Chelsea, Man City, etc have done as being somehow dirty and unwanted (there's even posts on here claiming man city have lost their soul and they wouldn't trade what we are for their trophies) for those people I think you might have to get used to the idea that, if things go to plan, we're going to be disliked by more than a handful of local nothing clubs.

[AsTallAsLions]

Wolves have just finished in th etop half on the top-flight for the first time in nearly 40 years, they need 4-5 years to show it's not a flash in the pan. We were regularly top half of the league for 20 years and are coming back from a 7-8 year 'blip' of relegation battles and lower league football. The circumstances are very different and we're not taling about qualifying for the champions league this year, just pointing out that we should be considering our options for a new ground given 1 stand is woefully out of date, another is barely fit for purpose and the final 2, whilst functional, have a number of problems that would be hard to resolve.

7-8 years is more than a 'blip'! We've also not won a trophy for 23 years and never played in the Champions League.

I'm not sure why, just because we've finally been promoted back to where we all agree we belong, we feel that Villa Park is suddenly a shithole that needs erasing from memory so we can go somewhere flash.

I'm as positive about our potential future as the next person, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. If it was your money, would you speculate in this way? Just because we have wealthy owners doesn't mean we should get all entitled and demand they spend more.

100%, nail on head.

[AV82EC]

Wolves have just finished in th etop half on the top-flight for the first time in nearly 40 years, they need 4-5 years to show it's not a flash in the pan. We were regularly top half of the league for 20 years and are coming back from a 7-8 year 'blip' of relegation battles and lower league football. The circumstances are very different and we're not taling about qualifying for the champions league this year, just pointing out that we should be considering our options for a new ground given 1 stand is woefully out of date, another is barely fit for purpose and the final 2, whilst functional, have a number of problems that would be hard to resolve.

7-8 years is more than a 'blip'! We've also not won a trophy for 23 years and never played in the Champions League.

I'm not sure why, just because we've finally been promoted back to where we all agree we belong, we feel that Villa Park is suddenly a shithole that needs erasing from memory so we can go somewhere flash.

I'm as positive about our potential future as the next person, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. If it was your money, would you speculate in this way? Just because we have wealthy owners doesn't mean we should get all entitled and demand they spend more.

It's not just the fact that we're back up and having a resurgence, it's the fact that if we're ever going to be one of the really successful clubs in the UK, we'll need a lot more income and a bigger ground.  Everybody's entitled to their opinion, but for me the fact that it's quite a nice walk past Aston Hall is secondary to the fact that it's really difficult to park anywhere, then get away afterwards, and the seating is cramped in a lot of the ground and getting served at half time is nearly impossible.  Obviously new grounds don't get built 6 months from having the idea, I reckon it's at least a 5 year project, from finding a potential site, to selecting architects, to drawing up plans, getting permission, choosing the construction company, getting it built and fitted out and so on.  Probably even longer than that.

So it's absolutely not a case of "we finished in 5th and won the play offs, let's build a new 60,000 stadium quick."

I started out writing a long post but Risso has nailed about half of it. The bit that he didn't add is that, for me, 7-8 years is a blip for a club that is one of the biggest in the country; in terms of trophies, average attendance, online following, years in the top flight, the fact that we've won the European cup and plenty more reasons. Comparing us to Wolves is to completely ignore almost everything that makes Villa the club it is and isn't something I'd expect from our own fans, I guess I'm just not sure why some people on here seem determined to play down the potential of the club. I guess they just see what clubs like Chelsea, Man City, etc have done as being somehow dirty and unwanted (there's even posts on here claiming man city have lost their soul and they wouldn't trade what we are for their trophies) for those people I think you might have to get used to the idea that, if things go to plan, we're going to be disliked by more than a handful of local nothing clubs.

The biggest challenge isn’t so much the stadium though it’s one of a number of key items on NSWE to-do list, the biggest is commercial income and closing the gap to Spurs. We’ll have a Turnover of somewhere approaching €200m Euros this year that’s half what Spurs will rake in and whilst some will be down to new stadium and them being in the CL the majority is down to commercial sponsorship and deals. Purslow and the owners need to really pull through on this, as I see it, decent blue chip shirt sponsorship, kit deals and a host of other partnership plans need to be his focus now he’s got the playing side moving in the right direction. As Risso said the stadium is a key factor in that but in my view it’s a medium to long term decision that just needs to be considered and planned for now. As has been stated, we’re ahead of schedule on the NSWE plan, maybe the stadium stuff gets bought forward in the plan.

[nigel]

Wolves have just finished in th etop half on the top-flight for the first time in nearly 40 years, they need 4-5 years to show it's not a flash in the pan. We were regularly top half of the league for 20 years and are coming back from a 7-8 year 'blip' of relegation battles and lower league football. The circumstances are very different and we're not taling about qualifying for the champions league this year, just pointing out that we should be considering our options for a new ground given 1 stand is woefully out of date, another is barely fit for purpose and the final 2, whilst functional, have a number of problems that would be hard to resolve.

7-8 years is more than a 'blip'! We've also not won a trophy for 23 years and never played in the Champions League.

I'm not sure why, just because we've finally been promoted back to where we all agree we belong, we feel that Villa Park is suddenly a shithole that needs erasing from memory so we can go somewhere flash.

I'm as positive about our potential future as the next person, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. If it was your money, would you speculate in this way? Just because we have wealthy owners doesn't mean we should get all entitled and demand they spend more.

If it was my money, I’d be getting on with it, because I’d be buying some of the world’s best players and I know for a fact that if we had a team like Man City or Liverpool we’d need a bigger ground than either of them has got at the minute. Only the owners (and people close to them) know the extent of their ambition, but if it’s to constantly compete for trophies and play in the Champions League they should build the new ground or massively increase capacity and improve facilities at Villa Park.

Our owners, without doubt, have the money to, basically,  do what they want.
It wouldn't surprise me if they haven't already looked into options.
As you say, Percy, we'll be looking at better players.
We build a bigger, modern, stadium and the support will follow.
Or redevelop the North and Witton Lane stands. I wouldn't be adverse to the pair being joined as a wrap around, leaving the Holte and Trinity as free standing

[Drummond]

I don't think anyone is playing down the potential of the club, and if they have it's not 'determined'.

It's 23 years since we won anything. That's not a blip. However, I agree that our new owners seem prepared to have a go and also seem, on the evidence so far, to have the ability where Lerner et al didn't.

With regard to Risso's point about a bigger ground for revenue etc, if we sold another 20,000 season tickets to meet demand at £1000 each (more than £50 per match) it would still only be another £20m in the bank. Of course there would be other matchday pint and food sales on top but in the grand scheme of things it's hardly the big money spinner. That comes from sponsorship, replica shirts etc which would happen regardless if we were doing well.

Do we need to upgrade facilities? Yes of course.

[danno]

With regard to Risso's point about a bigger ground for revenue etc, if we sold another 20,000 season tickets to meet demand at £1000 each (more than £50 per match) it would still only be another £20m in the bank. Of course there would be other matchday pint and food sales on top but in the grand scheme of things it's hardly the big money spinner. That comes from sponsorship, replica shirts etc which would happen regardless if we were doing well.

Do we need to upgrade facilities? Yes of course.

I'm guessing Risso probably meant the extra income generated from corporate boxes and stuff.  You're right, theres no way Everton Arsenal Tottenham etc would countenance building new stadiums if it was just going to generate an extra £20 million.