Villa Park Redevelopment

[chrisw1]

I don't think for a minute we'd sell out 60k regulalrly, but the transport infastructure cannot be the limiting factor in our growth.  There has to be solutions and the club needs to work with BCC to find them.

I find it very hard to believe that it's impossible to find a solution to get 60,000 people to & from a football stadium that's right next to the M6 & A38, is 5 minutes walk from a railway line 2 stops away from the centre of Birmingham, and maybe 15 minutes walk away from a second railway station.

Exactly.  It just needs the will to find it by all stakeholders.

[Ads]

We wouldn't sell out 60,000 if we went from 42,000 and added 18,000 on.

We're far more likely to sell out 60,000 if we go through a period of selling out every week by adding 10,000 additional seats on and reducing supply to create additional demand for a Phase II. There's been a lot of elasticity in supply at Villa Park for most of my supporting life. Folks until 2019 didn't need a season ticket per se, as you could guarantee a match ticket.

Purslow has been very successful in driving that demand up and reducing supply.

[pauliewalnuts]

We wouldn't sell out 60,000 if we went from 42,000 and added 18,000 on.

We're far more likely to sell out 60,000 if we go through a period of selling out every week by adding 10,000 additional seats on and reducing supply to create additional demand for a Phase II. There's been a lot of elasticity in supply at Villa Park for most of my supporting life. Folks until 2019 didn't need a season ticket per se, as you could guarantee a match ticket.

Purslow has been very successful in driving that demand up and reducing supply.

... and improving the quality on the pitch and winning something.\

EDIT not even necessarily winning something. Getting into the Champions League a couple of times would probably influence attendances more than, say, winning the Carabou Cup (yes, I know, i too would choose silverware over Europe but that's just the way football is).

[Ads]

We wouldn't sell out 60,000 if we went from 42,000 and added 18,000 on.

We're far more likely to sell out 60,000 if we go through a period of selling out every week by adding 10,000 additional seats on and reducing supply to create additional demand for a Phase II. There's been a lot of elasticity in supply at Villa Park for most of my supporting life. Folks until 2019 didn't need a season ticket per se, as you could guarantee a match ticket.

Purslow has been very successful in driving that demand up and reducing supply.

... and improving the quality on the pitch and winning something.\

EDIT not even necessarily winning something. Getting into the Champions League a couple of times would probably influence attendances more than, say, winning the Carabou Cup (yes, I know, i too would choose silverware over Europe but that's just the way football is).

Absolutely it would help. But we had our 4th highest average attendance and highest in 72 years having a pretty mediocre at best season down in 14th.

[LeeB]

I think in the past I'd always thought that given any sustained period of success, and by that I'm taking consistent top 6 finishes, would see what we've seen since we came up in terms of attendances.

Obviously we're not at those levels yet but here we are, so what's motivating it? General Premier League attendances are increasing it seems, but not that much more relatively. The 'resurgance', coming back from the doldrums always helps, we have a sense of purpose after years (decades) of drift.

But as much as anything I think it's the sense that we're a serious, well run club from thefor probably the first time in my lifetime, and that finally we may actually compete at the level we all feel we should be.

[Pat Mustard]

We wouldn't sell out 60,000 if we went from 42,000 and added 18,000 on.

We're far more likely to sell out 60,000 if we go through a period of selling out every week by adding 10,000 additional seats on and reducing supply to create additional demand for a Phase II. There's been a lot of elasticity in supply at Villa Park for most of my supporting life. Folks until 2019 didn't need a season ticket per se, as you could guarantee a match ticket.

Purslow has been very successful in driving that demand up and reducing supply.

... and improving the quality on the pitch and winning something.\

EDIT not even necessarily winning something. Getting into the Champions League a couple of times would probably influence attendances more than, say, winning the Carabou Cup (yes, I know, i too would choose silverware over Europe but that's just the way football is).

Absolutely it would help. But we had our 4th highest average attendance and highest in 72 years having a pretty mediocre at best season down in 14th.

If we have a relatively successful season this year (so challenging for Europe and/or cup win) this could be a watershed for the club's whole future.  Like it or not, coverage of the Premier League is so all-consuming now that there is an entire generation of younger and more casual fans to whom it is the only thing of interest.

Having previously been of the opinion that we only needed to extend up to 50k or so for now, I can definitely see the value in going bigger if at all possible.  I don't see us having any competition locally for that support in the next 5-10 years as a minimum, so there needs to be a way for casual supporters to be able to get to games.  I'm a season ticket holder, but we are on the waiting list for 2 season tickets for my wife and daughter and have been forking out for memberships for the right to buy tickets for a few years now.  We need ways for more casual fans to develop the habit of going to games - as it stands the increase up to 50k will only satisfy those like me who are currently on the waiting list.

[john e]

I wonder what has happened to cause the 20,000 waiting list

Years ago when I was asked if I had a season ticket my stock answer was no I don’t need one
You could go to any game you wanted as a normal member
We were always one of the lowest of the bigger clubs for season ticket uptake as I’ve always assumed because of the walk up by The fact we are locally supported mainly by people living in the Midlands

So what’s changed to have such a massive waiting list
we haven’t finished in the top half of the Premier League for 10 years ffs so you can’t say there is Thousands of glory hunters jumping on the bandwagon

I’m glad we’re here and selling out every week but I don’t know why it’s happened so quickly
I became a season ticket holder three seasons ago when we came up because of Kid pressure
Best thing they ever made me do

[RamboandBruno]

I wonder what has happened to cause the 20,000 waiting list

Years ago when I was asked if I had a season ticket my stock answer was no I don’t need one
You could go to any game you wanted as a normal member
We were always one of the lowest of the bigger clubs for season ticket uptake as I’ve always assumed because of the walk up by The fact we are locally supported mainly by people living in the Midlands

So what’s changed to have such a massive waiting list
we haven’t finished in the top half of the Premier League for 10 years ffs so you can’t say there is Thousands of glory hunters jumping on the bandwagon

I’m glad we’re here and selling out every week but I don’t know why it’s happened so quickly
I became a season ticket holder three seasons ago when we came up because of Kid pressure
Best thing they ever made me do

I think the Grealish/Smith factor was huge and then maybe the novelty of playing premier league after 3 years away, especially for teenagers who were quite young when we went down. Also, dunno about you, but most of my time going down the Villa, other than the years of struggle in the mid 80s, we’ve flitted around the 25-30k mark and like you say always been able to buy a ticket on the day. I know amongst a lot i know over the last 3 years, theres been a growing ‘need to renew or we wont be able to go factor’, the drums are beating.

And good owners raising expectation, lots of factors

[VILLA MOLE]

those bloody lower mid table glory hunters  grrrrrrr

[Border villan]

those bloody lower mid table glory hunters  grrrrrrr

Must confess to being a glory hunter for over 60 years and nothing to show for it except the First Division Championship, European Cup and a couple of League Cups. Plus Europa Super Cup? Don’t know why any of us bother.

[pauliewalnuts]

I wonder if three years out of the premier league made us realise we’d been taking top flight football for granted for a long while.

Which I know doesn’t sit with several years circling the plug hole being a big warning not to do so.

Slight tangent but it is pretty shocking we have not finished in the top half of the premier league for an entire decade.

[ChicagoLion]

The potential has allways been there, the Lerner arrival initially boosted enthusiasm.
We have a very large fan base.

[gpbarr]

For most of the period between 1995-2018 we were poorly run and governed - there is no doubt that the new owners, Smith, and a Purslow put us back on the map not just in terms PL football but also PL mentality.

That’s driving interest, revenue, and fan renewal. And long may it continue.

[RamboandBruno]

For most of the period between 1995-2018 we were poorly run and governed - there is no doubt that the new owners, Smith, and a Purslow put us back on the map not just in terms PL football but also PL mentality.

That’s driving interest, revenue, and fan renewal. And long may it continue.

Don't forget the once in generational talent that was the rat boy

[DB]

For most of the period between 1995-2018 we were poorly run and governed - there is no doubt that the new owners, Smith, and a Purslow put us back on the map not just in terms PL football but also PL mentality.

That’s driving interest, revenue, and fan renewal. And long may it continue.

The stint in the championship and promotion galvanised a lot of fans & created new hope, plus a well run club brings a lot of positive vibes.