Villa Park Redevelopment

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I agree. The construction as it was explained is not going to happen.

Said it earlier, but the Atairos investment going into 'infrastructure' and V-Sports this week, plus this a few days later, it's not a coinicidence.

I reckon new ground entirely (same location).

Yeah I think you're definitely in the right ball park at least. It will something like that. That we're demolishing your much loved stadium or moving or buying up Aston (CPO) is probably a dish best served when it's all thought out.

[Dogtanian]

I agree. The construction as it was explained is not going to happen.

Said it earlier, but the Atairos investment going into 'infrastructure' and V-Sports this week, plus this a few days later, it's not a coinicidence.

I reckon new ground entirely (same location).

Yeah I think you're definitely in the right ball park at least. It will something like that. That we're demolishing your much loved stadium or moving or buying up Aston (CPO) is probably a dish best served when it's all thought out.

Exactly. The line that there are no plans for a new stadium are true. They need to look into it in a lot of detail before anything is decided.

[LeeB]

Buy up Aston Park and build the stadium around the Hall, therefore being the only place in the world you can enjoy world class matchday hospitality inside a 17th century Jacobean house.

Stick that up your cheese room, Spurs.

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I park down by the Albion at Aston. Lots of industrial units there. Wonder if CPOing all that lot would make a good space? In Aston, but you're basically a city centre club.

[FatSam]

I read it thinking tat they want to maximise the revenue of potential CL football next season.  Can't do that with 3/4 (at best) capacity.  I kind of agree with it if it's on that basis.  Would we really want our first modern era CL campaign being played at a building site?

I'd be totally anti a new location for Villa Park.

The Holte was mid construction when we played Inter Milan in 1994. The lower Witton was being rebuilt when we thumped Man United's kids 3-1.

So our performances actually improve during building works! You might be on to something!

[Villan82]

We had a plan, it was approved. Drawing up new plans that may or not be approved. Honestly, I am a bird in the hand type. Throwing it all up in the air again is madness.

Heck might not even be working at Villa in three years time and we may still be talking about a hypothetical new plan and asking why we didn't stick with the one we had.

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"Wed like to spend a billion pounds on new infrastructure in Aston please"- the BCC planning is barely going to conceal their lob on, even in this NIMBY paradise. Whatever we want to do, it will be approved.

[OCD]

Going by what Heck said, the immediate priority is 'The Warehouse', improving technology infrastructure within Villa Park and developing the training ground further.

It sounds like the development of the North Stand is being put back a year. You could hear Emery's influence in the comment about not wanting to have a stand closed. I think 'in the short-term' was being implied. It makes sense to make a big thing about being the first big club to celebrate their 150th anniversary, and to do so in front of a packed out ground (hopefully in the Champions League).

I'll be interested to see what they do the training ground as that will have Monchi/Emery's input and both will want to make the academy more attractive to the best prospects around. We need to be having more individual talents coming through that can either challenge for first team squad places or be sold for millions. Add Champions League revenue and increases in commercial income and we'll be an attractive to a category of players that wouldn't have given us a second glance before.

[HolteL4]

He's not hiding anything, it's in clear sight: "Over the summer months I became more concerned we were adding too many seats too fast"

He's been here 6 months and the plans were well advanced before he got here.  Let him figure out what is best before criticising him for cancelling plans that weren't even his.

But that is clearly a load of absolute nonsense. As I said before, we've got the 8th biggest stadium in the country, and it's miles smaller than those in the top 7. Also the facilities in the North are shite, and the hospitality offering is terrble too, as behind glass executive boxes went out with the Ark. 10,000 clearly isn't too many seats, and it's certainly not too fast. The stadium expansion is an investment in our future, and unlike many investments it's an almost guaranteed massive boost to revenue. There's only so much further they're going to be able to increase season ticket prices, and that won't go anywhere near to matching what the extra capacity would have brought in.

It's like investing in the first team, if you don't do it and are happy to stand still, sooner or later you get left behind.

You seem to be having almost a meltdown over this and I'm not sure why?   He hasn't said we aren't going to address any of the issues you raised, he just said the current plans are being shelved.  Also you are stating as fact that 10,000 seats isn't too many - how do you know?  He literally said it's too many to fast, so he thinks it is and probably has access to data that you don't.

Again, he's been here 6 months, give him a chance to get his ducks in a row and then let's see what he comes up with.

But the past few seasons we've had huge price increases and been reminded about the 30k waiting list so basically telling us either buy your ticket or you'll be instantly replaced, but now we are being told that 10k extra is too many.... It stinks basically he's either lying or he's lying, everyone here kept laughing at Flintstone when he said the waiting list was a myth. After what Heck said yesterday it sounds like he could have been right all along.

Also read between the lines Heck said part of it was down to the infrastructure around Villa Park, well Astons infrastructure structure isn't going to change radically in the next few years so Heck has pretty much said an increase of capacity will only done with a ground move he's just been a politician about it and not actually said the words. But it's clear that's the way he's going.

[BC Villain]

Alexandra stadium & Birmingham City Council selling off its assets........ 2+2=5 ?

Playing in an athletic stadium?  No thanks

[London Villan]

Building a new stadium on the current site will have a bigger impact on attendances.

At best we'd only have 25,000 seats open - and could it even feasibly be done, without us decamping somewhere for a couple of seasons?

[algy]

It probably needs more thought than I've put in to it this whilst waiting in a queue in the chemists morning, but Wikipedia seems to think the Alexander Stadium can hold up to 40,000 with the temporary stands up.  Would it be feasible for us to play there for a couple of seasons (NOT during our 150th anniversary) then move back to a rebuilt Villa Park?

I'd imagine something like buying up a small chunk of Aston Park; moving the ground due South a little bit; deconstructing the current Holte End facade brick-by-brick; and reconstructing the Holte End as it looks currently (maybe improving the internal bits).

In my head, you'd then be able to completely rebuild the Witton Lane stand without the current constraints - we'd be rebuilding the North Stand anyway so no change there. The only downside is flattening the current Trinity Road stand, which is alright .... but it's not to say we couldn't build one that's even better.  Brand new 60k+ capacity ground, same location, no significant loss of capacity at any point.

[Villan82]

I am too lazy to quote whoever it was but somebody mentioned the plans for the training ground.

With all due respect I couldn't care less about the training ground right now. They seem to have redeveloped Bodymoor Heath 5 or 6 times since about 2007.

[VillaTim]

Alexandra stadium & Birmingham City Council selling off its assets........ 2+2=5 ?

Playing in an athletic stadium?  No thanks

we could rival West Ham for worst away end ever

[Bad English]

Barcelona are playing in an athletics stadium while they tear down large chunks of the Camp Nou and rebuild it.