Villa Park Redevelopment

[PeterWithe]

Another benefit to filling in the TRS/HE corner, if we ever play Legia Warsaw again, they'd have to have superhuman strength and incredible aim to hit us with the sauce bottles in the re-run of the Battle of the Condiments.

[The Edge]

Surely squaring off the Holt would add 500 - 1,000 at best?

Wrapping it would add a bit more, but people are massively against filling corners.  I can't see any return on investment there.

All the available space is at the North Stand.  If we want to go beyond 50k any time soon (next 10 years) we really need to be far more ambitious with that project and wrap the corners at the lower levels at the very least.

Yeah just been having a closer look at photos of that section of the ground. If you were to square up that corner of the Holte I think you'd be looking at no more than an extra 1000 seats. Plus the Holte roof is similar to the NS in that it's a "goalpost" design. So there's a dirty great pillar in the way. That probably means that it's not viable. The cost of doing it would outweigh the benefits.

[SaddVillan]

May be issues with park land and trees.

Villa Park has always been gripped like tweezers by Trinity Road and Witton Lane which is why the stands had the shape they did.

If only those Victorian Leisure ground chappies has built their entertainment site 70yds nearer to Witton, the TR/HE debate would be academic. But would we have had those beautiful gable end mosaics?

Not that Herbert was bothered about them

[Pat Mustard]

If both sides of the upper Trinity were squared off you could probably add about 3k seats in there - the deepest part of the stand only runs about 2/3rds of the length of the pitch.  Problem is, not only would we need to go into Aston Park, but also start inpinging on Nelson Road as well. 

I actually quite like that awkward corner between the Trinty and Holte anyway - when people talk about a ground having character, it's features like that which wouldn't be recreated anywhere else.  In the US they went through a phase of having quirky spaces introduced into new stadiums to stop them all looking alike.  It's pastiche though and just feels gimmicky, whereas this is an actual physical restriction we have been forced to incorporate and make Villa Park what it is.

FWIW, if we could ever get permission to extend Witton Lane to build a main stand similar to Anfield then we could easily get to 60k+, so that has to be the focus of any more development in the future.

[Tuscans]

Aston Villa is excited to unveil our Dream Scene painting as part of the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

To continue our commemorations of the historic occasion, the club commissioned internationally-renowned sports artist Jamie Cooper to create a unique piece of art.

Jamie faced the challenge of capturing the essence, spirit and history of our beloved club in a single image.

His incredible 3 x 1-metre oil-on-canvas brings together select Villa legends, united in one magical, timeless moment. Special thanks must go to the AV150 Honorary Board who nominated players and specific moments to be captured by Jamie which represented the entire 150-year history of the club.

Aston Villa Dream Scene
Supporters are encouraged to come and see the Dream Scene for themselves on Saturday when it is placed on display in the Villa Store at Villa Park.

Fans are invited to attend our meet-and-greet event between 9.30-10.30am, ahead of our Premier League fixture against Fulham.

Meet Jamie along with some former Villa players who feature in the iconic piece of artwork, with prints and canvases also available to purchase as well as a competition to win a medium-sized canvas of your own.

Come along and hear about the creative inspiration and process behind the many stories woven into the Aston Villa Football Club Dream Scene.


“I am humbled to have been entrusted with this significant responsibility,” said Jamie.

“As a former professional Australian Rules footballer, I fully understand what a football club means to its community.

“Aston Villa Football Club, with its rich and storied history, means far more than what happens on game day.

“It is a family, a community that transcends the white lines of the pitch.

“This project has been two years in the making, involving two journeys across the world to listen, research and learn before I even picked up a brush.

“Over my thirty years as a professional sports artist, I have honed the skill of bringing figures from various generations together into one impossible moment in time.”

Come along to the Villa Store, open from 9am, on Saturday to see the Dream Scene for yourself!

[chrisw1]

Christ, that's a bit shit isn't it?

[FatSam]

Christ, that's a bit shit isn't it?

Yes, lacks a bit of gravitas - looks a bit seaside postcard to me.

[Sexual Ealing]

I didn't want to be the first one, but yes!

[PeterWithesShin]

I think it's decent, even if there are a couple of players I wouldn't have included.

[The Edge]

And having Dwight Yorke on there means it's a no from me. Fantastic player at the time, one of my all time favourites but blotted his copy book here at Aston Villa FC with the manner of his departure and his subsequent declaration of love for all things Yanited. Dwight who?

[Des Little]

Reminds me of that portrait Christmas card we sent out in 87/88, with the players all painted disproportionately sized, it was ridiculous.

[chrisw1]

Why are Barry & Mellberg on it?  Please tell me it's not for the Blues 5-1?

[PeterWithesShin]

Why are Barry & Mellberg on it?  Please tell me it's not for the Blues 5-1?

It isn't.

[chrisw1]

What then?  What did they win?

[Monty]

They're just recentish players who fans generally like.

I'm totally okay with this effort I must say. I quite like the end-of-the-pier watercolour aesthetic, reminds me of childhood holidays in Cornwall - and really, what's more important than that.