The training ground locations prior to Bodymoor Heath.

[gregavfc69/70]

On You Tube, I've just watched again Villa 2 Chelsea 6 from Sept. 1966 and yes Woofles, I agree
with you that Tony Hateley was their main dangerman, he certainly stood out that day.
Overall, what a bunch of mediocre players!
Poor passing, misplaced passes, no style of play or incisive attacking moves.
Park and Scott virtually anonymous; Deakin and Aitken poor in the tackle, bad errors.
MacLeod and Tindall huffing and puffing, no great contribution so too Wright.
Chatterley lumbering up front with TH, he was a better defender in truth.
They were a Second Division team in the top flight.
No surprise they went down - as you say - without Hateley, it was inevitable.  Very sad.

[DeKuip]

During the 1968-69 season (and quite possibly for longer) the team trained at Cooksey Lane, Kingstanding. I know this because, along with others, I was a winner in a Co-Op painting competition (very fortunate because I've never been any good at painting!) and part of my prize, along with a 1968-69 season ticket and a tour around Villa Park, was a trip to watch the players train at Cooksey Lane.

Yes, I remember going down there in the school holiday with an autograph book I’d been given as a present. It was the first time I’d ever gone autograph hunting and when I got home I hadn’t got a clue which players’ scribbles I’d got apart from Willie Anderson. Even my dad couldn’t work them out when he got home from work.
Never bothered again with that short-lived hobby and went back to collecting bird’s eggs from nests - at least I could identify them.

[London Villan]

I'm sure it was named after Bert Bond, and Doug bought the land from a local farmer. With his own money, according to Doug. 

Didn't Doug's construction work then do all the building work? Convenient that.

[tony scott]

I remember the first team crossing witton rd and trinity rd at the traffic lights, in the early 1960s, they were led by Derek Dougan pretending to be an old man complete with false beard and walking stick. I saw this from the inside of a number 5 bus waiting at the,at the time I always thought there was training up the road towards villa cross .

[Whiney MacWhineface]

I played in goal for my Polytechnic at Arsenal’s training ground, London Colney, in November 1970. What a shithole it was (probably par for the times).

The place was rather like Bodymoor in that it attracted wind to add to the freezing cold.

As for the game, I can’t remember the score but I made the save of my life tipping a shot over the bar. There was a cost though - the ball caught the end of my right hand fingers, and by the end of the game I took my gloves off to reveal the third and fourth fingers looked like rancid pork sausages. I didn’t play again that season, and was far too stoned or speeding or tripping the next.

[Brend'Watkins]

I remember reading somewhere that the club begged or borrowed facilities from local factories between the training ground being sold and Doug buying Bodymoor Heath. Hardy Spicer in Erdington/Pype Hayes rings a bell as one them but I may be wrong.

I remember they trained for a few weeks at the Delta sports ground and club now called the Holly Lane sports & social club.  Would have been around 69/70.

[dcdavecollett]

I heard we used the Lucas sports ground during this period.

As Charlie Aitken said on the 'History' video, "I was better treated as  an amateur."