Should I stay or should I go?

[dave.woodhall]

Preston got it because we couldn't be arsed bidding then it moved to Manchester in 2012.

I didn't realise it had moved, but the other part of your answer was what I'd suspected.

Mark Ansell was asked at the time and he said that a Premier League club couldn't have hoped to get the necessary grant funding, which was strongly believed to be bollocks. 

[The Edge]

But doesn't he say the solution is to improve public transport rather than replicate (or indeed endure worse) problems at a new site?

If public transport could be improved, why hasn't it? Let's face it, it never will. Local infrastructure can't handle the crowds we have now, so adding 10K on to the capacity will just exacerbate all the problems. And much smaller clubs with far less wealthy owners than ours have built new grounds. I'm sure finding a new site for Everton wasn't easy, and they have the added complication of the sea forming a good portion of the area to the west of them!

There just isn't a suitable site for us. The Serpentine was our best opportunity to build a new ground and just a few hundred yards from Villa Park. That chance has now gone forever with all the industrial units they've built in and around there. Just a case of bad timing. As for Evertons new ground Liverpool has loads of disused docks waiting for redevelopment.

[ROBBO]

I'm a long time out of the loop but late sixties there was a club at the ground where you could go after the game to meet up with friends to discuss the game, is it still there or long gone. I believe the answer to the transport problem is to expand the commercial side for before and after the game, give members a reason to get to Villa Park early and stay after the game. It appears to me that most get to the ground half an hour before kick off, no wonder there are traffic problems.

[Ad@m]

A lot of the infrastructure challenges are outside of the club's control but what is in their control is catering. Why not turn the North Stand car park in to a post match Digbeth Diner type thing with bars and takeaway food to try to keep a few thousand from leaving straight away. That should then spread out the problem of shifting 10s of thousands of people which every large club has.

[dave.woodhall]

A lot of the infrastructure challenges are outside of the club's control but what is in their control is catering. Why not turn the North Stand car park in to a post match Digbeth Diner type thing with bars and takeaway food to try to keep a few thousand from leaving straight away. That should then spread out the problem of shifting 10s of thousands of people which every large club has.

Because it's full of cars?

[ADVILLAFAN]

Stay - Teams that splash out on a new stadium always seem to struggle on the pitch. Plus, Villa Park is beautiful.

Rebuild the North Stand.

[Ad@m]

A lot of the infrastructure challenges are outside of the club's control but what is in their control is catering. Why not turn the North Stand car park in to a post match Digbeth Diner type thing with bars and takeaway food to try to keep a few thousand from leaving straight away. That should then spread out the problem of shifting 10s of thousands of people which every large club has.

Because it's full of cars?

So shift the cars. You said yourself that modern grounds have very little parking capacity. Just because our ground has been there over 100 years doesn't mean we should keep a car park at either end.

[steamer]

I think if we moved my love affair with Aston Villa would drop
Villa Park is, well Villa Park
Despite the vandalism by Doug it is one of the countries Iconic football grounds, fix up what needs fixing , North Stand catering etc

[WarszaVillan]

I only manage to get to a couple of games a season - less with covid - so any decision made by the club will not be based on fans like me. But going to Villa Park is more than going to a game. It's the place my brother and Dad have gone all my life. It holds memories that come back just driving towards the ground, walking through Aston park and seeing the stadium come into view. Sure if we moved to a fancy new stadium I'd still go, and maybe it would be better financially and help the club compete with the elite clubs, etc. But it would never be the same again for me, a part of Villa would be lost.

[PaulTheVillan]

Stay.

[dave.woodhall]

A lot of the infrastructure challenges are outside of the club's control but what is in their control is catering. Why not turn the North Stand car park in to a post match Digbeth Diner type thing with bars and takeaway food to try to keep a few thousand from leaving straight away. That should then spread out the problem of shifting 10s of thousands of people which every large club has.

Because it's full of cars?

So shift the cars. You said yourself that modern grounds have very little parking capacity. Just because our ground has been there over 100 years doesn't mean we should keep a car park at either end.

First, I didn't say it and the key phrase here is 'new grounds'. At the moment some supporters pay a lot of money for those parking spaces. They're also used by club staff. Then there's the safety implications of having food stands in an area that's used as an exit. If it was practical do you not think it would have been tried before?

[Ad@m]

A lot of the infrastructure challenges are outside of the club's control but what is in their control is catering. Why not turn the North Stand car park in to a post match Digbeth Diner type thing with bars and takeaway food to try to keep a few thousand from leaving straight away. That should then spread out the problem of shifting 10s of thousands of people which every large club has.

Because it's full of cars?

So shift the cars. You said yourself that modern grounds have very little parking capacity. Just because our ground has been there over 100 years doesn't mean we should keep a car park at either end.

First, I didn't say it and the key phrase here is 'new grounds'. At the moment some supporters pay a lot of money for those parking spaces. They're also used by club staff. Then there's the safety implications of having food stands in an area that's used as an exit. If it was practical do you not think it would have been tried before?

Not necessarily.  Using a car park as a car park is the easy answer.  Just because something's never been done before doesn't mean it's impossible or that it's already been thoroughly thought through.

So some supporters pay a lot of money to park there.  Well supporters paid a lot of money to sit in the Trinity when we got relegated but it didn't stop the club kicking them out of their seats.   And it would be easy enough for staff to park offsite and be bussed to the ground.

We all know VP isn't ideal so if we're going to stay we need to be creative about how we use it.

(PS Apologies - I thought you had said about the parking at other grounds - must've been someone else)

[LeeB]

A lot of the infrastructure challenges are outside of the club's control but what is in their control is catering. Why not turn the North Stand car park in to a post match Digbeth Diner type thing with bars and takeaway food to try to keep a few thousand from leaving straight away. That should then spread out the problem of shifting 10s of thousands of people which every large club has.

Because it's full of cars?

So shift the cars. You said yourself that modern grounds have very little parking capacity. Just because our ground has been there over 100 years doesn't mean we should keep a car park at either end.

First, I didn't say it and the key phrase here is 'new grounds'. At the moment some supporters pay a lot of money for those parking spaces. They're also used by club staff. Then there's the safety implications of having food stands in an area that's used as an exit. If it was practical do you not think it would have been tried before?

They could do something about access on foot at the back of the North Stand, it's a joke after the game, people coming both ways trying to squeeze through gaps between the parked cars including wheelchair users. There's no clear pathway at all, it's a farce, I'm surprised they get away with it, it could be solved by just losing a few of the spaces nearest the stand.

[DeKuip]

Talking league positions and trophies, not pounds in the bank, I wonder if Arsenal would have been any worse off if they’d stayed at Highbury, a classy old ground that still sends a tingle up the spine even now when I’ve walked past it going to their smart, comfortable but soulless new place.

[dave.woodhall]

Talking league positions and trophies, not pounds in the bank, I wonder if Arsenal would have been any worse off if they’d stayed at Highbury, a classy old ground that still sends a tingle up the spine even now when I’ve walked past it going to their smart, comfortable but soulless new place.

And a ground 25 years old that's already looking tatty in parts.