Explained: Aston Villa’s latest stadium expansion plans

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Aston Villa’s long-term vision to build a 50,000-seat Villa Park has faced several complex issues.

In April 2022, chief executive Christian Purslow announced plans to redevelop the ground, which was opened in 1897, across several phases.

Even then, pre-Unai Emery and Champions League quarter-finals cachet, there was an appetite for expansion. Purslow outlined a project marking Villa Park’s first major redevelopment since the 2000-01 season, when a larger Trinity Road Stand was built.

Plans progressed over the ensuing 18 months and a timeframe was put in place, with the intention of the ground being ready a year out from hosting European Championship fixtures in 2028. Increasing the number of seats centred on expanding the North Stand, with planning permission secured, ideas finalised and work set to begin at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Yet the complexities lingered, exacerbated by Purslow’s departure. Chris Heck stepped in, taking on a different title as president of business operations, though with essentially the same remit. In December 2023, Heck confirmed that those plans to rebuild the North Stand would be shelved.

Villa, however, never dismissed the idea of expansion entirely. The intention of increasing the capacity of the North Stand remained and, last week, the club renewed its intention to do so, albeit in a different way.

Curiously, less than a week after the announcement confirming the new plans, including quotes from Heck, The Athletic revealed he would be leaving at the end of the season. Proposed work will continue and will be one of his replacement’s main tasks.

So, why is the Villa Park expansion project back on the table? Are the complications that existed previously still there? And how does Euro 2028 fit in? The Athletic attempts to explain the state of play…

What was the previous plan and why was it postponed?

In simple terms, the concept was to demolish the North Stand. This would have taken place over the next two seasons, with Villa playing in a three-stand stadium.

Villa Park’s North Stand (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Once built, the new stand would be wrapped with the neighbouring Trinity Road and Doug Ellis Stands, providing extra seating in the corners of the ground to increase overall capacity. The project was estimated to cost £100million ($133m at current exchange rates) before recent inflation.

The downsides, however, caused obvious short-term damage. Thousands of season ticket holders in the North Stand would have been forced to move seats, further squeezing ticket availability.

Emery and other footballing decision-makers concurred that redeveloping the stadium would have been an eyesore in this season’s Champions League campaign, given they would be playing without supporters behind one goal. Instead, the can was kicked down the road.

What is the new plan? 

The vision has always been to build a 50,000-plus seater stadium, increasing the capacity by 8,000 in time for Euro 2028, with the new North Stand holding more than 12,000 people.

Incremental additions to other sides of the ground will mean an eventual increase to the targeted capacity and, longer-term, to 52,500 seats.

When West Midlands mayor Richard Parker was elected 12 months ago, among the first people to contact him were representatives from Birmingham City and Villa, who wanted assistance with stadium redevelopments. Parker met Heck and Ben Hatton, Villa’s chief operating officer, to discuss challenges and opportunities and set up a task force to resolve some of these issues.

“Aston Villa will adapt and reuse the existing North Stand structure for the expansion,” a club statement read. “This innovative approach ensures that the capacity for Villa Park will not decrease at any time during construction, mitigating disruption to fans.”

The Athletic has seen copies of redevelopment proposals, which show a higher structure and seating to the upper tier of the North Stand, with a redesigned lower tier of the two-tier stand creating additional capacity. As well as the North Stand not reducing in capacity at any stage, it will wrap into the Trinity Stand, with a “superstructure steelwork” fortifying the larger North Stand.

A computer-generated image of how the rebuilt North Stand might look (Aston Villa FC)

Is there optimism the stadium expansion can be completed?

Observers involved in Midlands politics, who have all spoken to The Athletic on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak, are confident that the new strategy can be carried out.

The previous design would have been much trickier — it would have meant demolishing the North Stand, then there were the politics to consider. Aston residents are overwhelmingly Labour voters, but the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) — made up of 18 local councils and crucial in enabling the stadium rebuild — was chaired, back then, by the Conservative Party.

This has changed since the last general election, with mayor Andy Street losing to Labour candidate Parker, who pledged to redevelop Witton Station in his manifesto.

Upgrades to Witton train station are, say the club, a “vital component” of ensuring the redevelopment proceeds. It’s the closest station to the ground, with connections to Birmingham New Street, Birmingham Moor Street, Walsall, Coventry and more. But we’ll come to that later. 

The timeframe for the rebuild of the ground permits the main works to commence in December 2026, with contractors appointed three months before.

Why is Euro 2028 important in this?

Time has been of the essence since Villa Park was named a host ground. The local railway station, Witton, has long been a sticking point. Villa Park is only three miles north of the well-connected centre of Birmingham, but Witton is not big enough to withstand the number of fans travelling on matchdays.

Any capacity increase would place an unmanageable strain on local transport, so Villa need the stadium expansion to happen alongside Witton’s rebuild.

Crucially, UEFA’s overall sustainability strategy indicates that 60 to 80 per cent of match-going supporters go via public transport, and this would not be feasible at Euro 2028 without Witton shouldering a significant chunk of the burden.

For Euro 2024, UEFA confirmed that 81 per cent of match ticket holders used free public transport, highlighting the importance of local rail and bus networks in Germany. UEFA said its sustainability strategy for Euro 2028 has not yet been finalised, but is likely to follow the strategy from four years previous.

Under Purslow and Street, regeneration of Witton station included a new tunnel under the railway, preventing queuing on the main road. This, however, has changed, with the installation of a new tunnel now viewed as a long-term ambition and one unlikely to be completed by Euro 2028. It would add millions more to the cost, too. 

Guidelines from UEFA, which organises the tournament, insist the redevelopment has to be trialled for one season before Euro 2028.

Consequently, plans are in place to create a footbridge over the top of Witton. On the footbridge, a zig-zag queuing system will be developed, where supporters would wait safely.

The queuing system can be slow because shelters on the platform take up room. The WMCA intends to knock down existing shelters and upgrade them.

Trains to the station have been reduced since the outbreak of Covid-19. The city line runs more frequently when Villa Park is in use, but the frequency of matchday trains has dropped from six per hour to four. With Villa’s participation in the Champions League adding more games at night and on Sundays, transport links have become even more problematic.

Other controllable factors are being assessed. One example is to ensure trains, when they do arrive at the platform, wait a minute longer to enable more supporters to board. Last year, West Midlands Railway welcomed a longer stock of carriages that can bear greater capacity.

A statement from Villa reads: “Without that commitment (towards stronger travel links), we cannot proceed with this project and would need to reexamine whether we could continue as a Euro 2028 host venue.”

Will Villa receive funding?

In 2023, before further inflation, rebuilding Witton fully would have cost £30m, comparable to what it took to redevelop Perry Barr, another Midlands station, in 2021. If the regeneration of Witton is approved, the WMCA is set to fund it.

Villa can point towards its contribution to the local economy by creating jobs and increasing footfall in the surrounding areas. Yet there remains a contrasting argument from some observers, who state that if Villa Park’s expansion hinges so greatly on Witton Station — as the club outlines in its statement — Villa could contribute towards some of the funding. This is not expected to be on the table.

Witton station needs a costly upgrade (Jacob Tanswell/The Athletic)

Multiple observers close to the situation have preached caution, questioning whether the money needed from the WMCA would be better served elsewhere. There are competing requirements for funding, including from other Birmingham stations. And, considering how quiet it is when Villa Park is not in use, is Witton worth the investment? 

“These arguments are really hard when you’re using a station to that degree only every two weeks,” said a source involved in the funding. “Every project that requires funding needs a good level of due diligence and a good business case.”

WMCA held conversations with Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, and her team regarding Witton and will have further dialogue with the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander. Over the past year, focus has sharpened on ensuring steady funding and the WMCA has used the prospect of Euro 2028 and Villa’s on-field success to build the case for deserving investment.

There is pragmatism from all parties that while a total rebuild is off the table and therefore will likely cost less than the initial £30m, smaller changes would enable Villa Park’s capacity to be increased.

The proposed rebuild of the North Stand from the outside (Aston Villa FC)

Who will benefit?

“The area’s regeneration will begin with a £100m-plus investment in the first phase of improvements to Villa Park,” said the club’s statement. “Once operational, the project will contribute an estimated £119.9m to the West Midlands economy each year, creating hundreds of jobs during and post-construction, and attracting 1.65m visitors to the local area annually.”

Being a host ground for the Euros would boost the local economy and provide an opportunity for political figures to raise their profiles in the run-up to an election year.

For Villa, more supporters mean increased revenue, which is key to solving the puzzle of profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Infrastructure investment does not impact the bottom line (at least not until it is built and generating income), enabling the club to invest in methods that will grow revenue.

Is Witton Station the only red light?

Though improvements to Witton Station are needed, it is not a panacea in ensuring Villa can reach 50,000 capacity before the target date.

Expanding the stadium would have repercussions for the surrounding areas, since Villa Park is stuck on an island surrounded by terraced housing.

Villa Park hosted raucous Champions League nights this season (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Transport issues have lingered since Villa returned to the Premier League in the 2019-20 season. Cars were being parked closer to the ground, some on curbs and double yellow lines. Parking restrictions have also contributed to the rise of supporters using taxis, with Uber drivers presenting a traffic challenge that previously did not exist.

Many fans walk away from the stadium for 20 minutes before calling a taxi to get away from the traffic, but that solution is problematic for those with mobility issues.

Shuttle buses to Birmingham New Street Train station would ease supporter congestion, and this route is being encouraged. Birmingham City put on free buses to any supporter with a match ticket, while Villa buses cost £5.

A wider, holistic approach is needed for buses. For instance, the WMCA is looking at widening the roads along the bus routes so that they could make a turn in the road, improving the regularity of pick-ups and drop-offs. WMCA officers are also assessing whether safe cycling and walking routes would help.

Who is involved and what are the next steps?

CAA ICON, a strategic management firm for public and private sports facilities, is working with Villa to execute the construction. CAA Icon has an extensive portfolio of redeveloped arenas in North America. Grimshaw Architects is also involved in the redesign.

The key now is what happens with any government funding. While Villa’s announcement to push ahead with the rebuild was met with positivity, there is a lot more to do. 

(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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