Stadium

History of the stadium

Villa Park has been the home stadium of Aston Villa since 1897 when the Birmingham outfit left their Wellington Road ground. It also boasts its own rich heritage and a real atmosphere.

Just a smattering of stadiums have served as the Villans’ home since Aston Villa Cricket Club founded them in 1874. Their first formal fixtures took place at Aston Park between 1875 and 1876. Wellington Road then served as their base until 1897 but plans to leave began in 1894.

Increasing issues at Wellington Road convinced Aston Villa to begin seeking out a new site to host their stadium. An uneven pitch and poor spectator conditions meant their Perry Bar site was not fit for purpose. So, Frederick Rinder led the bid to head to the Aston Lower Grounds.

Rinder masterminded Aston Villa’s move to Villa Park

The Aston Lower Grounds was originally a popular amusement park and gardens in the 19th century. It also hosted Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show in 1887 but would become the home of Aston Villa in April 1897. The Villans would beat Blackburn Rovers 3-0 in the first clash there.

Aston Villa were not unfamiliar with the Aston Lower Grounds having used an adjacent multi-sport area in their formative years. Known commonly as the Magnificent Meadow, the Aston Park site also held cricket, cycling and athletic events alongside Aston Villa’s initial fixtures.

Negotiations took years before Aston Villa secured their contract to lease the Aston Lower Grounds with an option to buy it. While the ground would go on to be renamed Villa Park in the early 20th century as the stadium became more weightily associated with Aston Villa.

Changes to the infrastructure also occurred in line with the Aston Lower Grounds becoming Aston Villa’s stadium, Villa Park. Rinder continued his immense influence over the site during his tenure as the club’s chairman by overseeing the rebuilding of their two end terraces.

The outbreak of World War I curtailed Rinder’s vision for a huge stadium capable of hosting 104,000 spectators. Escalating building costs after WWI also delayed Aston Villa’s effort to erect the Trinity Road stand. They would finish the project in 1923 with new dressing rooms.

Villa Park benefited from football’s post-WWII boom

Aston Villa continued to redevelop Villa Park in the 1930s with the construction of the Holte End terrace. The Villans also benefitted from the boom that football enjoyed following WWII as attendances rocketed. They drew a record crowd of 76,558 in March 1946 against Derby.

But major changes were afoot during the 1950s and 1960s as Aston Villa installed floodlights and a roof for the Holte End. A modern cover also replaced the iconic barrel-shaped roof on the Witton Lane stand. While the North Stand later replaced the Witton End terrace in 1977.

Further major changes followed during the 1990s, too, as the Taylor Report ruled that all top clubs should have all-seated stadiums. The directive forced Aston Villa to demolish the Holte End after the 1993/94 season. It took them seven months to replace it with a two-tier stand.

Aston Villa also replaced the Witton Lane stand with a two-tier structure, which took on the name of their chairman, Doug Ellis. While the summer of 2000 saw the final piece of the first Villa Park fall as the Villans demolished the Trinity Road stand to erect a three-tier structure.

Aston Villa have plans in the pipeline to redevelop Villa Park

More plans are also in the pipeline today for Aston Villa to redevelop their stadium and see Villa Park’s capacity soar to around 60,000. The Birmingham natives have drawn up plans to demolish the North Stand for a new state-of-the-art stand, whilst adapting the Trinity Stand.

Phase one of Aston Villa’s redevelopment project will increase Villa Park’s capacity to around 50,000. The club hope to modernise their stadium, whilst also serving as a catalyst for local regeneration beside Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority.

How to get to Villa Park

Fans can get to Villa Park through a number of means with Aston Villa’s stadium located just 2.2 miles from Birmingham city centre. Its location ensures visitors can get to Villa Park from all major road networks. While various forms of public transport also frequent the stadium.

Aston Villa offer official matchday parking for fans wishing to get to Villa Park by private car. Permit holder-only parking restrictions are in force in the immediate area in which Villa Park is situated. A traffic exclusion zone is also in force around their ground for pedestrian safety.

Additionally, Aston Villa also offer free cycle storage at the Villa Village Car Park behind Villa Village House. While fans can walk to the stadium from Witton rail station in 10 minutes and from Aston rail station in 15 minutes. Birmingham Airport is around 30 minutes away by car.

Bus services also offer fans an alternative way to get to Villa Park when attending Aston Villa matches. The main routes which serve the ground are the 7, 11A and 11C but 65 and 67 stop within walking distance of the stadium. ARRIVA buses also run unique weekend game routes.

Stadium tour information

Aston Villa offer fans a behind-the-scenes look at their stadium with tours of Villa Park. They run three variants with weekday, weekend and legends tours available. Each tour includes a guided look around the ground, photo opportunities and a 10% discount in the club’s store.

Fans who attend tours of Villa Park get a chance to go pitchside at Aston Villa’s stadium and access the home dressing room, the player’s entrance and the tunnel. They also get access to the press conference area and the media centre. While all guests also get a Villa lanyard.

Address:

Villa Park: Trinity Rd, Birmingham, England, B6 6HE