Aston Villa have used Bodymoor Heath as the Birmingham outfit’s training ground since the early 1970s. Doug Ellis sought the move to North Warwickshire whilst the Villans’ chairman.
Ellis bought land in Warwickshire to create a purpose-built training ground for Aston Villa to leave Trinity Road. The Aston site was no longer fit for purpose and a chance arose to secure a new venue from a local farmer. While Aston Villa have since upgraded their training ground.
Bodymoor Heath today offers Aston Villa a state-of-the-art training ground around 10 miles away from their stadium, Villa Park. It also currently serves as the training ground for Aston Villa’s academy sides. But the Villans have begun building their new inner-city youth facility.
Aston Villa training ground name
Aston Villa opted to name their training ground as Bodymoor Heath owing to its location on Bodymoor Heath Road. The Villans also briefly re-named it as the Recon Training Complex in 2018. But Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens reverted it once they became Aston Villa’s owners.
How many pitches are there at Bodymoor Heath?
Bodymoor Heath offers Aston Villa a total of 11 pitches across their training ground. The 11 pitches include nine grass fields and two synthetic turf fields. Additionally, the academy has access to five of the grass pitches and an Astroturf field following the £14m project in 2020.
Aston Villa invested £14m of the £14.5m compensation they received from the government for the construction of HS2. The high-speed rail network cut through the previous site of the Villans’ academy training area. The 61-acre site additionally hosts the club’s women’s teams.
But Aston Villa’s academy teams will soon move out of Bodymoor Heath and into their own inner-city training ground. The club aims to complete the construction of an £8m site in July 2023. It will boast a full-sized indoor pitch and two 3/4-sized outdoor pitches near Villa Park.
What other facilities does Aston Villa’s training ground have?
Plans to redevelop Bodymoor Heath saw Aston Villa construct a 500-seater stadium for their academy sides in 2019. It also has a small press box, dugouts and a player’s tunnel. While all fans who attend games at the complex also have access to a refreshments bar on-site.
Their academy match complex at Bodymoor Heath is located just past the entrance to Aston Villa’s training ground venue. Bodymoor Heath also boasts a gymnasium facility and a sports science area. Aston Villa spent £6m elevating the High-Performance Training Centre in 2021.
Pave Aways Building Contractor erected the state-of-the-art extension for the Villans’ venue. Prince William opened the two-storey building, which features a high-performance gym and a 50-metre running track. There is also a sandbox plus match analysis and treatment rooms.
What is the address?
Aston Villa’s training ground: Bodymoor Heath Road, Tamworth, England, B78 2BB
