Villa Park, England
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- Villa Park redirects here. For other uses of Villa Park see Villa Park (disambiguation)
| Villa Park | |
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| Pride of the Midlands | |
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| Location | Aston, Birmingham |
| Opened | 1897 |
| Owner | Aston Villa |
| Operator | Aston Villa |
| Surface | Grass (115 x 72 yards) |
| Construction cost | £ 67 million |
| Former names | |
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| Tenants | |
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| Capacity | |
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Villa Park is a football stadium in the district of Aston, in Birmingham, England. A UEFA 4-star rated stadium, it is the home of Aston Villa Football Club.
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[edit] History
The Aston Villa legend, Billy Walker summed up Villa Park when he said:
About Villa Park itself hung an aura that seems almost to be visible. Most certainly it is there to be felt and I know of no other ground that has the same effect on one. Almost it seems to be peopled by ghosts - amiable ghosts whose job it is to breathe the great Villa spirit into generation after generation of ambitious youngsters who pass through the great gates to achieve a life's ambition; to wear the famous claret and blue of the great club.[1]
Opened in 1897, the year Aston Villa won the League and FA Cup 'Double', it was officially called the Aston Lower Grounds, on the site of a Victorian amusement park in the former grounds of a Jacobean stately home, Aston Hall. Once the site of a fishpond and kitchen garden belonging to Sir Thomas Holte, the owner of Aston Hall. This is where the name of the legendary Holte End came from.
The pitch was initially surrounded by a 24 foot wide concrete cycle track and a cinder running track. When first built the stadium could house 70,000 spectators. Ambitious Villa director, Frederick Rinder had plans drawn up to take the capacity of Villa Park up to 120,000 in 1911, but the First World War put an end to the redevelopment.
The running track was removed in 1922 when work started on the Trinity Road Stand and the ground was squared off. When it was completed in 1924, The Trinity Road Stand was considered the grandest in the land, complete with stained glass windows, Italian mosaics and sweeping staircase, it was considered architect Archie Leitch's masterpiece. Club folklore has it that the sight of the Trinity Road frontage (“the St Pancras of football”, as a Sunday Times reporter called it in 1960), was enough to persuade a player to sign for the club.
Floodlights were first used at the ground in November 1958, the Holte End was not covered until 1962, and the old rounded roof of the Witton Lane Stand was not replaced until 1964. Villa Park was chosen by FIFA to host three matches for the 1966 World Cup. As a condition of which the Witton Lane Stand became all-seater, the players tunnel had to be covered by a cage and the pitch had to be widened by three yards.
Work began on the new North Stand with its distinctive 'AV' seating plan and executive boxes in February 1977. Its design and facilities were impressive for the time, but cost of completion caused a scandal. It was discovered that over £700,000 of the work was unaccounted for. As a result Villa were burdened with debt, which meant transfer money was restricted despite being League and European Champions at the time.
Chairman Doug Ellis caused a furore amongst the fans in the mid-1990s when he renamed the 'Witton Lane Stand' the 'Doug Ellis Stand'. There is a popular movement at the present petitioning new chairman, Randy Lerner, for the name to be changed back or for someone felt to be a more deserving servant of the club to be honoured in this way. As a matter of principle, many fans continue to call it the Witton Lane Stand. Around the same time Villa Park was made an all-seater stadium in response to the requirements of the Taylor Report. The Holte End terracing was the last stand to be converted in 1994.
The old Trinity Road Stand was was demolished in 2001 and replaced by a larger modern stand which took Villa's capacity from 39,399 to its present size of 42,573. It was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales, just as the old stand had been by his grandfather George VI, 77 years earlier.
[edit] Details
[edit] Address
- Trinity Rd
- Birmingham
- B6 6HE
[edit] Phone numbers
- Main Telephone: 0121-327-2299
- Main Fax: 0121-322-2107
- Ticket Office: 0121-322-5353
- Ticket Office Fax: 0121-328-5575
[edit] Records
Record Attendance: 76,588 v Derby County F.C., 2 March 1952 (FA Cup Sixth Round)
[edit] Average attendances
(Premier League):
- 2002-03: 34,976
- 2003-04: 36,622
- 2004-05: 37,354
- 2005-06: 34,112
- 2006-07: 36,363 (Through 15 games thus far)
[edit] FA Cup Semi-Finals
Villa Park is the most used stadium in FA Cup semi-final history, having hosted 54 semi-finals.
- 1901, Tottenham Hotspur 4 West Bromwich Albion 0
- 1903, Derby County 3 Millwall Athletic 0
- 1906, Everton 2 Liverpool 0
- 1915, Chelsea 2 Everton 0
- 1930, Arsenal 1 Hull City 0 (replay)
- 1932, Arsenal 1 Manchester City 0
- 1935, Burnley 0 Sheffield Wednesday 3
- 1946, Bolton Wanderers 0 Charlton Athletic 2
- 1948, Blackpool 3 Tottenham Hotspur 1
- 1953, Blackpool 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
- 1954, Port Vale 1 West Bromwich Albion 2
- 1955, Manchester City 1 Sunderland 0
- 1956, Manchester City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0
- 1958, Fulham 2 Manchester United 2
- 1961, Burnley 0 Tottenham Hotspur 3
- 1962, Burnley 1 Fulham 1
- 1963, Manchester United 1 Southampton 0
- 1964, Preston North End 2 Swansea Town 1
- 1965, Chelsea 0 Liverpool 2
- 1966, Chelsea 0 Sheffield Wednesday 2
- 1967, Chelsea 1 Leeds United 0
- 1968, Birmingham City 0 West Bromwich Albion 2
- 1969, Everton 0 Manchester City 1
- 1970, Leeds United 0 Manchester United 0 (replay)
- 1971, Arsenal 2 Stoke City 0 (replay)
- 1972, Arsenal 1 Stoke City 1
- 1974, Leicester City 1 Liverpool 3 (replay)
- 1975, Ipswich Town 0 West Ham United 0
- 1979, Arsenal 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0
- 1980, Everton 1 West Ham United 1
- 1980, Arsenal 1 Liverpool 1 (replay)
- 1980, Arsenal 1 Liverpool 1 (2nd replay)
- 1981, Ipswich Town 0 Manchester City 1
- 1982, Leicester City 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
- 1983, Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2
- 1984, Plymouth Argyle 0 Watford 1
- 1985, Everton 2 Luton Town 1
- 1986, Everton 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1
- 1987, Tottenham Hotspur 4 Watford 1
- 1989, Everton 1 Norwich City 0
- 1990, Crystal Palace 4 Liverpool 3
- 1991, Nottingham Forest 4 West Ham United 0
- 1992, Liverpool 0 Portsmouth 0 (L won 3-1 on p’s) (replay)
- 1995, Crystal Palace 2 Manchester United 2
- 1995, Crystal Palace 0 Manchester United 2 (replay)
- 1996, Chelsea 1 Manchester United 2
- 1998, Arsenal 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0
- 1999, Arsenal 0 Manchester United 0
- 1999, Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2 (replay)
- 2001, Liverpool 2 Wycombe Wanderers 1
- 2002, Chelsea 1 Fulham 0
- 2003, Southampton 2 Watford 1
- 2004, Manchester United 1 Arsenal 0
- 2006, West Ham 1 Middlebrough 0
*2007, Due to host Manchester United vs Watford on April 14th
[edit] Transport
Witton railway station is adjacent, and Aston railway station is nearby.
Witton railway station is approximately 2 minutes walk from Villa Park, and it takes about 10 minutes to walk from Aston railway station
[edit] Trivia
- The overall cost of the stadium when it was completed in 1897 was £16,400.
- Villa Park has hosted a number of England internationals at senior level. The first of which was in 1899, the most recent being in 2005. In all it has hosted 16 international matches.[2]
- Villa Park hosted three World Cup matches during the 1966 World Cup and four matches during Euro '96.
- The last ever final of the European Cup Winners' Cup was staged at Villa Park. Lazio beat Real Mallorca 2-1.
- The first English ground to stage international football in three centuries
- The club hosted the League Cup Final in 1980-81 in which Liverpool beat West Ham 2-1 in a replay.
- Together with The Oval, Villa Park is referenced by the poet Philip Larkin in his poem about the First World War, MCMXIV.
- Many athletics and cycle events were staged there prior to the First World War.
Villa Park comprises 42,573 seats split between four stands. These four stands are the Holte End to the South, the Trinity Road stand to the West, the Doug Ellis Stand opposite the Trinity Road Stand, and the North Stand behind the northern goal.
The club shop is at the North Stand end of the stadium, which also accommodates the away fans on matchday, as well as a portion of the Doug Ellis Stand if the away team sells more tickets than expected.
[edit] Future
The Club have planning permission to extend the North Stand. This will involve the 'filling in' of the corners to either side of the North Stand. The previous chairman, Doug Ellis, stated that the money must be spent on improving the playing squad first. However, new owner Randy Lerner seems more keen on the idea of increased capacity. If and when completed, the capacity of Villa Park will be increased to 51,000.
Recently Lord Sebastian Coe, Head of London 2012, claimed that because Villa Park is an Olympic Venue, it will be entitled to funding. He also hinted it may be completed within five years.
[edit] References
- ^ Soccer In The Blood, Billy Walker - The Soccer Book Club, London 1960 p.23
- ^ England international matches at Villa Park
- ^ FA Trophy previous winners
[edit] External links
- Aerial shot of Villa Park
- Internet Football Ground Guide on Villa Park
- The Stadium Guide - Villa Park
| Buildings in Birmingham, England Highrise (In height order): BT Tower | Beetham Tower | Chamberlain Clock Tower | Alpha Tower | Orion Building | The Rotunda | NatWest Tower | Five Ways Tower | Centre City Tower | Hyatt Regency Hotel | 1 Snow Hill Plaza | Quayside Tower | Colmore Gate | The McLaren Building | Metropolitan House | Edgbaston House | Post & Mail Building | Jury's Inn Birmingham Notable lowrise: | | Birmingham Assay Office | | Central Library | Council House | Curzon Street railway station | Great Western Arcade | ICC | The Mailbox | | Millennium Point | The Old Crown | Paradise Forum | Birmingham Proof House | Sarehole Mill | Symphony Hall | Town Hall | |
