Aston Villa’s Executive Chairman, Nassef Sawiris has revealed his delight over confirmation of funding from the government to improve the city’s transport network.
In April, Villa announced plans to redevelop the North Stand to improve and upgrade the infrastructure and facilities at that end of the stadium, while increasing the overall capacity of Villa Park both at that end of the ground as well as in other stands to eventually exceed 50,000.
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Further, there are projects in place to improve the matchday experience for fans, with the surrounding areas undergoing refurbishment, including the Warehouse project which will offer a fanzone for gamedays, but also act as a concert venue that can be utilised away from football as the club look to maximise revenue streams.
However, that was all contingent on improvements being made by the government and local authorities to the transport network, namely Witton Station, as with the increase in footfall at Villa Park, on a matchday or otherwise, the facilities at the train station had to improve to cater for that.
Having now had the funding confirmed to support that initiative, Villa will be able to press ahead with our ambitious plans for the area, and Sawiris was naturally delighted that the project can begin to move forward with pace as the club continue to look to increase our revenue and improve the experience for fans.
“We are delighted that the much-needed funding has now been committed,” Sawiris said, as per the club’s site. “Improving Witton Station is a critical aspect of our wider endeavour to improve the matchday experience for all fans visiting Villa Park. We are also excited to continue progressing our North Stand extension and to completing the works to the wider Villa Park campus alongside helping to implement the works plan for Witton Station for the benefit of Aston and the surrounding areas.”
The Villa hierarchy are very much committed to staying at Villa Park rather than building a new stadium, which is an option that many other clubs have chosen as part of their business strategy to bolster their financial position on and off the pitch.
In turn, it’s crucial that we get the necessary financial and infrastructure backing to complete our plans to expand the capacity of Villa Park and complete the surrounding projects, and hopefully we’ll see serious progress being made in the coming months with construction already underway on the plaza area behind the North Stand and the Warehouse facility.
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