Updates have emerged after the latest Aston Villa Fan Advisory Board meeting in relation to the club’s new crest and the Villa Park expansion plans.
President of Business Operations, Chris Heck, recently spoke to VillaTV to outline some of our new plans moving forward, and those have not only been reiterated in the fan meeting, but further details have been put forward.
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Heck noted just over a week ago how plans to rebuild the North Stand were no longer expected to go ahead, with concerns over ‘adding too many seats too fast’, as well as reducing the capacity of Villa Park over two years when we’re playing at the level we are under Unai Emery currently.
Instead, he added, the investment would go into upgrading facilities right across the stadium to benefit fans in all four stands and the surrounding area to create more hospitality and event options, as well as at Bodymoor Heath.
Further, he hinted at news on the club’s new crest which is expected to be unveiled soon, in conjunction with the start of our celebrations to mark our 150th anniversary next season.
As per My Old Man Said and the Express and Star, with the former attending the Fan Advisory Board meeting, further details were offered to suggest that the North Stand rebuild plan has potentially been entirely scrapped now, despite a drawn out process of getting planning permission to move forward with that option.
Villa park redevelopment plan
According to the articles above, the club reiterated their commitment to improving facilities across the stadium ‘as soon as possible’, while they dismissed speculation of a potential move away from Villa Park.
As for the capacity increase, a ‘change in the seating layout’ has been proposed which could add between 2000-3000 more seats, which is seemingly likely to involve the gaps between the stands to create a ‘bowl-like’ layout, while there will improvements to concourse, toilets, food and drink options, with the owners committed to investing significantly in that area.
It’s noted that a key factor in the decision was that Villa games aren’t selling out currently, with an average of 200 tickets unsold for every Premier League match. Costs and transport issues were also flagged as concerns, and so work on the adjusted strategy is expected to start in the summer.
Details on new Villa crest
Meanwhile, as for the new Villa crest, it was noted that the AV 150 marque will be part of the 150th anniversary celebrations and could appear on the back of our shirts next season.
Further, 81% of those who responded to the survey email to gain supporter feedback wanted the club’s name included in the crest, 85% wanted the European Cup commemorative star to be kept, and the majority went with the shield shape with a left-facing lion.
Importantly, it’s suggested that this could be unveiled two weeks from the meeting, ahead of the crest being incorporated across the club’s branding next season, and so that could see us get our first look in the coming days given the meeting was held on December 20.
The changes in direction and approach will split opinion no doubt, and while some will find Heck’s reasoning understandable and appropriate, others may well question whether or not the adjusted strategy is the right one moving forward.
There will arguably never be a good time to expand Villa Park significantly with a North Stand rebuild, and perhaps if we carried out these upgrades and dropped seat prices with a bigger capacity to supplement it, it would lead to more games being sold out.
Time will tell what the reaction will be to the new club crest too as that could further frustrate and anger sections of the fanbase, but the hope is that these decisions ultimately work out in the best interests of Villa in both the short-term and long-term future.