Villa Park

A brief history

Aston Villa first played at Perry Bar Stadium before moving into Villa Park. Villa Park was initially called The Aston Lower Grounds and used to be a popular amusement park. When sports started to get attractive, the stadium's name changed into the Magnificent Meadow and was predominantly used for cricket, cycling and athletics. It is unknown when the name Villa Park was designated to be the official name of the stadium. The Villa Park was first fitted to welcome 14,000 spectators, but the plan was to increase the capacity to 104,000. However, this plan got intercepted with the arrival of the First World War. Chairman Fred Rinder did manage to get a green light to start working on the first phase of the plan before hostilities with Germany were made. The stadium's capacity is 50,000 now and plans for expanding the capacity are being made.

Fun facts about Villa Park

The stadium is divided into four individual stands. The newest stand is the Trinity Road stand, which is best known for its Holte End. It once was the largest stand that was located behind the goal and now it has a double-decker structure and can hold 13,000 home supporters. During the Second World War, the Trinity Road stand was used as an air-raid shelter - so, it's a stadium with a rich and interesting history. Just like all other stadiums in England, Villa Park was obligated to change their stadium into an all-seater stadium because of the FA Cup semi-finals between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The game ended in a disaster where 96 people died, due to the collapse of a stand.

Visit Villa Park

Would you like to visit Villa Park and watch a match of Aston Villa? There are four ways to get to Villa Park from the centre of Birmingham. You could, for example, board a train from Birmingham New Street which will bring you straight to Villa Park. A ticket costs between one and four euros and the ride lasts around ten minutes. The second option to go to Villa Park is to board Bus 7. It takes between 15 and 18 minutes to arrive at Villa Park. A ticket costs around three euros. The fastest option is to catch a taxi which will take you to Villa Park. This takes around six short minutes and costs you around 12 euros. Would you rather walk to Villa Park from the centre of Birmingham? This takes around 45 minutes.

Your football trip to Villa Park

Would you like to visit a football match in Villa Park? Then you should book your football trip to Aston Villa at Number 1 Football Travel! Our staff will arrange everything to perfection and take into account your wishes. We are at your service with the best tips to make your football trip to Birmingham unforgettable. Have fun!