Villa Park future agreement reached as Aston Villa receive unanimous new stadium verdict
Aston Villa fans continue to debate whether building a new stadium would be more beneficial for the long-term future of the club than remaining at Villa Park
Dan is a Football Multimedia Producer for Reach PLC. Covering all clubs in the Midlands on social media with a specialist focus on Aston Villa. As a life-long Villa fan and season ticket holder, producing video and podcasts around the club is a dream. Dan hosts the Claret & Blue podcast.
Aston Villa are committed to increasing the capacity of Villa Park and improving the matchday experience for supporters — but that won’t stop the debate among the fanbase over whether remaining at their historic home is the right move for the club’s long-term future.
Villa hope to complete the redevelopment of the stadium’s North Stand by the second half of 2027, increasing the number of available seats from around 5,000 to 12,000.
There will also be smaller upgrades to the other three stands, which Villa say will take the stadium’s total capacity to over 50,000, up from the current 42,918.
While a stadium can be a major source of revenue for Premier League clubs — with Tottenham reaping the rewards in recent years and Everton moving into their new 52,000-seater home this season — Villa fans continue to debate whether staying at Villa Park or moving elsewhere would be more beneficial for the club’s long-term future.
On Claret & Blue, we’ve discussed this topic before, and you can watch our first debate here. Earlier this week — nearly two years since that initial discussion — Dan Rolinson, Mat Kendrick, and John Townley sat down once again to talk about Villa Park.
Here’s a transcript of part of their conversation. You can watch or listen to the full discussion below.
Dan: John, you’ve recently been to Everton’s new stadium. Has that changed your view at all on Villa possibly moving?
John: It’s definitely interesting. Everton’s new ground looks brilliant — they’ve kept a sense of history by building it on the docks, tying it into the city. Goodison Park was charming but crumbling; they needed the upgrade.
I think they’ve done it really well. The new stadium gives them huge commercial potential — more matchday income, sponsorships, everything. For a club like Everton, Newcastle, or Villa, if you do it right, it can only be positive. But that’s the key — it has to be done properly.
Just to be clear, I don’t want Villa to leave Villa Park. But given how things have changed in the last couple of years regarding stadium moves and new builds — Everton, Blues, Newcastle — it’s worth talking about again.
Mat: I’m old-school. I don’t want to leave Villa Park. It’s too big a gamble. You risk losing history and tradition chasing revenue that only pays off if you’re filling the place every week.
Even now, with a decent Europa League season, we’ve already seen empty seats. Imagine a 60,000-seater with a dip in form — you’d have empty stands and none of the old charm. It’s risky.
Of course, more seats mean more money, which helps with financial rules. But move too soon and it could backfire badly.
Dan: The big argument for moving is financial — more revenue, more flexibility under PSR and UEFA rules. Other clubs like Everton are doing it, Newcastle are looking at it.
But building a new ground takes years, and football changes fast. What if Villa commit to it, and results nosedive? It’s a massive gamble.
John: People say, ‘Oh, tickets will be cheaper if there’s more capacity’. That’s not a given. If anything, they could go up. Everton’s doughnuts were £6! Prices can rise to pay for the shiny new build — not drop.
When we last debated this, we all admitted we didn’t want to leave. And that hasn’t changed. But it’s frustrating, because financial rules seem designed to protect the already-rich clubs.
Without more revenue, we’ll always struggle to compete or keep spending at the top level — even under Emery. So, is a new stadium the only way to bridge that gap?
Mat: And yet, if we want to join the top table, we need to think like the big clubs do. It’s a catch-22.
How much of this is about capacity versus facilities? Because, honestly, Villa Park can feel cramped. The club’s trying to modernise with kiosks and fan zones, but space is tight.
John: Exactly. The area around Villa Park is the real challenge. Expanding to 50,000 is one thing — but 60,000-plus? Transport, roads, trains — it’d be chaos.
And if you move, where? Knock down Villa Park and rebuild on the same site? That’s years away from home. Move into the city centre? Then you lose your roots in Aston. There’s no easy solution.
Dan: Realistically, the board aren’t planning a move anytime soon — just expansion. But every window where we struggle to buy players because of PSR, that pressure to ‘grow revenue’ increases.
John: Yeah, and if other clubs start benefiting financially from their new grounds — like Everton — fans will start to question why we’re falling behind.
We’re not saying ‘leave now’, but in 10 years, who knows? Football moves fast. Just to put it in context: Spurs’ matchday revenue is light years ahead of ours.
Their stadium is practically a cash machine. Villa’s income this season will rise with Europe, but it’s still nowhere near theirs.
The difference in what Spurs make per fan is massive. They’ve designed their whole matchday experience to maximise spending — food, merch, events. Most of us just buy a burger outside and go home. Owners see that as a missed opportunity.
Mat: But those ‘tourist fans’ only come when a club is consistently top six. You need to earn that status first.
Dan: None of us want to leave Villa Park — it’s too special. But the financial and competitive realities make this debate unavoidable.
If other clubs’ new stadiums start paying off, pressure will only grow. Until then, we’ll keep backing the redevelopment plans and hoping Villa Park can evolve with the times.
John: Exactly. Give it time, give it a chance. If, in 10 years, we’re still being held back by revenue, then maybe the conversation changes. But right now, I’m still all in on Villa Park.
What is your view on the Villa Park debate? Tell us here
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