A monumental stadium where football has been played for 125 years. A beautiful shirt, fanatical supporters, a club with a rich past and top football: In our opinion, Aston Villa is a top place to go to.
English football is steeped in great, traditionally-rich clubs with glorious pasts. Nowadays, those teams usually aren't top clubs anymore. Some of them don't even play in the top flight any more. Aston Villa is such a club. Already almost 150 years old and one of the most successful teams in English football history, with seven league titles and even the Cup with the Big Ears in the trophy cabinet. Fortunately, after a few low years, the Villains are back in the Premier League, a place where the beautiful claret-and-blue deserve to be.
"You have stadiums and you have stadiums. And then you have Villa Park.” A quote by the English writer and Villa fan Simon Inglis, and we get it. Villa Park, home to Aston Villa since 1897, is a stadium that has kept up with the times through various renovations but still feels fabulously authentic.
During these renovations, it was clear that Villa Park needed to retain its character. In the most recent renovations – in the mid-1990s and around the turn of the century – the extensive use of brick was chosen instead of the excessive use of grey concrete.
The highlight of the stadium, without competition, is the outside of the Holte End (see photo above). Although the brick facade is a replica of the original from 1922, you still have the feeling that you are standing in front of a building from the 18th century. The Aston Villa name and club logo adorn the facade, up which are two grand staircases to enter the stand behind it, where Aston Villa's most vocal fans sit.
Once inside, it is also a wonderful stadium. Four different stands, seats in the club colours and most importantly: A fanatic audience. It is the Villa fans who make the stadium what it is. Villa Park is one of the most popular stadiums in the Premier League, even when the club is 0-6 down.
There are a number of good pubs around the stadium, of which The Holte Pub behind the Holte End has something magical from the outside. Unfortunately, as with The Aston Tavern, you need to be a member to get in here. A good alternative is The Witton Arms at 458 Witton Road, diagonally opposite the exit of Witton train station. You are more than welcome in this pub and there is always a game of football, rugby or a match preview on.
At a club with such rich history, there are a number of people who should not be forgotten. One of those people is William McGregor, for whom a statue has been erected right in front of the main entrance on Trinity Road. He was chairman of Aston Villa over 130 years ago and was the driving force behind the founding of the Football League as we know it today. We certainly agree that this founding father has more than earned his spot.
A little further on Trinity Road, under the stand towards the Holte End, is the wall with 'The Ultimate XI', the eleven best players in club history chosen by the fans.
Unfortunately closed on match days, but definitely worth it for a longer stay in the city: A stadium tour. Take a journey through the history of Aston Villa and get your picture taken with the biggest prize in club history, the 1982 European Cup.
In the heart of Birmingham is Victoria Square, one of the largest squares in the city. The square's largest and most impressive building is the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Here in 1982, a day after the victory over Bayern Munich in De Kuip, the players of Aston Villa appeared on the platform to show the European Cup to the supporters.
In the corner of the Trinity Road Stand, next to the video wall at the Holte End, hangs a banner of a footballer that they will never b forgotten at Aston Villa. Ugo Ehiogu played for Villa for nine years and was regarded as a figurehead for the club, but died suddenly at the age of 44. After his far too early death, many fans came to lay flowers at Villa Park, and the former England international has a permanent place in the stadium with this banner.
By English standards, you can fairly easily get tickets at Aston Villa, even for the larger games. Matches against Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion may require booking history, but Villa's biggest rivals are no longer playing in the Premier League.
Villa Park is located in the north of Birmingham, a fair distance from the city centre. From Birmingham New Street, the main station in the heart of the city, there are several trains to Aston and Witton stations, both within walking distance of the stadium. After the game, there are special trains that will take you back to the city in no time.
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