The upcoming 2022/23 campaign will be the last at Villa Park as we know it with huge changes set to take place. Villa will demolish the entire North Stand to build a brand new – and much bigger – stand as the capacity will drop from 42,000 to just over 50,000. Here is a brief summary of what was said and what will happen in the coming months.

What is happening?

As mentioned, the North Stand is to be razed to make way for a much larger stand which may well be renamed when completed. There have been talks of how the new stand could accommodate up to 15,000 supporters, while Villa also plan to take their corporate and hospitality offerings to the next level.

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Also on the North Stand side of Villa Park, a new giant super store will be built while a museum and a state-of-the-art hotel have also been proposed. The Villa’s current shop and associated buildings – including the Family Fun Zone, formerly Stumps – will also be demolished, while the Villa plans to have a new Fan Zone located at the rear of the North Stand.

When will work start?

Well, the plans should be revealed at the end of the summer. There could be some slight objections from Birmingham City Council, but work is expected to start at the end of the 2022/23 season. Villa are currently selling season tickets in the North Stand for next season’s campaign. Construction work will begin in 2023.

Why is Aston Villa doing this?

Large-scale improvements to Villa Park have not taken place since the redevelopment of the Trinity Road Stand in 2000. Villa is simply bringing its home into the 21st century as, with nearly 25,000 fans on the waiting list for club subscriptions, there is real demand at the moment and since Villa gained promotion under Dean Smith in 2019.

What else can we expect?

The redevelopment of the North Stand has been listed as Phase 1 of 3 by Christian Purslow, with further updates planned for Holte End and Doug Ellis Stand. Villa will also significantly improve the hospitality boxes and offerings at the Trinity Road stand in due course.

However, the bulk of construction is centralized around the North Stand while, across the road, work is due to start this summer to build a new city center academy as Villa seek to develop the best talents in urban areas of Birmingham.

As for Villa Park, the club is expected to fund major improvements to the two stations – Witton and Aston – close to the stadium to make it easier for spectators to travel in the future.