Former Premier League footballer Noel Whelan believes Aston Villa’s plans to expand their stadium will be a ‘massive boost’ for the club.
The Villans recently revealed plans to increase the capacity at Villa Park, with BirminghamLive claiming that it could rise by as much as 5,000.
And with the club hoping to get work underway in around a year’s time, Whelan has claimed that the plans show Villa’s ambitions to stay competitive in the transfer market and are good news for the community.
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said: “It just shows the demand for clubs like Aston Villa.
“It’s the same with Elland Road. Leeds United don’t have the tickets to satisfy the sheer demand for tickets.
“But investing money into the stadium is just bringing money back into the club, as well as allowing supporters to go and watch their team.
“They’ve spent a lot of money on transfers since coming back to the Premier League, and boosting their income across all areas will help them continue to do that.
“It’s a community sport, and revamping the surrounding areas will be a massive boost for those areas and people.”
TIF Thoughts on Aston Villa’s expansion plans…
We can’t help but agree with Whelan on this. With most leagues in England seeing an increase in attendances since fans’ full return to stadiums in summer 2021, it is no surprise that there is more demand at Villa.
In fact, the club had claimed this summer that around 26,000 supporters are on the season ticket waiting list, so expansion plans are perhaps even overdue, with the ground not seeing any major renovation work since the start of the century.
And with the team embarking on a potentially prosperous future on the pitch amid the arrival of four-time Europa League winner Unai Emery, the proposals to truly usher Villa into a new era can only be exciting for the fans.
Therefore, in the long term, should the work on Villa Park lead to more supporters, more funds and more success, this could be the perfect blend of developments for the Spaniard’s new side.
Will Emery be a success at Villa?
Yes!
No!
