Villa Park (Birmingham) - Sports Tourist

Villa Park has been the home of Aston Villa Football Club since it opened in 1897 and is one of English football’s oldest venues. The original venue was a bowl with a cycling track that could hold around 40,000. The first match was on the 17th April with a friendly between Villa and Blackburn Rovers, which the new home side won 3-0.

The stadium was gradually developed, losing the cycling track in 1913 and increasing capacity to around 80,000. A record 76,588 watched an FA Cup Sixth Round tie with Derby County in March 1946. Capacity currently sits at just over 42,000 due to the stadium become all-seater in the early 90s and redevelopment of all of the stands.

Villa Park has hosted a number of England international matches, the first in 1899 as England defeated Scotland 2-1. It has hosted more FA Cup semi-finals than any other venues, frequently used as a neutral venue on 55 occasions and was used for the 2012 Community Shield whilst Wembley Stadium was being used for the Olympics.

Tenants: Aston Villa (Premier League)

Opened: 1897

Capacity: 42,875

Address: Trinity Rd, Birmingham B6 6HE

Three matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup were played there, all featuring Spain, Argentina and West Germany. A further a three group matches and a quarter-final were played there at UEFA Euro 96. Villa Park also hosted the last final of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999 as Lazio defeated Real Mallorca 2-1.

Two pool matches at the 2015 Rugby World Cup were also played at the stadium, with South Africa defeating Samoa 46-6 and Australia defeating Uruguay 65-3.

Tickets at Villa Park

Aston Villa Tickets

Tickets for Aston Villa matches are available to purchase online, by phone (0800 6120 970) or at the Villa Village store at the stadium. For the 2019-2020 season, tickets were separated into three categories depending on opposition and ranged from:

Adults – £27-£50 (Cat A), £23-£36 (Cat B) & £20-£33 (Cat C)
Over 65s – £26-£32 (Cat A), £16-£26 (Cat B) & £15-£23 (Cat C)
Students/Armed Forces – £26-£32 (Cat A), £18-£26 (Cat B) & £15-£23 (Cat C)
Under 21s – £16-£20 (Cat A), £10-£17 (Cat B) & £10-£17 (Cat C)
Under 18s – £12-£14 (Cat A), £5-£10 (Cat B) & £5-£10 (Cat C)
Under 14s (with Adult) – £12-£14 (Cat A), £5-£10 (Cat B) & £5-£10 (Cat C)
Family – £65-£80 (Cat A), £50-£65 (Cat B) & £45-£55 (Cat C)

Villa Park Stadium Tour

Aston Villa offer tours of Villa Park several times a week. Tours prices are:

Adult — £15 (Weekday), £18 (Weekends), £30 (Weekends with Lunch) & £35 (Sundays with Lunch)
Under 16s – £10 (Weekday), £10 (Weekends), £20 (Weekends with Lunch) & £30 (Sundays with Lunch)

Further information and booking is available on the official website.

Location & Travel to Villa Park

Villa Park is located in the ward of Aston in inner Birmingham, approximately 2 miles north of the city centre.

Airport: Birmingham Airport is located approximately 9 miles east of the stadium. The Airport serves European destinations, as well as international destinations such as the Caribbean, India, Pakistan, Qatar and the UAE. There is a train station at the airport which connects to central Birmingham.

Thinking of flying to Birmingham? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.

Bus: Bus routes 7, 11A and 11C stop at Witton Square, just a short walk from the stadium. Alternatively services 65 and 67 stop at Aston Railway Station, approximately a 15 minute walk away.

Coach: Birmingham Coach Station is close to the city centre, Megabus offers cheap travel to Birmingham and offers over 10 routes from Aberdeen, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Sheffield. You can search and book your tickets here.

Driving & Parking: Travelling on the M6, leave at Junction 7 (if travelling from the North West or South West) or Junction 6 (if travelling from the North East or South East) and follow the sign posts along the A38.

Official parking is available at Brookvale Road, costing £7 per car. Cash payments only accepted on the gate and sold on a first come first served basis.

Train: The closest stations are Witton (less than 10 minutes walk) and Aston (15 minutes walk), both a short journey from the biggest of Birmingham’s train stations – Birmingham New Street.

New Street serves many destinations across the UK including Bournemouth, Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff Central, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, Leicester, London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, Sheffield and Southampton Central.

Thinking of catching a train to Birmingham? Search and book your journey through the Trainline here.