The Whole 115 Yards

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After weeks of Aston Villa Women fans waiting eagerly for updates on season tickets for the coming 24/25 season; some news broke yesterday which explained the deathly silence from the club so far this summer. A press release was posted which began, “Aston Villa Women are thrilled to announce Villa Park will become the team’s main stadium for the 2024/25 season.”

The news has had some fairly mixed reviews from both Villa and general women’s football fans alike, and I was keen to find out the honest thoughts from the fans regarding this landmark move from the Bescot Stadium (which the team moved to in 2020) to Villa Park.

Aston Villa Women have played a varying numbers of fixtures at Villa Park over the years, from a mere 4 matches in the 22/23 WSL campaign to the new promise of all 11 WSL home matches to be played at the club’s stadium in B6. The relationship with the team’s most recent home however, the Bescot Stadium, is not over completely; as the club’s statement included the caveat that cup games (including the Continental Cup and FA Cup) will still be played at the ground in Walsall.

Head of women’s football, Lee Billiard, said, “This is another big step forward and represents a continuation of the progress of our women’s programme at Aston Villa…” he also commented that through recent work they have proven the move can be a “commercially viable venue” option.
Whilst it’s true that the move to Villa Park provides not only better facilities for the players, a wider variety of food and drink on offer on match day and for some, a better atmosphere altogether.

Take a look at the comments below to hear directly from the fans about the move. The good, the bad… and the undecided.

Starting with Facebook and the thoughts of the members of the Aston Villa Women’s Fan Club!

The initial reactions from the group were overall very positive, with most seeing this move as a vote of confidence shown by the club in supporting the women’s game. However, some voiced their doubts regarding things such as: attendance numbers, ease of access and a lack of community that was previously felt at the Bescot Stadium.

It’s brilliant news! Villa Park should be the home of Villa Men and Villa Women, working for more equality can only be a good thing! – Pamela

Accessibility wise, inside the ground is fantastic as the stewards are great and therefore safer for the fans. However, the concourse isn’t wheelchair accessible as it’s too high and the footpaths around the ground aren’t great for wheelchairs either, so getting into the ground can be quite difficult. I much prefer the atmosphere at Bescot as it’s more personal; but you can’t deny the pitch quality and facilities are much better at VP. – Lyndsey

I’ll miss the closeness at Bescot and the atmosphere, especially my seat right at the front! – Lea

I do hope it works and it increases attendances, however there were times last year when we only pulled big crowds against the ‘big teams’. A smaller crowd of around 1000 will be much more noticeable at Villa Park. I just hope it’s not too soon for the move. – Kelly

There’s a kind of closeness at Bescot I might miss, but there’s no doubt about the better atmosphere at VP. It feels like a statement from the club to take the women’s team seriously and not just as an ‘add on’. I wonder if the cup games will still be at Bescot? As there’s been some cold and quiet evenings there and I can’t see VP being viable. – Jon

I think it’s a great step in the right direction especially considering the growth of the game. I much prefer the atmosphere at Bescot because of how close the fans are to each other and the sound travels much better. I think we could have worked on filling Bescot first before moving to VP, at the moment a lot of fans who go to VP may see it as a ‘day out’ which will eventually die off as families won’t want to keep paying. Overall, still a great move and I can’t wait to see how it works out. – Emma

The move is the best for the club and equality within the game… I can see how much the game has grown since my first outing over a decade ago, this is definitely in the right direction and I can’t wait for one day to see VP full! – Jack

It’s more difficult for me to get to than Bescot, but it’s great for the women’s team as they usually pack more fans in at VP. Shows great respect to them. – Julie

It’s a great move, but my main concern is will season ticket prices increase dramatically and will we get the attendances? – Kayleigh

The pitch will be better than Bescot at least! Atmosphere is better at Bescot though, there never seem to be as many people chanting or singing at Villa Park. – Chloe

I’m glad all home games will be at Villa Park, because no matter where you sit at Bescot, you’ve got one of those beams blocking the view! None of that at VP.
– Stephanie Louise

We also welcomed the thoughts of all supporters across The Whole 115 Yards social media channels too:

Again, the thoughts were overwhelming positive, fans contributed who have had first-hand experience of selling out their club’s stadium (such as Arsenal) and what impact the move to the bigger stadium has had not just on their team and fanbase, but for women’s football as a whole.

(Not a Villa fan here) but I really like that Villa are making positive steps. Villa Park is very accessible and as an away fan this makes me very happy. This means teams away from the top clubs are able to witness this fantastic venue and atmosphere.
– Matt

It’s a great step forward as Bescot pitch was struggling, the Villa choir need to be together to be able to sing (preferably behind the goal in the Holte End) That’s the next challenge!
– Mark

Regardless of home form and pitch quality, it’s a strong statement of intent from leadership – surely putting to rest any emerging fears last season that the new regime appeared less interested in the women’s team. – AVWFC View

So excited about this! No more mud patches in the 6 yd box and hopefully this means less injuries with playing on an excellent pitch. Feels so right for both squads to call VP home.
– Skylar

Yay! … but we didn’t win a game there last season! Great move though, not just for Villa but women’s football in general. Needs to be Villa’s ground though, not just the men’s ground. – Julie

The Women’s Super League fixtures for the 24/25 season will be released on Monday 22nd July so it’s only a matter of time before we find out who Villa’s first opponents at their new home will be.

Do you agree with the opinions in this article? Or do you feel differently about the move?

Leave your comment below!