Aston Villa have announced plans to increase the capacity of their Villa Park stadium to more than 50.000 seats by redeveloping the north stand.
The club will completely renovate the north stand, increasing the number of seats from around 5.000 to 12.000.
"Aston Villa fans have been creating an electric atmosphere at Villa Park for generations, bringing an inimitable energy to every home game for over 125 years," said Chris Hack, Aston Villa's chairman of business operations.
"Thanks to the hard work and collaboration of an exceptional team, we will now be able to deliver this incredible experience to thousands of new fans without compromising the stadium's capacity on matchday."
With minor improvements to the remaining three stands, Aston Villa say the stadium's capacity will increase from the current 42.918 to more than 50.000 seats.
The club hopes that the reconstruction will be completed by the second half of 2027, and it is stated that the stadium's capacity will not be reduced at any point during the works.
It was previously proposed to completely demolish the north stand, but those plans were scrapped as it would have meant a temporary reduction in capacity to around 36.000 seats.
Villa Park will be one of the host stadiums at the 2028 European Championship, which will be held across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Aston Villa's announcement to expand Villa Park's capacity to more than 50.000 seats is another indication of the ambition behind the club's revival under coach Unai Emery.
Under the ownership of executive chairman Nassef Sawiris and Wes Idens, Villa were returned to the elite, reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they were narrowly defeated by Paris Saint-Germain 5–4 on aggregate.
Treber Emery, in collaboration with long-time collaborator Monchi, the president of football operations, has received support in the transfer market – as demonstrated in January by the arrivals of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United on loan, Marco Asensio from PSG and Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund – all thanks to owners determined to maintain the club's momentum.
This ambition has now extended to the reconstruction of Villa Park, which will have a capacity of more than 50.000 seats for the first time, in response to the success that Emery has brought.
Aston Villa exceeded expectations last season and qualified for the Champions League, and this season they are still fighting for a new place, with the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace being played on Saturday at Wembley.
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