Aston Villa supporters who are unable to watch the Europa League Final on a giant screen at Villa Park are hoping that Birmingham City Council will come to their rescue.
No Screening at Villa Park Due to Redevelopment
As things stand, Villa have not planned to screen next Wednesday's clash with SC Freiburg inside their stadium due to rebuilding work on the North Stand. This redevelopment will reduce capacity to approximately 37,000 for the 2026-27 campaign.
This is the club's first major European final since they won the European Cup in 1982. Many supporters who are not travelling to Istanbul for the clash with Freiburg have been lobbying for a public screening in Birmingham.
Council Considering Options
Daily Mail Sport understands that council chiefs are closely examining what may be possible given the magnitude of the event. Although Birmingham does not typically stage such screenings for England games in major tournaments, they recognise the importance of Villa's success to a significant proportion of the city's population, thought to be about 1.2 million.
The Sports Illustrated Warehouse, the club's indoor venue located a stone's throw from Villa Park, will show the game, but this building houses only about 3,000 people.
North Stand Redevelopment Plans
The North Stand redevelopment is part of Villa's plan to increase capacity to 50,000 by the 2027-28 season. Announcing the measure last month, Villa wrote: 'The redevelopment supports the club's broader strategy by increasing overall stadium capacity to over 50,000 and maximising the benefit to the club and local area of all events held at Villa Park, including Euro 2028.'
'By completing the works within a single season, the Club will limit disruption. This will allow us to open the new North Stand standard seating and concourse facilities for the full 2027/28 season, meaning supporters can enjoy the new stand sooner.'
'The redevelopment will also deliver substantial football infrastructure benefits, including the creation of approximately 500 square metres of new first-team changing, medical and physiotherapy facilities, alongside the upgrade of all player competition areas.'
