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Kieran Maguire: Aston Villa fans set to 'suffer' as £100m plan outlined
Aston Villa fans will ‘tolerate’ the pain of having a reduced capacity in order to enjoy an improved Villa Park in 2026.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who exclusively told Football Insider that supporters will happily suffer short-term pain in order to improve their stadium.
The Premier League side finally got the green light from the Birmingham City Council this month to begin construction on their redesign of Villa Park.
The £100million project is set to add over 7,000 seats to expand capacity to just over 50,000 ahead of the start of the 2026/27 season.
However, Villa will be forced to run at a reduced capacity in the meantime, meaning the club will receive less matchday revenue and the atmosphere at games may suffer a slight blow.
Maguire hailed Villa Park as a ‘great place to watch football’ but believes fans will be excited at the prospect of having upgraded and renovated facilities.
“Yes, this is a case of suffering short-term pain for long-term gain,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“But I think Villa fans will tolerate that because eventually, it will result in them having improved facilities and a more enjoyable experience.
“If you know anybody that’s been to Villa Park, they know that it absolutely rocks when the team is doing well, such as when they’re beating Brighton 6-1.
“It’s a great place to watch football.
“But at the same time, certain sections of the stadium and infrastructure are looking tired, and this gives them an opportunity to offer a 21st-century product and service to the fans.“
In other news, Youri Tielemans wants to quit Aston Villa after fall-out with Emery