Marc Albrighton says Utilita Arena will host Villa fan park
marc albrighton’s Aston Villa Europa League final fan park will now be held at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham after Luna Springs lost its licence. Fans who already bought tickets can still use them, and additional tickets will go on sale before Wednesday’s 17:00 BST opening.
Utilita Arena Takes Over
The move puts the event at a larger city venue after the original Digbeth site was forced out. General admission starts from £18.75, giving Villa supporters another route into the Birmingham gathering as the club heads toward its final against Freiburg.
The final is Aston Villa’s first European final since 1982, when they beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam. Villa reached this one after a 4-1 aggregate win over Nottingham Forest, and thousands of supporters are expected to travel to Istanbul on 20 May.
Luna Springs Licence Suspended
Luna Springs had its licence suspended after a double stabbing last weekend. That left the club and organisers needing a new home for the fan park, and the Utilita Arena now fills that gap for ticket holders who had already planned to attend in Birmingham.
Alex Yip, the outgoing shadow cabinet member for communities, called on Birmingham City Council to begin preparations for the final to be publicly screened in a suitable and accessible location and said the city should be “proactively supporting and facilitating celebrations”, “bring together residents from every background in a safe environment” and show it is “capable of hosting and managing major public events”.
West Midlands Demand Grows
Mike Kill, chief executive of the Nighttime Industries Association, said: “This is such an important moment for West Midlands and Villa fans, in particular, and the energy and buzz around this we can't lose that momentum”. He added: “People want to be able to watch Villa come home with the trophy.”
He also pointed to the likely spend around the final, saying: “It'll have a huge economic impact, we're talking millions of pints sold and potentially millions of pounds worth of extra spend over bars,”. With flights and accommodation in Istanbul already in heavy demand, the Birmingham fan park gives supporters who stay behind a new place to follow the final together.
