Top notch stadium (Villa Park (Aston Villa FC))

Member Name: LisaW82

Product:	Villa Park (Aston Villa FC)
Date:	07/02/09 (158 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great atmosphere and view

Disadvantages: Narrow concourse and over priced drinks

Being a huge Doncaster Rovers fan, Villa Park, the home of Premier League Aston Villa, is not somewhere I ever thought I would get chance to go to, but all that changed a couple of days ago in an FA Cup 4th Round replay. I have to say, having been to several big grounds recently, Villa Park is easily among the best of them, possibly only beaten by Wembley and Old Trafford.

The area itself is nothing to write home about, but you can see the ground from a few miles away on the motorway and the excitement builds from there. As you approach the ground it is clear the the infrastructure is juts right and there are lots of impressive features like the huge rotating big screen that just screams Premier League at you all the way. The Holt end is the first stand you see when entering on the coach and thoughts of just how big this stand is enter the mind straight away.

That was impressive enough but was nothing compared to walking out and taking your seat. The stadium is truly amazing and the colours are quite unique. Memories of Ryan Giggs' amazing goal in the FA Cup semi-final there against Arsenal came flooding back as you try to picture it from your seat.

The big screen and tannoy system are excellent and the playing surface matches that. However, there are some negatives. The concourse is ridiculously narrow behind the away end upper tier and I very nearly got crushed just simply going to the toilet and the drinks prices were a bit steep so those areas could definitely be improved.

Overall, what a great experience, shame about the result.

Summary: The 3rd best ground in the country