Renowned Birmingham pub to open for Aston Villa fans only - here’s why

A Birmingham pub, famed amongst football fans, has been bought by new owners who are set to transform it before the start of the new season.

The Witton Arms, adjacent to Aston Villa’s home ground of Villa Park, has new owners who have pledged to invest big to reinvigorate the pub and turn around its fortunes.

The pub, which has operated as a venue for both home and away fans, is set to be “home fans only” on match days in a shake up which they say will appeal to a broader audience. This new direction for the pub - in terms of keeping it available to home fans only on match days - is said to be a “significant step” as it will allow for more Villa fans to access the pub and build a better atmosphere before and after games.

Although full plans have not yet been unveiled, the oweners have told how the concept is to make it a fan friendly watering hole which will also host events throughout the year, including music and sport. The huge pub, which is only yards from the ground, has lacked investment for many years and the new owners are hopeful that their investment will bring huge benefits to the match day experience.

A huge marquee is being erected in the large garden alongside a state of the art giant outdoor screen so that fans can watch all of the Sky Sports, TNT and ViaPlay games, all with a stadium atmosphere. There will also be HD TV’s throughout the inside of the pub so that sports don’t miss a minute of the season’s action across all sports as the pub will be showing everything from football, to cricket and of course this year’s rugby World Cup this coming autumn. More bars will be available and although not announced yet, street food will be available throughout the games.

The team behind the refurb, lead by lifelong Villa fan, Kiran Chavda, said of the takeover: “We have been looking at The Witton Arms for a long time as we have visited many times before on match day and have always thought that, although a great traditional pub, with a little bit of TLC, we could make the experience better.

“We will be throwing everything that we have into this to make it a place that Villa fans love on a match day and the rest of Birmingham and surrounding areas will love on other days when we have events. There’s so much scope to deliver something big to the area, especially with the prospect of European Football nights this season”