Aston Villa FC will be celebrating last night’s Europa League victory with a parade through Birmingham city centre this afternoon (Thursday 21st May).
Villa beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul, giving the club their first big European win since 1982, when manager Tony Barton led the squad to a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in Rotterdam.
The parade will be an opportunity for those who missed out on being in Istanbul to be part of the team’s homecoming, with the club bringing the trophy back to the fans.
The Route:
Setting off from Branston Street in the Jewellery Quarter at around 4.30pm, three open top buses will parade to Broad Street and Centenary Square. The 4.5km route will take in Sand Pits, Clement Street and Sheepcote Street and is expected to last between 60 and 90 minutes. Big screens will be placed around the route so fans can catch as much of the parade as possible.
The parade will feature three open-top buses. The lead bus will be dressed in blue and carry media, followed by a claret bus carrying the players — so if you want to spot the squad, that’s where to look! A third blue bus carrying staff will complete the convoy.
A trophy lift will also take place as the centrepiece of the parade, creating a moment the Club and city will never forget.
Info:Â
Organisers are advising fans to spread out along the route.
Attendees are advised to use public transport as access to off street car parks may be restricted near the route due to road closures.
You can check transport updates with National Express West Midlands and Transport West Midlands.
An accessible viewing platform, attended by club stewards, for those with disabilities and their companion is available in Centenary Square. There are limited spaces.
More information can be found on the club website.
Watch online:Â
Fans can watch the parade live on Villa TV, YouTube or the club’s social media channels.
Planning:Â
In a statement, the Club said that they had looked at recreating the 1982 celebrations in Victoria Square, but due to ongoing works and safety concerns at Victoria Square and advice from authorities around the risk of overcrowding at Centenary Square, proposals were ruled out.
The parade is to take place today (Thursday) for a number of reason: players need to train on Friday for the last game of the Premier League season in Manchester on Saturday, Birmingham Pride takes place in the city centre on Monday (25th May) and many players are due to report to their international squads ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
The Club said: “The Club is grateful for the support and cooperation of the local community and authorities for accommodating the unavoidable disruption from the parade. Aston Villa are covering all costs associated with the event.
“We are fully aware that some supporters who made the journey to Istanbul may not be back home in time. For those unable to attend in person, the parade will be broadcast live on VillaTV, as well as on YouTube and across the Club’s social media channels.”
The following roads are subject to temporary closures and parking suspensions:
- Branston Street
- Hall Street
- Warstone Lane
- Frederick Street
- Albion Street
- Powell Street
- Summer Hill Road
- Sand Pits
- Clement Street
- St Vincent Street
- Sheepcote Street
- Grosvenor Street West
- Ryland Street
- Broad Street
- Centenary Square
West Midlands Police will be supporting the celebrations, with extra resources – including neighbourhood teams, mounted officers, roads policing, drones and dog units – in the city.
Chief Superintendent Kim Madill, in charge of the policing operation, said: “We want this to be a joyous occasion, and we wish to add our congratulations to the players and staff from the club after their victory.
“We want everyone to get involved in the celebrations and enjoy the day safely.
“In addition to uniformed officers, we’ve also had teams out and about in the lead up to Thursday to let businesses and others know how they might be impacted.
“If you have any concerns or if you see anything that doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and let our officers know straight away and we will deal with it.”