Matchday Guide: Aston Villa v AZ Alkmaar

Aston Villa will remember our club-record appearance holder Charlie Aitken, who recently passed away.

He left a huge mark as a person and player during 17 years at the club in which he played an incredible 660 games.

Please join us in a minute’s applause ahead of kick-off in memory of our famous No.3. The players will also be wearing black armbands and there will be a special tribute in our matchday programme.

We encourage supporters to arrive at the stadium as early as possible to minimize potential delays when entering the venue.

For those traveling by rail, it is advisable to utilise Aston Station where possible for this fixture.

Whenever feasible, we recommend avoiding the use of Station Road/Manor Road for this fixture.

The North Upper Turnstiles will be open 2 hours before kick-off. Supporters are advised to access Villa Park via the entrance from Witton Road (located at the back of the club shop) to prevent any delays.

Please be aware that there may be temporary holdbacks on Witton Lane to facilitate the organised entry of away supporters to their designated turnstiles.

We kindly request your full cooperation in adhering to the instructions provided by matchday stewards and security personnel for directive purposes. 

There are a limited number of tickets remaining for the match. Find your seat and book here.

The best way to secure tickets for future matches at Villa Park is via a Membership. 

Villa Women match tickets are available for their upcoming WSL games at Villa Park and the Poundland Bescot Stadium. Get yours now here!

Season Cards will not be in use for this fixture - all supporters will need to show their individual AZ Alkmaar match ticket at the turnstiles to gain entry. Please check your ticket details and have the QR code ready to be scanned while you queue to avoid delays at the turnstiles.

Villa Park is now fully NFC ticketing enabled for supporters to access the stadium. Near-Field Communication (NFC) enables fans to enter the stadium via Apple or Google Wallet. Click here for more information. 

Supporters can now also access their match-by-match tickets and enter the stadium directly via the Aston Villa app. Simply log into your Digital Account in the app and your tickets will appear under the ‘Tickets’ section. Supporters must update their app to the latest version to ensure in-app ticketing works without issue.

Supporters can also get tickets for the club's ultimate fan experience in the Terrace View suite, with seats in the heart of the Holte End. Check out all the information here and book online.

Fans can also secure their spot in The Lower Grounds for Sunday's game. The Lower Grounds is the club's new matchday offering - creating a fan-focused experience which includes food and drinks as part of the package. You can book online here.

Hospitality bookings for our upcoming home matches can be made over the phone on 0333 323 1982 (option 1) or by emailing hospitality@avfc.co.uk.

It's important that supporters take steps to plan their visit to the stadium. 

Turnstiles open at 6:30pm (The North Upper Turnstiles will be open 2 hours before kick-off), so make sure you arrive at the stadium in plenty of time ahead of kick-off to ensure smooth entry. However you're planning on getting to the match, take a look at our Travel & Parking guide before leaving home. 

A traffic exclusion zone will be in operation around the stadium, meaning there will be less traffic on Trinity Road and Witton Lane from up to two hours before the match starts. 

The Holte Pub will open three hours prior to kick-off and close two hours after full-time.

For those parking on-site at Villa Park, we recommend arriving well in advance of any potential road closures, which may be implemented earlier in the event of safety and security concerns.

Aston Villa supporters can pre-book official matchday parking for the first time thanks to new partnerships. 

Supporters can pre-book their space via either of the links below.

www.astonvillaparking.co.uk

www.countrywidemanagementsolutions.co.uk

Supporters are also advised of the following matchday parking sites around Villa Park:

• Powerleague (£10 – payment by cash or card)
• Aston Tower School (£7 - cash only)
• Birchfield School (£7 - cash only)

Broadway School and Aston Social Club should also be available for supporters to access.

The club has a dedicated bus service that runs to Villa Park on matchday; AV1 which runs from Tamworth. You can purchase tickets here.

The bike rack at Villa Park has now been moved behind the Villa Village building on the North Stand car park. 

The Family Fun Zone in Villa Park’s Academy Building will be fully operational on gameday from 6-8pm

Young Villans can take part in a number of exciting, fun activities ahead of kick-off. 

We kindly ask that fans do not bring their own footballs into the Fun Zone. Unsupervised games of football cause increased risk of harm to all in attendance. Thank you as always for your cooperation and support.

We will have a Welfare Officer based in the Fun Zone, as well as others around the stadium, wearing distinctive high vis who are on hand to help with any questions or concerns while visiting Villa Park.

Purple wristbands will once again be available from the Fun Zone to help keep children safe. Staff will be offering parents the opportunity to receive a purple wristband that your child can wear.

Parents can write their contact details on the wristband and if your child was to become separated from you or felt unsafe, they could approach a steward or another member of staff and show their wristband. Stewards or staff can then duly contact parents and/or Aston Villa's Head of Safeguarding for assistance and support.

Villa Park offers a wide range of cuisine and beverages on a matchday.

Outside the stadium, several street food trucks will be situated on the Trinity Stand forecourt alongside a bar serving alcoholic and soft drinks from 11:30am.

We are pleased to announce as part of the club's ongoing work to enhance fan matchday experiences we will be providing additional food and beverage facilities on the Holte Car Park for supporters in the Lower Holte. These facilities will be open 90 minutes prior to kick off and at half time for home supporters.

The Trinity Fan Zone has been renamed 'Lions Square' for the new season!

Take in some great entertainment as you countdown to kick-off on every matchday at Villa Park. See below for Saturday's line-up...

5:30pm: Fan activities
6pm: Live music from Connor Michael
7pm: A Q&A with European Cup winner Gary Shaw

We want to see your experience of matchday at Villa Park! Post your photos and tag #UTV and you could be featured on the big screens at the stadium!

Please note, Villa Park will be cashless to help ensure safe social distancing practices and minimise contact at all points of sale. This includes the Villa Store, with card payments widely accepted in and around the stadium.

The only exception is programme kiosks outside the ground, which will still accept cash.

In-stadia betting kiosks will also be in operation for this fixture and such service will be provided on a cashless basis.

Supporters will find a feature interview with former Villan Wilfred Bouma inside Thursday's edition of the News & Record.

The matchday programme is packed with exclusive content and features, including insights from head coach Unai Emery, in-depth player interviews from across the squad, opposition analysis, unrivalled dives into the archives and the latest from the club’s youth teams.

The publications are available to purchase for £3.50 around the stadium via cash or card on matchdays - as always – with each seller armed with contactless payment units for a swifter transaction process.

You can also have every issue delivered direct to your home for the duration of the 2023/24 campaign by taking out a seasonal subscription, and you’ll only pay for the price of 18.

This package covers the claret and blues’ 19 home Premier League fixtures, starting with Everton’s visit on Sunday 20th August and culminating with Liverpool’s trip to the West Midlands in May 2024.

Find out more, here.

There are a number of places where supporters can shop for Aston Villa merchandise on a matchday. Below you'll find the opening times for each shop around the ground...

Villa Store: 9:30am-7:45pm and 9:15-10pm

Holte Store: 4:45-7:45pm and 9:15-10pm

Trinity pop-up store: 6:15-7:45pm and at half-time

Family Fun Zone: 5:45-7:45pm

82 Lounge: 4:45-7:45pm and 8:15-10pm

Pre-order your items and collect at the Villa Store, Holte Store, Holte Suite or Hospitality 82 on Saturday.

Please note, the Click and Collect order option will be turned off at half-time but any orders placed up to then will be available to collect until that retail unit closes. Click and collect now here.

Personalised souvenirs are now available at the Villa Store at Villa Park, with our new interactive touchscreen kiosk. Create unique gifts including tumblers, notepads, keyrings, and coasters with designs made just for you! Prices start from just £5.

If you witness discriminatory behaviour at a match or around a stadium, please report it to the police or a steward.

Supporters at Villa Park can text REPORT to 60060 along with the location of the incident and details of what you have witnessed.

The text line also includes the reporting of any safeguarding concerns. The text service will be supported by our security team and West Midlands Police. Each text costs one standard message at your network rate. The club may share your details with West Midlands Police if further information is required to assist with a criminal prosecution.

We would like to remind supporters that Villa Park is an all-seater stadium.

In all areas of Villa Park, we have children, elderly fans and those with medical conditions who are unable to see or watch the match if supporters stand up in front of them.

Please be mindful of this at all times and thank you for your cooperation.

A new ‘Match Predictor’ game is now live on the memberships portal. Fans can enter for free, you don’t need a paid membership, just a free digital account.

Simply predict the score and first goal scorer for the chance to win prizes. The match predictor will be live for all home games going forward. There is an overall season leaderboard and prizes will be awarded for every home game week.

We want to know about your matchday experience at Villa Park. Tweet us using #UTV to let us know your matchday experiences and you could be featured on the big screens at the stadium!

The Pride Rewards collection point will be open from 5:30-7:30pm. Please note that the queue may close up to 15 minutes prior to the collection point closing to ensure all fans waiting in line can be served before 7:30pm.

Fans will again be able to take part in the ‘Pick a Player’ game on Pride Rewards for the chance to earn loyalty points. All you have to do is pick a player for the match and their performance during the game will earn you points. 

Season Ticket holders and Members can head to the Pride Rewards page now and use their loyalty points to redeem amazing money-can’t-buy experiences and gifts. Supporters can now enter the draw for the chance to step onto the hallowed Villa Park turf and see the teams up close in our Watch The Warm Up experience.