Dan Bardell questions ‘cloak-and-dagger’ Aston Villa as ‘bizarre’ Villa Park move takes place
Dan Bardell has slammed Aston Villa after creating corporate seats and forcing season ticket holders to move from the Doug Ellis and North Stand.
The controversial addition of hospitality, the Terrace View and the Lower Grounds, into the Holte End at the beginning of last season were met with plenty of criticism by match-going fans.
Ahead of the new campaign, the club have sent out letters to season ticket holders in certain areas telling them they must relocate. They were given an £80 voucher for the inconvenience.
This hasn’t gone down well with Sky Sports journalist and Villa season ticket holder Bardell who has slammed the club for their recent treatment of fans.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “I really feel for those people that have got to move. There will be people that have sat in those seats for 25-30 years and I mean I’ve sat in my seat in the Holte End for 31 seasons and if I was told that I had to relocate due to corporate hospitality, I’d be absolutely furious.
“The idea of an £80 refund or voucher is quite bizarre, where’s that figure come from?
“I understand that Chris Heck has a job to do, and it’s not just him he’s just the face of it all, but I think there’s been a lot of missteps over the last 12 months and communication has been seriously lacking.
“There’s been a lot of action taken by the club recently, a lot of cloak-and-dagger stuff that I don’t like. I completely understand why people are frustrated and upset.
“In the grand scheme of things will this stuff make that much extra revenue? This doesn’t make that much difference to finances but they still do it.“
Aston Villa season ticket relocation controversy
Given that there has been a lengthy waiting list for season tickets at Villa Park since promotion was secured, there is a base of loyal and consistent match-going fans.
As Bardell said, most season ticket holders have been in the same seats for as long as they can remember but now the club have decided that they have to move.
Heck discussed the changes to Villa Park in a recent video (9 May) which had some positive points. Prices going up by just five per cent was one of those.
What he failed to mention is that for that price increase a certain section of supporters would be forced out of their seats.
To replace these long-serving fans’ seats with hospitality just feels wrong although the argument will be that corporate seats have to be somewhere.
The club are looking to make as much revenue as possible ahead of the Champions League and matchdays seem vital to that.
Offering supporters an £80 voucher is little comfort to fans although it could be said that it is better than nothing.
It is a far from ideal situation for those affected and another tone-deaf move by the Villa hierarchy who will always have Villa fans telling them when they’ve done wrong.
In other Aston Villa news, a new Chelsea development may help Villa secure a summer transfer for Conor Gallagher.
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