Soccer
Builders double as ball boys as Aston Villa play on amid stadium redevelopment
Aston Villa will hope Villa Park can still be a fortress with only three sides, despite losing their first home game of the season to Arsenal.
Villa’s stadium is undergoing redevelopment, with the North Stand being renovated in time for Euro 2028.
In a throwback to Premier League grounds of the 1990s, where there was widespread redevelopment, the stand behind the goal is currently a building site as the old structure is under demolition.
The site was manned by four builders in hard hats, who also acted as ball boys, retrieving a wayward John McGinn shot in the first half.
That means the capacity is down to 37,000 this season and Villa have also lost the advantage of shooting towards fans at both ends of the stadium.
It was at that end of the pitch where Bukayo Saka scored the game’s only goal, but Villa will hope to still enjoy home comforts as the season goes on.
