Villa Park withdrawn as 2012 venue
by Pete Hayman | 10 Aug 2009
Birmingham's Villa Park stadium, the home of Aston Villa Football Club (AVFC), has been withdrawn as a venue for the preliminary stages of the football tournament at the London 2012 Olympics.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) confirmed that the club's plans to redevelop the ground over the next few years means that it is unable to make a firm commitment to be able to host Olympic football in three years' time. Glasgow's Hampden Park; the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff; St James' Park in Newcastle; Old Trafford in Manchester; and Wembley Stadium in London are all set to host the preliminary football rounds, while a replacement for Villa Park is yet to be confirmed.
A statement from LOCOG said: "LOCOG has been working with its selected football venues over the past eight months progressing and confirming plans across the tournament, and needed firm commitments from all the host stadia. "It has been agreed with Aston Villa that because they are unable to make firm commitments to the project, the best course of action is for Villa Park to be withdrawn as an Olympic venue."
A spokesperson for AVFC said that the club was looking to move forward with the proposed redevelopment of Villa Park, which would have compromised its position as a host venue, although no plans have yet been confirmed.
Birmingham's Villa Park stadium, the home of Aston Villa Football Club (AVFC), has been withdrawn as a venue for the preliminary stages of the football tournament at the London 2012 Olympics. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) confirmed that the club's plans to redevelop the ground over the next few years means that it is unable to make a firm commitment to be able
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