Bodymoor Heath

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Bodymoor Heath is a place in north Warwickshire where the training ground of Aston Villa Football Club is situated.

The training ground site was purchased by then-chairman Doug Ellis in the early 1970s from the farmer who owned the land. It lies in proximity to The Belfry Golf Club and Kingsbury Water Park, just a few hundred metres from the M42 link to Tamworth.

The ground is situated near Fazeley by the side of the Fazeley canal, within walking distance of Drayton Manor Theme Park and Middleton Hall, complete with its own lake and working quarry.

Situated in the more rural part of the Midlands, many of the past and present Aston Villa players have taken up residence in various palatial homes within the area, enabling them speedy travel to training sessions.

The ground itself is surrounded by fields on three sides and the A35 on the fourth, and when built was considered a modern establishment well advanced from the old training facility in Trinity Road, Aston.

Planning permission has been a huge problem in the club's intent to modernise both the training facilities and the ground itself.

In November 2005, Doug Ellis and Aston Villa plc announced an £8 million redevelopment of Bodymoor in 2 phases which, it is said, will bring the now antiquated facilities up to the standard of the best in the world. The venture initially encountered financial problems but was back on track following Randy Lerner's acquisition of the club.