New owners save historic football pub and plan to transform the match day experience

The Witton Arms has new owners, who have promised to invest in the pub and turn around its fortunes.

The pub, which has operated as a venue for both home and away fans, is set to be “home fans only” on match days in a shake-up which is set to appeal to a broader audience.

The pub will now be a fan-friendly watering hole which will also host events throughout the year, including music and sporting events.

Aston Villa FC are also in the process of developing the land around the ground including making Witton Railway Station more accessible.

A huge marquee is being erected in the large garden alongside a state of the art giant outdoor screen so that fans can watch all of the Sky Sports, TNT and ViaPlay games, all with a stadium atmosphere.

There will also be HD TVs throughout the inside of the pub so that sports don’t miss a minute of the season’s action across all sports, as the pub will be showing everything from football, to cricket and of course this year’s rugby World Cup this coming autumn.

The team behind the refurbishment, which is led by lifelong Villa fan Kiran Chavda, said: “We have been looking at The Witton Arms for a long time as we have visited many times before on match day and have always thought that, although a great traditional pub, with a little bit of TLC, we could make the experience better.

"We will be throwing everything that we have into this to make it a place that Villa fans love on a match day and the rest of Birmingham and surrounding areas will love on other days when we have events. There’s so much scope to deliver something big to the area, especially with the prospect of European Football nights this season.”

Fans can follow the refurbishment's progress by subscribing to a newsletter by emailing hello@wittonarms.co.uk or on Instagram and Facebook.