West Brom caught in ‘unusual’ development with Aston Villa – Exclusive
West Brom and Aston Villa are old rivals, and the pair will be hosting unique events at The Hawthorns and Villa Park later this year.
The Hawthorns will host their Clash of the Legends match on 6 September, which will see former Baggies stars play in a Home Nations v Rest of the World contest.
However, on the same day, Villa Park will host England’s 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Andorra.
The clash is bound to cause logistical problems in Birmingham, although there is substantial time to plan for the day.
Fans given dilemma at The Hawthorns and Villa Park
West Brom have been carrying out work on The Hawthorns ahead of the new Championship season, with stands being painted over.
This will allow those attending the charity match in September to see the Baggies’ stadium in all its glory as it hosts the likes of Claudio Yacob, Chris Brunt, and Paul Scharner.
Football finance expert Dan Plumley has shared his thoughts on the matches clashing in Birmingham while speaking exclusively to West Brom News.
“It is probably not ideal from the city centre side of things; I bet the local council are probably a little bit annoyed at that one,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s one of these examples, isn’t it, where you often don’t look at what’s going on around you.
“It might be the fact that that could be the only day, it could be a complete coincidence, but I think regionally, you’re looking at that going, okay, is that date quite right?
“Obviously, you’ve got competing interests as well, particularly from a charity match point of view.
“From the fan side of it, the local fans might decide to go and watch England, where you could have perhaps drum up a little bit more interest in that charity match.
“It is one for the event planners and logistics managers to get their heads around, but unusual to see it on the same day.”
Poor planning to blame for Midlands mishap?
Whether or not the event planners realised that they had booked two sizeable events on the same date, it presents a problem.
The charity match at The Hawthorns is being played to generate money, and they are bound to lose some fans to the England game.
Of course, given the choice, the West Brom faithful will almost certainly want to watch their club’s legends and aid a good cause.
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