London 2012 officials have decided against using Villa Park for the preliminary stages of the Olympics because the club cannot guarantee that planned building work will be completed in time.

 

Villa plans to renovate Villa Park stadium to expand its capacity from 42,640 to about 50,000 but does not have a guaranteed time scale for the work.

A spokeswoman for London 2012 said: "[We] 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that because they are unable to make firm commitments to the project, the best course of action is for Villa Park to be withdrawn as an Olympic venue."
 

Organisers have spent nearly five years considering which stadiums to use, with Wembley, Old Trafford, Millennium Stadium, St. James' Park and Hampden Park the others.

 

The decision is an embarrassment for both Aston Villa and Birmingham City Council, who have been at the forefront of trying to exploit the potential opportunities offered by London hosting the Olympics.

 

When Villa first announced details of the plan in May 2007 to raise the stadium's capacity from 42,640 to 52,000 by developing the North Stand they claimed it would be ready in time for the Olympics.

 

Richard FitzGerald, the club's chief executive at the time, said it was "a substantial coup" for them to be hosting matches in the 2012 football tournament.

London 2012 said it is "looking at options for replacing Villa Park" but they plan to find an alternative in the Midlands.

 

With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) having a minimum criteria of a capacity of 30,000, that leaves the Ricoh as the favourite.

 

The ground, which was opened in 2005 by Dame Kelly Holmes and then Sports Minister Richard Caborn, has a capacity of 32,609.

 

In October 2006 it staged an England under-21 international against Germany, which the home side won 1-0 before a then record crowd of 30,919.

 

Birmingham City's St Andrew's ground does technically qualify with a capacity of 30,009 but is generally considered to be one of the worst grounds in the Premiership and does not have the capability to meet the IOC's guidelines for corporate entertainment.

 

If London decide to look towards the East Midlands other venues that they might consider are Derby County's Pride Park, which has a capacity of 33,597, or Leicester City's Walkers Stadium, which can hold 32,500.

 

Both stadiums are on the short-list to host matches if England's bid to stage the 2018 World Cup is successful.

 

The City Ground, the home ground of two-time European Cup winners Nottingham Forest and which hosted matches during Euro 96, also meets the criteria with a capacity of 30,602.

 

But they are currently planning to move to a new ground, although there is no timetable yet.

 

Other grounds in the Midlands that are home to major clubs are too small, including West Bromwich Albion's Hawthorns, which has a capacity of 28,003, and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Molineux Stadium, which can hold 28,525.

 

The Britannia Stadium, the home ground of Premiership Stoke City, also does not qualify as its capacity is only 28,383.