1960 FA Cup Semi-Final: Aston Villa vs Manchester United
Home of Aston Villa since 1897, Villa Park is a historic stadium with a capacity of 43,205, hosting 55 FA Cup semi-finals and seventeen England internationals.
Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 43,205. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations and has hosted seventeen England internationals at senior level, the first in 1899 and the most recent in 2025. Villa Park has hosted 55 FA Cup semi-finals, more than any other stadium, and it is the 11th largest in England.
Quick Facts
- Competition
- FA Cup
- Season
- 1959-60
- Venue
- Maine Road, Manchester (Neutral Ground)
- Teams
- Aston Villa vs Manchester United
- Key figures
- Joe Mercer (Villa), Matt Busby (United)
Lore & Background
In 1897, Aston Villa moved into the Aston Lower Grounds, a sports ground in a Victorian amusement park in the former grounds of Aston Hall, a Jacobean stately home. The stadium has gone through various stages of renovation and development, resulting in the current stand configuration of the Holte End, Trinity Road Stand, North Stand and Doug Ellis Stand. Before 1914, a cycling track ran around the perimeter of the pitch where regular cycling meetings were hosted as well as athletic events. Aside from football-related uses, the stadium has seen various concerts staged along with other sporting events including boxing matches and international rugby league and rugby union matches. In 1999, the last final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup took place at Villa Park. Villa Park also hosted the 2012 FA Community Shield, as Wembley Stadium was in use for the final of the Olympic football tournament.
Reader's Guide
Aston Villa are currently in the process of redeveloping the North Stand: this will increase the capacity of Villa Park from 43,205 to over 50,000. The latest plans, announced in April 2025, will reuse the existing North Stand structure. Preliminary works are currently undergoing with a view to the North Stand being shut for the entirety of the 2026–27 season. The renovations are planned to be completed by August 2027: the beginning of the 2027/28 season.
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