Aston Villa to celebrate Europa League triumph with open-top bus parade through Birmingham | OneFootball

An open-top bus victory parade will take place through Birmingham city centre in celebration of Aston Villa’s Europa League final win in Istanbul.

The club, which marked its first European trophy in 44 years, said it wanted to create a “unique experience for fans and players alike” after beating Freiburg 3-0 on Wednesday.

Aston Villa said the parade, featuring three buses, will begin on Branston Street in the Jewellery Quarter at 4.30pm on Thursday before covering a 4.5km route.

The club said in a statement: “This will be an opportunity for those who missed out on being in Istanbul to be part of the team’s homecoming – and we cannot wait to bring the trophy home to you.”

Birmingham City Council will be implementing temporary parking suspensions and road closures across several streets in the city centre, the club said.

The win was Villa’s first silverware since the League Cup in 1996 and a first continental trophy since the European Cup in 1982.

The Prince of Wales, patron of the Football Association and a passionate Villa supporter, erupted into cheers at the match in Istanbul and called it an “amazing night”.

The club said the players will have a full training session on Friday, before travelling to Manchester on Saturday before Sunday’s Premier League match against Manchester City.