It was in early 2024 that The Athletic was told of Aston Villa’s desire to pursue stadium naming rights. Chris Heck, the club’s president of business operations at the time, led discussions among staff to find a lucrative, big-brand sponsorship to rename Villa Park.
Many clubs have raised significant revenue this way,
including Arsenal with the Emirates Stadium, Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium
or, further away, Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou. Heck and his team cast the
net far and wide, discussing worldwide brands, but a suitable partner has not
been found.
Stadium naming rights would, undoubtedly, have the greatest
commercial impact, far exceeding any additional money brought in through the
hike in ticket prices at the start of the 2024-25 campaign or the upcoming
season’s rise of five per cent.
Would supporters sacrifice tradition and be prepared to
change Villa Park’s name in exchange for PSR to be less of a yearly issue?
Manager Unai Emery has driven Villa’s on-pitch success,
making him the club’s key revenue driver. Villa’s fourth-place finish in the
2023-24 season generated £162.4m in Premier League prize money and reaching the
quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2024-25 amassed more than £70m. This
ensured Villa topped £300m in income for the first time.
Qualifying for Europe’s elite competition allowed Villa to
be more ambitious during commercial negotiations. Sources who shared existing
knowledge of recent deals, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect
relationships, told The Athletic that last season’s
agreements included ‘kickers’. This means the club receives additional revenue
every time they qualify for the Champions League, unlocking extra sponsorship
money.
Villa aspire to compete with Europe’s biggest clubs but are
yet to tap into the commercial markets they benefit from. They remain without a
sponsor for their training kit and training ground, Bodymoor Heath.
Supporters widely accept that Villa Park, though retaining
its history, must be redeveloped. There were 30,000 people on the season ticket
waiting list in 2023 and the stadium’s capacity of 42,000 is no longer suitable
to match demand. There is also natural decay in parts of the ground, such as
the turnstiles and concourses. There is an understanding that certain areas of
Villa Park are too small and sometimes difficult to steward.
The club announced they would restart plans to build a
50,000-seater stadium in time for Euro 2028, a tournament where Villa Park will
host matches. Villa and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) face
logistical and financial issues but should the proposal be put into
action, gate receipts will considerably boost revenue.
Villa are far removed from the traditional ‘Big Six’ for
matchday revenue and, more gallingly, trail West Ham United — which boasts a
ground that holds 20,000 more spectators — and Newcastle United, who have
10,000 more seats, by £16.6m and £22.1m respectively.
A redeveloped and expanded Villa Park may be celebrated with
new naming rights. But preserving Villa’s traditions will surely be of equal,
if not more, importance.
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