Credit: Imago / BBC Sounds on YouTube - That Peter Crouch Podcast

Dan Godfrey

Fri 14 March 2025 8:25, UK

Aston Villa have reached new heights in the past couple of years, with supporters at Villa Park on cloud nine.

A competitive finale to the season is inevitable for the Villans as they remain fighting on three fronts, having reached the quarter-finals of both the Champions League and FA Cup.

While playing catch-up for the Champions League places in the Premier League, Unai Emery’s side are well in among the chasing pack and with players like the incredible January signing Marco Asensio, still have every chance.

Prince William admits ‘irritating’ rule with Aston Villa

Aston Villa are a club whose global support network is always growing, especially with their return to the biggest European stage and continued fight in the Champions League.

One fan who has been very prominent this season is Prince William, who has supported the Villans for decades but more recently been in attendance at more games.

William, 42, said via The Sun (13 March) that when he is unable to make a 3pm kick-off at Villa Park, the heir to the throne finds it “irritating” that the FA’s 3pm blanket blackout remains in place.

With talks to eventually lift the blackout – a protective measure designed to encourage matchday gate revenues for the lower leagues in England – TV-watching supporters would then benefit in what has been a fiery debate, with nations outside the UK free to legally broadcast Saturday 3pm games across the English pyramid.

“Getting up to Villa Park isn’t the easiest thing for me but I like to watch as many games as I possibly can either by being there or on TV,” William said.

“I’ve tried to really make an effort to get there for all the Champions League games because it feels like that’s something you’ve got to make the most of when you’re in it.

“The biggest thing at home is trying to find it on TV sometimes because obviously you’ve got the Saturday 3pm blackout which is irritating. It’s really annoying that we still can’t watch our own team’s Premier League match in this country but you can go abroad and watch any game any time.”

Villa don’t have Saturday 3pm game until 12 April

Where supporters of EFL clubs benefit over those of Premier League sides is that the new Sky Sports deal with the league body offers fans further notice for when their teams’ kick-offs are being rescheduled for live broadcast.

Aston Villa fans always pack out Villa Park but thousands of other British-based supporters are unable to watch Saturday 3pm games legally in what has become an age-old discourse about the lifting of the blackout.

This would of course risk fewer fans going to watch their local clubs, many of whom rely on gate revenue to survive – and the West Midlands lower league and non-league scenes are thriving and must continue to thrive.

Luckily for William, let’s face it – he’s never going to struggle for a ticket if he wants to see Villa take on PSG in the Champions League quarter-finals next month.

There are plenty out there who will, and they were often the ones making the hard yards during the relegation season of 2015-16 and subsequent Championship years.

As it stands, there are four games available on TV for non-match-going Villans, before they take on Southampton on 12 April – a fixture that remain subject to change.