Aston Villa fans will be furious after worrying official news about price rises
Aston Villa supporters are going to be forced into spending more money next season.
Being a football fan is becoming an increasingly expensive pastime, particularly when you are a supporter of a club in the Premier League.
Fans are exploited for their loyalty, and clubs can get away with it.
In any other area of life, if a consumer is unhappy with a company’s pricing strategy, they can opt to vote with their wallet and shop at one of the many alternatives.
However, this does not apply to football supporters like the ones who attend Villa Park regularly. They cannot simply begin to follow another club because it provides a cheaper alternative.
Aston Villa to increase season ticket prices next campaign
Despite all the success on the pitch for Unai Emery and his Villa squad in recent years, the news that season ticket prices are set to increase again is a tough pill for supporters to swallow.
A statement on 4 June confirmed the news that adult season ticket prices would rise by 5 per cent.
This increase also applies to adults’ match-by-match prices.
The most expensive season ticket at Villa Park is priced at £992. Compare this to the £944 price point from last season, and there is a £48 increase.
The Villans attempt to justify the price hike by claiming that the move is consistent with several other Premier League clubs.
For supporters under the age of 21, their season tickets have been frozen at the 2024/25 prices ahead of the new season.
With Villa also set to play in the Europa League next season, there are even more games for supporters to potentially pay for.
The most expensive ticket for non-season ticket holders for a Europa League knockout fixture is priced at £77.
This comes just one year after the club faced scrutiny for charging as high as £97 for Champions League tickets.
A cap on European fixtures prices, similar to the £30 cap on away tickets, could be a fairer way of allowing supporters to watch their team play in Europe.
However, tickets are not the only thing that will increase in price.
For the 2024/25 season, the Aston Villa home, away and third shirts launched in the club shop priced at £80 for adults and £55 for kids.
While Villa have yet to release a home and third shirt for next season, the new 25/26 away shirt can be purchased.
This new away shirt costs a staggering £85 for adults and £60 for kids. It would be fair to assume that when the new home and third shirts are released, they will also adopt this new pricing strategy.
These prices can increase even further if you want a player’s name and number on the back of a shirt.
The new away shirt rises to £75 for kids and £100 for adults if they want printing.
| Aston Villa | Price increases for next season |
| Replica shirt | £5 |
| Season ticket (adult) | 5% |
| General sale ticket (adult) | 5% |
Villa supporters’ loyalty is being exploited
It is well documented that to comply with PSR, some players may leave Villa Park in the summer.
Even in the statement regarding the season ticket price increase, the club mentions that this is necessary for Villa to continue to compete in the upper echelon of the Premier League, whilst working within the parameters of PSR.
It should not be the fans’ responsibility to ensure that the club complies with the financial regulations.
Insinuating that if fans do not pay these new, increased prices, then the club will slide down the table is also arguably an attempt to guilt-trip supporters.
The sad reality is, due to the 26,000-plus waiting list for season tickets, as of May 2024, if a Villa supporter does not want to pay these new prices, there will more than likely be someone desperate to take their spot, whatever the cost.