Summer of Reflection and Regret as Aston Villa Prepare to Go Again

The Good, Bad and Ugly – Preseason Thoughts

‘Tis the Preseason of contemplation or so it seems at Aston Villa. The ramifications of the last day of the season are still raw in many people’s minds, so going over that on a daily basis for content is like a trip to Old Trafford, pointless.

The Good

While it may seem that there’s nothing good to talk about, the preseason has had a few bright points. Signing Boubacar Kamara to a new deal, however long he stays, is a bit of a coup.

While he’s not a new player, he is a big player in the Villa side. Along with Emi Martinez and Morgan Rogers, he’s probably the most sellable asset going.

Had Villa understandably decided to cash in on Kamara, it would have helped solve a number of financial headaches, most notably the UEFA Squad Cost issue, which is the main reason Villa have been unable to spend this summer.

So now there’s a different mindset. While there is still plenty of time for a few new faces to come in and some deadwood to depart, there is an acceptance of Unai Emery and Villa going with what they have. 

It’s lucky what they have is a squad that is comfortably top ten when it remembers to walk the walk of a big team.

Instead of everyone clamouring for shiny and new parts to the Villa Engine, it’s time for Emery to refine and tune to get the best out of it ahead of the season to come.

The Bad

While things on the pitch have been stable, off the pitch and in terms of ticketing, that’s another story.

General Admission prices for the Newcastle opener are nothing short of a disgrace. £77 to sit in the Holte for a league game should never be considered a fair price. 

People using the excuse of PSR, SCR, and the rest are missing the point massively. If this becomes the normal figure, how long before it rises again, and again, and you are paying £100 for a seat?

Comparing a seat at Villa Park for a standard Premier League game to a concert of your favourite artist is a massive cop-out as well.

For one, when you go to see an artist, you’ve an idea of the setlist, you know what they sound like, and usually, you are guaranteed a specific return on investment for your money.

A football match is something entirely different. For one, there’s a lot of competition. You can watch it on TV, with multiple angles, and drinking alcohol at the same time. 

It’s also something that isn’t guaranteed to be a good time. While things on the pitch are on another level since Emery arrived, there’s still the distinct possibility that you will leave Villa Park angry at something or someone.

They aren’t comparable experiences and, as such, shouldn’t be compared when it comes to ticket price. You aren’t going to spend a fortune to see Oasis, and they turn up and sing Taylor Swift songs, are they?

I just can’t fathom what kind of perverse state of mind a fan gets into to want to be charged more for something. But the owners have put their money in, it’s time the fans did.

If this Orwellian nightmare of a statement wasn’t enough, there’s a simple maths equation you can do.

Both of Aston Villa’s owners are billionaires. If you take just one billion pounds, how many £77 tickets could you buy?

The answer is twelve million, nine hundred and eighty-seven thousand, and thirteen to the nearest seat. 

Or if you prefer, enough to attend all 19 home games in the Premier League for the next six hundred, eighty-three thousand, five hundred, and twenty-seven years.

Think about that next time you are putting your card details into the Villa website to buy another overpriced ticket.

The Ugly 

The quietest summer since Villa’s promotion back to the Premier League has been a real period of reflection for all concerned, and seeing the sides who tried to break away and form the Super League spending over a billion pounds in one window has hit home how much of a struggle it is going to be moving forward.

While ticket prices don’t move the needle, commercial deals fuelled by success on the pitch are what matter.

Success brings big commercial deals; they bring more revenue in one hit than all the ticket rises to date would have.

Liverpool have signed a deal with Adidas for £60 million a season, which pales next to Manchester City’s 10-year £1 billion deal with Puma. This is before all the sleeve sponsors, training kit sponsors, and the plethora of non-football-related deals that are available to Premier League clubs.

Again, beyond kit and front of shirt sponsor, Aston Villa haven’t been as expansive commercially as they could have. The successes of last season should have seen more sponsors, partnerships, and revenue.

Instead, you feel Villa have missed the boat and failed to capitalise last summer when the Champions League was secured.

Incoming commercial chief Francesco Calvo will need to succeed where Chris Heck fell short – by securing major deals to help narrow the financial gap. With six Premier League teams competing in the Champions League this season – and all of them benefiting from the tournament’s prize money – the challenge off the pitch will be just as intense as it is on it. No pressure, Signor Calvo.

UTV

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