Aston Villa, the Europa League and ticket prices: Is there a breaking point?

Aston Villa wanted to be swift in confirming ticket prices for the Europa League quarter-finals.

The earlier ticket details are confirmed, the quicker the supporters can decide whether to purchase and, in theory, the better the chances of Villa Park selling out, which has not been the case for any European game this season.

So, 90 minutes after Villa secured passage into the competition’s last eight by defeating Lille 3-0 on aggregate, ticket prices for the second leg against Bologna on April 16 were published.

The headline takeaway was that an adult ticket would cost £10 ($13.20) more, regardless of whether the buyer had an existing season ticket.

Sources familiar with the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, like all those contacted for this article, have told The Athletic the club made a concerted effort to communicate ticket prices quickly but also wanted to extract maximum value.

Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, who have European home fixtures in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and Conference League, did not announce their pricing until 24 hours after Villa. Neither did Bologna, who host the tie’s first leg next week.

For adults without a season ticket, ticket prices for the second leg at Villa Park range from £65 to £77. For season ticket holders, it works out at £60. The price point in zone one, the highest grade of tickets, did not change regardless of whether the buyer is an adult, in the armed forces, over 66 or falls in either the under-14 or under-18 brackets.

Not for the first time, the reaction to Villa’s ticket prices provoked instant ire. It has been an all-too-common occurrence over the past three seasons. To take a contrasting example, Liverpool have a blanket price point for all their Champions League fixtures, ranging from £30 to £61.

Although Villa have been disappointed with ticket sales in the Europa League, their league-stage draw did not exactly offer particularly glamorous opponents — Bologna (the first time), Maccabi Tel Aviv, Young Boys and Red Bull Salzburg. Villa tasted the Champions League last season, when they hosted Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.

There were 37,583 fans inside Villa Park, the fifth-lowest attendance across 22 home matches in all competitions this season. The pockets of empty seats would have been alarming given the internal desire, encouraged by Unai Emery and his aides, to improve the atmosphere.

Emery and Villa’s football department have publicly and privately expressed their sympathy for the fans over the rising ticket prices. However, the manager and his staff do not have the authority to alter the club’s stance.

“We need a packed Villa Park every match, with an extraordinary atmosphere,” Emery wrote in his West Ham United programme notes last week, reflecting on the victory against Lille. “We know that is not always easy, so I want to tell you how much I, the players and everyone at the club truly appreciate it.”

For non-football-related figures, the failure to sell out Villa Park against Lille was a sore point, considering they had reduced the game to a ‘category-two’ fixture in the ticket costs, despite initially outlining on May 29 last year that all Europa League knockout matches would be priced category one. The discount, in the club’s view, made it more affordable.

That has contributed to the sense that some of Villa’s compromises have been overlooked. Returning to category-one status for Bologna has heightened the scrutiny from supporters, who feel the price represents a significant hike. Senior figures at the club would argue they have simply reinstated the initial cost framework.

Early indications suggest sales for Bologna are going well. In the first four days after going on sale to priority supporters, nearly 20,000 season ticket holders confirmed their seats.

Club sources close to the situation accept ticket prices can only be raised so much. Fundamentally, there is a trepidation and a realism that if tickets become too expensive, sections of the stadium could be discernibly empty — creating a scenario no one, least of all Emery, wants to see.

Another critical factor to consider is the socio-economic landscape of the surrounding areas.

Villa Park is situated in Aston, among Birmingham’s most financially deprived areas, according to a factsheet provided by Birmingham City Council. A 2021-22 census indicated 58.6 per cent of children there live in poverty.

Villa football and business employees have noted this to The Athletic, acknowledging that economically, Aston is vastly different from other regions in the United Kingdom, especially London. Villa, for instance, should not charge the same as the affluent areas of Chelsea or Fulham, so club figures say they are cautious when discussing pricing.

However, sources familiar with the situation doubt whether ticket prices impact the atmosphere.

Instead, they point to alternative explanations. The Europa League has less glamour, which Villa attempted to remedy by offering a discount when supporters purchased all four league-phase fixtures in a bundle.

Additionally, one source believes the Thursday kick-offs for Europa League games are less appealing than the Champions League’s Tuesday and Wednesday slots, given the proximity to the weekend.

The club hope the significance of a quarter-final, regardless of competition, will increase sales.

Any caveat neglects the reality that the high prices hit supporters in the pocket. And the question is, when does it all stop? Villa accepting the existence of a glass ceiling is one thing, but actually deciding that ceiling’s height is another.

The undercurrent of anger has been long-standing. Sometimes, the feelings are masked as supporters are swept away on the pitch by the success Emery has overseen — but frustration is boiling over.

Under the previous president of business operations, Chris Heck, Villa refused their fan advisory board’s (FAB) request to cap Champions League tickets, instead charging up to £97. They also charged up to £92 for a ticket against Brighton & Hove Albion last season.

This season, adult tickets were £77 to watch Leeds United visit Villa Park, with the club elevating the fixture into the top bracket of pricing.

A senior figure at Villa insisted to The Athletic that the Leeds game was a high-demand match, partly because it was the first home Saturday 3pm kick-off in more than a year. Seats had almost sold out before going on general sale.

On the flip side, Villa demoted their fixture against local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers from category one to category two, reducing the cost.

Improving commercial streams would be worth far more to Villa’s financial outlook than increasing ticket prices. Stadium naming rights have been discussed for two years but nothing has materialised. A front-of-shirt sponsor in time for next season is a prerequisite, with Villa removing their gambling sponsor, Betano, in accordance with new Premier League rules.

In January, Villa announced a training kit sponsor — Egyptian hotel chain El Gouna Red Sea. The company is owned by Samih Sawiris, brother of Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris.

Heck’s replacement, Francesco Calvo, has shown greater transparency with supporters. Unlike Heck, Calvo regularly attends FAB meetings and responds to supporters’ queries when contacted.

Nonetheless, Calvo’s remit remains the same: to extract maximum value.

Calvo joined last summer due to his strong track record at previous clubs, including Juventus, for building stronger relationships with the fanbase, and is aware he cannot simply lump Villa’s financial pressures on supporters. Yet Villa have lost around £290million in the past three years and are still reliant on their owners to write off those losses.

Villa keep hitting a dead end. The money is coming in — no Premier League side has enjoyed a greater improvement since 2020, with Villa improving revenues by 38 per cent — but Villa Park’s limited capacity requires redevelopment for meaningful long-term growth.

Expansion of the North Stand is set to take place this summer, initially increasing the capacity by 5,926 additional seats, with scope to grow further. Last week, Villa confirmed ‘preparatory works’ had begun and will be completed by the Bologna fixture.

Villa have pointed to the stadium’s limited capacity as a reason ticket prices have been higher, with fewer tickets creating greater demand. Yet Forest’s City Ground holds 12,000 fewer supporters and priced adult tickets between £35 and £50 for their Europa League quarter-final against Porto, having climbed down on the high costs originally set for the previous round against Midtjylland.

When does the breaking point come? Or are supporters expected to keep absorbing the growing costs? The furore over ticket prices for Bologna is unlikely to be the last time this subject is broached.