Kieran Maguire: Aston Villa board are ‘targeting fans’ after £36m twist
It is a ‘sad reality’ that Aston Villa owners are ‘targeting fans’ with a 15 per cent rise to season ticket prices.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about Villa’s decision to increase ticket prices for the 2023/24 campaign.
Aston Villa released a statement last Monday (24 April) announcing that they are increasing season ticket prices by 15 per cent.
The increase means Villa have now raised their prices in consecutive seasons, with the club introducing a minimum 10 per cent increase for the 2022/23 season.
For the financial year ending in June 2022, Villa recorded matchday revenues of £36.4million – a figure the club are looking to boost with the latest ticket changes.
Maguire believes the huge waiting list for season tickets at Villa has put the board in a strong position to make changes to pricing.
“Aston Villa’s 15 per cent increase in ticket prices is indicative of a club in a strong negotiating position,” Maguire told Football Insider.
“They have over 30,000 people on the season ticket waiting list and therefore Villa know that if individual fans can’t afford to pay the higher prices there is someone willing to replace them.
“It is a sad reality given the wealth of the club owners that they’re expecting working-class families from the Birmingham area to put up with these price rises.
“What we have seen is as soon as one club announced higher ticket prices there has been a stampede from other clubs.
“Club costs have risen and owners are looking to recover from that, but targeting fans isn’t ideal.
“But the club will claim that they have to comply with FFP regulations and that this is their reasoning behind the decision.“
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