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Aston Villa have been encouraged to rethink ticket pricing for their UEFA Champions League debut after charging fans up to almost £100 per match.
Villa will this season play in Europe’s top competition for the first time since the early 1980s, with four home games including the visit of both Bayern Munich and Juventus. Celtic and Bologna will also visit Villa Park.
The Birmingham-based club is to charge fans up to £94 for general admission seats for the home games, with the price lower for season-ticket holders. Concessions are available for senior citizens, young people, minors and members of the armed forces. The most expensive Category A Premier League tickets are £78.
Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust said the price policy is “extremely disappointing”, adding that it had advised the club not to raise costs above Category A games.
“Loyal Villa fans who’ve waited as long as 40 years to celebrate this momentous season are being punished and exploited at the expense of the club’s compliance to PSR, ESR and publicly known revenue generation targets,” the trust said.
“The trust fears the club will alienate fans with these prices and urges the club to rethink ahead of the first home match against Bayern Munich in October.”
Concessions welcomes by Villa fans
The trust welcomed the concessionary discounts, with young season ticket holders in most parts of the ground charged only £30.
Villa’s tickets are more expensive than those offered by their three English rivals in the competition. Liverpool’s adult home ticket prices range from £30 to £61, Manchester City’s from £37.50 to £62.50 and Arsenal’s from £74.30 to £106.80, though the Gunners include Champions League home tickets in their season ticket price. Villa’s equivalent range is £70 to £97 for the premium 1888 seats.
European football governing body UEFA has capped the amount clubs can charge for away tickets in the Champions League at €60.
AVST added: “When compared to other English clubs in the Champions League this year and indeed UEFA’s own away ticket price cap, [the] announcement is out of touch.”
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