Aston Villa links women’s games to season ticket loyalty as part of a revamp of its ticketing strategy for 2025/26.
Introducing a points-based system for its 45,000-strong season ticket waiting list. Fans can now earn loyalty points by attending both men’s and women’s home games, alongside Premier League, domestic, and European cup matches.
This move aims to foster engagement with the women’s team and prioritise active supporters for season tickets.
However, some fans criticise it as forcing attendance at women’s games, though the club clarifies it’s optional and one of several ways to earn points. Other fans seeing it as a good idea.
Systems to track ticket usage may prevent fans from buying tickets just to climb the list without attending.
Other changes include a 5% price hike for adult season tickets, a price freeze for Under-21s, and a requirement for season ticket holders to attend at least 14 of 19 home league matches for renewal eligibility.
The club also scrapped a 20% resale fee on exchanged tickets, but critics, including football finance expert Kieran Maguire, suggest such moves allow clubs to resell high-demand seats at premium prices, raising questions about whether the strategy prioritises fan loyalty or revenue optimisation.
Villa Park’s capacity will increase with 379 new seats and 14 accessible seating areas this summer, with a North Stand redevelopment set to push capacity above 50,000 by 2027, creating more season ticket opportunities.
The strategy reflects lessons from other clubs like AFC Bournemouth, which faced backlash for mandating women’s game attendance, prompting Villa to make it optional but incentivised.
So they’re being forced to watch a game they don’t wanna watch just to get season tickets !
Women’s game isn’t for everyone , don’t force it on people who don’t want to watch it !
— F R A G G L E (@Fraggle29) May 29, 2025
But surely if the women’s game is good r ought to and big enough doesn’t need the men’s teams to supplement it .
Bigging up a game that just isn’t as big as the woke media want it to be
— F R A G G L E (@Fraggle29) May 29, 2025
Last season, Bournemouth added a compulsory purchase of three women’s match tickets. Nobody wanted it. Everybody complained. It was soon removed from our ST renewal price. The women’s game should be allowed to grow organically, not by coercion.
— Mike Brannan 🍒 (@hithisiswes) May 29, 2025
Last season #afcb tried to add on two mandatory women’s games on top of the cost of the season ticket. They eventually made them optional after the backlash from fans. Had they just said the price is X, plus you get 2 free women’s games so many more would have gone 🤷♂️
— Matt Chapman (@chapman24_matt) May 30, 2025
Blackmail? https://t.co/uFv7DAwlO4
— Joey Barton (@Joey7Barton) May 29, 2025
If I want to buy cheese and onion crisps, I shouldn’t be forced to buy ready salted crisps first, just so it boost the sales of ready salted. No one likes ready salted, just let us buy and eat the crisp we want.
— Common Sense with Joey Barton (@Common_SensePod) May 29, 2025
CLUB STATEMENT:
Villans,
Ahead of what’s set to be another unforgettable season at Villa Park, we wanted to share with you a number of important updates to our ticketing policy for the 2025/26 season.
We’ve consulted the Fan Advisory Board throughout this process to make sure your voices were heard. The changes we’re making are built on four key principles that guide how we think about ticket pricing and access:
- A Packed Villa Park – We want every home game to be played in front of a full house while continuing to meet the financial regulations that we must follow.
- Fairer Access for All Fans – We want to balance loyalty with new opportunities – rewarding those who’ve stood by us while opening the gates to more Villans.
- Embracing the Next Generation – We’re making it easier for more young supporters to be part of the matchday magic.
- Loyalty Matters – Your continued support means everything, and we want to recognise that commitment in how we structure access and pricing.
You’ll find a breakdown of the key changes below, grouped into clear sections so you can see what’s new.
Thanks, as always, for your incredible support.
Up the Villa!
Aston Villa Football Club
SEASON TICKETS
For the 2025/26 season, season ticket and match-by-match prices for adults will rise by 5%. This is consistent with several other Premier League clubs.
In line with our goal of encouraging young fans to join our matchday audience, Under-21 ticket prices will be frozen at 2024/25 prices.
Our pricing strategy reflects careful consideration, ensuring we can create as strong a team as possible – one capable of challenging at the top end of the Premier League table and remaining competitive in European football – while continually working within the parameters of both Premier League and UEFA Profit and Sustainability rules.
2025/26 Season Ticket Benefits
- Seat at Villa Park guaranteed for every home Premier League match
- Priority access to away and cup tickets (including Europa League)
- Free entry and opportunity to book tickets to see our Under-21s team at home, excluding any cup matches (Premier League Cup, FA Youth Cup, Bristol Street Trophy or Birmingham Senior Cup)
- Free subscription to Villa TV+ – more information to be confirmed – with access to live U21, and selected U18 games
- A 10% retail discount (in-store only)
- Eight-month interest-free payment option, subject to acceptance
- No admin or booking fees on season ticket renewal or purchase
- Digital season ticket
- Improved ticket sharing and resale functionality with no additional charges for resale of tickets
Interest Free Payment Option
The club will again offer an interest free payment plan option for 2025/26 season tickets.
As with the 2024/25 season tickets, this option allows season ticket holders to pay for their ticket in instalments over an eight-month period, interest-free. The Club will continue to cover all fees, interest and service charges for this option. Availability remains subject to acceptance.
SEASON TICKET RENEWAL WINDOW
The season ticket renewal window will open on Wednesday, June 4 at 9.30am and close on Friday, July 4 at 5pm.
MATCHDAY TICKET PRICING AND CATEGORIES
As part of the club’s efforts to make access to games fairer and more accessible, the ticketing categories have been reorganized for the 2025/26 season. The ranking of categories does not represent a ranking of prices, with Category 1 or 2 not necessarily more expensive than Category 3 or 4.
@Scott_AVFC92: We all excited for the Villa women’s fixtures to be released seeing as it’s compulsory to go and watch them? 💀 Club’s a fuckin disgrace. We sum up modern football and it stinks 👍
@matt_utv: You don’t have to go. It’s just an additional way of making more points. What part of that don’t you understand. I think it’s a good idea it’s also a good way to introduce kids to going to games. You just look like an idiot.
@RedWallPleb: I get the feeling quite a few folks will just go watch their local lower league club instead. Lower leagues are thriving atm, it’s becoming the choice of families simply because of cost… any extra hurdles will just drive more away.
@JeffWallner: Aston Villa’s women’s team is owned by Aston Villa. So Aston Villa is tying two of its products together to generate revenue. Smart. Why would anyone be bothered?
@ColinPep1: I wonder if they’ll get the points for buying tickets or for actually attending? Some clubs will issue points for purchases. Others won’t issue points unless the ticket is scanned at the turnstile. #AVFC
@jesussaidpaddy: Was only a matter of time. Other clubs will follow suit. Will also be a criteria for access to cup final tickets. You can bet your bottom dollar. You WILL like womens football. Love modern football!
@Fpl_salmon: I’m all for promoting women football and often take my daughter to women’s games but that’s not on as the season tickets are for something completely different. An equivalent would be ESTC giving caps for those who attend women’s England matches.
@kpvilla: This is a very good way of getting the Women’s match attendances up all in all the whole tickets system announcements today are fairly positive. UTV
@FarleyWrites: You have to grow the women’s game by creating a product that people WANT to go to. You can’t strong-arm people into going to boost their points, and pretend to use your cash grab as an equality measure.
@KOMerchants: Have to feel this a step backwards for the women’s game. This week saw thousands of fans turn out for the Arsenal Women trophy parade because they wanted to. For a women’s team to flourish, they need to stand on their own two feet and build their own fan base.
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