Aston Villa
Christopher Bloore, Labour MP for Redditch, raised his concerns in Parliament about Aston Villa’s high ticket prices for their Champions League games. The club had set ticket prices for their four league phase fixtures at up to £94 in the premier seating zone, inciting discontent among fans and the broader football community. With the first home match against Bayern Munich approaching, Aston Villa announced that adult seat prices would be £85, £94, and £97, while season ticket holders would receive discounts, paying £70, £79, and £82 for the same fixtures.
Bloore said, “My beloved Aston Villa made their first appearance in the European Cup for over 40 years this season. However, fans were faced with £94 prices for tickets to see this first-of-a-generation moment. Would the Secretary of State agree with me that we need greater fan representation on football boards, so that football remains accessible to all?”
Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, responded to Bloore’s remarks, stating: “I am pleased to offer him our support for that. The Football Governance Bill, which we intend to introduce shortly, is a significant advance in the protection of fans, who are working with the widest range of partners. However, he insists it is ultimately for the clubs themselves to decide on how much fans ought to be paying. The Bill will not intervene in on-pitch rules of the game or ticket prices, but it recognises that the biggest and most constant issue for fan engagement is ticket pricing.”
Keir Starmer commented on the situation during Politics Midlands, expressing a personal note on Aston Villa’s recent success. H
e said, “Firstly, well done Aston Villa. It came at a heavy price as an Arsenal fan, because they beat us and it was among the reasons we didn’t win the title last year. The question of cost is of course not something the Regulator will deal with – that’ll deal with the overarching framework, but I do understand the concerns.”
