Club makes profit after two years of big losses.
Villa claim to have made significant progress toward achieving sustainability after confirming a profit of £17million for the 2024-25 season.
The post-tax profit comes after the club reported combined losses of more than £200m for the previous two years and was achieved through the sales of the women’s team and The Warehouse development at Villa Park.
Both were sold to Villa’s parent company, V Sports, operated by co-owners Nassef Sawiris, Wes Edens and Michael Angelakis, in a move which ensured the club complied with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability (PSR) rules.
Though the full accounts are still to be published at Companies House, the headline figures released in a club statement confirmed record revenues of £378.1m, an increase of more than £100m on the previous year.
The huge rise was chiefly down to Villa’s participation in the Champions League, which saw them bank £72m in prize money by reaching the quarter-finals.
There was also a big jump in commercial revenue, which stood at £70m, an increase of 69 per cent, while sponsorship went up by 31 per cent to £28.6m thanks to new deals with Adidas and Betano.
Those figures were boosted, partly, by an increase in ticket prices, with supporters paying up to £96 to attend home Champions League fixtures.
Improving the hospitality offering at Villa Park was a key part of club strategy and a factor in a near £70m spend on capital investment. Other projects included new retail stores at Villa Park and the Bullring shopping centre,the 3,500-capacity Warehouse and upgrades to Bodymoor Heath, which saw a new purpose-built rehabilitation centre installed and a new permanent base for the women’s team.
Villa have also begun work on a redevelopment of the North Stand which will take the capacity beyond 50,000 in time for 2028 European Championships.
The club’s statement said it “continues to operate within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules”.
Yet despite the huge increase in revenues, Villa would have been at serious risk of a breach without the women’s team and Warehouse sales.
Those transactions cannot be included in the figures reported to Uefa.
Staying within the financial fair play rules of European football’s governing body remains Villa’s biggest ongoing challenge. The club was fined £9.5m last summer for being over the limits and entered into a settlement agreement which further restricts future losses.
Another issue is the imminent loss of Betano as front of shirt sponsor, due to the Premier League rules which prohibit the use of gambling companies from the start of next season.
Villa, who missed out on Champions League qualification for this season, sit fourth in the league as they look to secure a return for next term.
The club statement read: “On-field performance has been supported by disciplined execution of the club’s long-term strategic plan, focused on enhancing the playing squad in a sustainable manner while building long-term financial resilience.
“The owners of Aston Villa remain committed to the long-term, sustainable development of the club and look forward to continued progress on the delivery of the club’s strategic objectives.
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