Aston Villa links women's games to season ticket loyalty ahead of 25/26 season
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:
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:
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
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.
- 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
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 at and close on at .
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.
There will be a 5% increase on match-by-match tickets for Adults. Prices for Under-21 Concession tickets will remain frozen at 2024/25 prices across match-by-match sales.
As outlined above, there will be a freeze on pricing for all Under-21 tickets, both match-by-match and season tickets. In line with the club’s four key ticketing principles, attracting younger supporters to Villa Park is a crucial factor in the long-term vision for Aston Villa.
Following the success of the 2024/25 FA Cup campaign, the club can confirm that domestic cup ticket prices will remain frozen. The Club were encouraged that almost 15,000 spectators for our home FA Cup games were visiting Villa Park for the first time, and that 13% were under 14 years old. On that basis, prices are £25 for all adults and £10 for U18 Concessions.
Our matches played in the Europa League next season will fall into match category 2 (Group stages) and match category 1 (knockout stages) and will be priced as follows:
To reward loyalty and commitment from our active fans, we have reviewed and subsequently changed the Season Ticket Waiting List system.
At the end of the 2024/25 season, there were approximately 45,000 people on the waiting list: 46% of those have not bought a ticket in over two years (2023/24 and 2024/25).
The Club identified that there was a need to create a genuine list which prioritises dedicated supporters through a transparent points-based system, particularly in light of the ongoing stadium expansion and the significant number of season tickets that will be available in 2-years’ time.
This requirement has resulted in the following changes to the waiting list criteria:
From the 2025 / 2026 season, attendance at Women’s home matches will also earn points.
All those supporters wishing to join the list from the point of its reorganisation, will need to pay a one-off £10 fee which will be redeemable against the price of a season ticket when supporters are able to purchase one.
All supporters on the Season Ticket Waiting List will be informed of their position on the new list ahead of any new season tickets being offered for sale.
It is likely that a number of new season tickets will be offered for sale each season. Furthermore, any new season tickets offered for sale following the completion of the North Stand extension will be offered to those supporters on the waiting list.
To maintain the world class atmosphere in Villa Park, and make it easier for Season Ticket Holders to maximise their tickets, we are streamlining the process for season ticket usage.
We are introducing new season ticket usage criteria alongside a streamlined sharing and exchange process, making it easier than ever for Season Ticket Holders to make use of their tickets when they are unable to attend.
The process will be housed in the app, which will also host the ability to share season tickets with nominated friends and family. In line with our focus on fan loyalty and commitment, supporters will need to log 14 of 19 ticket uses to ensure eligibility for next season.
As part of this new scheme, the Club has confirmed that the 20% charge on ticket resale has been removed, and all supporters will receive 1/19th of the cost of their season ticket should it be sold on the exchange.
More detailed information on the share/exchange process will be made available in due course.
It is our intention that any new process will ensure that, where allocations and fixture lists allow, there are enough tickets made available to those supporters currently on 1,180 points or more (meaning they attended at least 18 of our 21 away matches in 2024/25) to attend a similar number in 2025/26.
As part of the continued redevelopment of Villa Park, over the summer we will execute plans to add an additional 379 new seats across the stadium with 14 new disabled positions.
This expansion forms part of our ongoing efforts to expand matchday capacity and continue to enhance facilities at Villa Park, a project which includes the expansion of the North Stand, regeneration of the North Grounds, and the upcoming launch of the Warehouse. The combined upgrades to Villa Park’s stands will see total capacity at Villa Park increase to over 50,000 by the end of 2027.
This project aims to improve the experience for the entire fan base, enabling even more Villans to participate in the electric Villa Park matchday atmosphere.
These changes do mean that the seating configuration for the 2025/26 has been updated. As such, unfortunately some season ticket holders will be relocated from last season’s seat.
All affected Season Ticket Holders will be notified via email, no later than 5:00pm on Friday, May 30, 2025, how they have been impacted by these developments, and what their options will be.
We are doing everything in our power to ensure fans have access to the best, nearest available seat. All impacted fans will have access to a dedicated phone line to discuss options. We will ensure that ticket holders who are part of a larger group are accommodated for as reasonably as possible. All of this will take place before any new Season Tickets are offered for sale.
: 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 👍
: 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.
: 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.
: 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?
: 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
: 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!
: 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.
: 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.
