Originally reported by Insider Sport, adapted and expanded for strategic insight.
Aston Villa is reshaping the way football clubs approach ticketing, loyalty, and inclusivity. Ahead of the 2025/26 season, the Premier League side has announced a significant overhaul to its ticketing structure—one that doesn’t just reward fan presence but redefines how supporters engage with both the men’s and women’s teams.
Loyalty Through Inclusion: The New Points System
With a season ticket waiting list over 45,000 fans long, Aston Villa has introduced a loyalty points system that now incorporates attendance at Aston Villa Women’s home matches—a first-of-its-kind move among Premier League clubs.
Fans will also accumulate points through Premier League fixtures, domestic and European cup matches at Villa Park. The goal is clear: ensure that season tickets are awarded to the most engaged and committed fans, not just those quickest to click.
This is more than a fan engagement move—it’s a quiet revolution.
At a time when clubs like Manchester United are under scrutiny for sidelining their women’s teams (as highlighted at SportsPro Live 2025), Villa’s model integrates the women’s team into the very fabric of fan loyalty, without mandating financial add-ons or performative parity.
Unlike AFC Bournemouth’s failed attempt to bundle women’s games with an extra charge, Villa has smartly avoided backlash by offering incentive, not imposition.
Stadium Growth & Ticket Dynamics
This strategic shift comes as Villa Park undergoes substantial development. While short-term upgrades this summer add 379 seats and 14 accessible areas, the long-term North Stand redevelopment will push the stadium’s capacity beyond 50,000 by 2027.
In parallel, the club has introduced:
- A 5% price increase in adult season and matchday tickets
- A price freeze for U21s
- A new attendance requirement: 14 out of 19 home matches to qualify for renewal
- Removal of the 20% resale fee on exchanged tickets
These changes allow the club to recapture unused seats and repackage them at premium prices, while appearing fan-centric on the surface. It’s a delicate balance between loyalty, optics, and operational efficiency.
Strategic Shift or Strategic Packaging?
This approach reflects a deeper trend in modern football: commercial optimization through experience branding. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire captured the dynamic well on The Overlap:
“You get 1/19th of your season ticket back… then you repackage it as an experience, as a product on the day… you can sell that for £600.”
While it may sound cynical, it underscores the commercial sophistication driving modern football clubs—where ‘loyalty’ is both a fan metric and a business tool.
How Clubs Can Turn Fan Engagement into Commercial Strategy
Aston Villa’s model offers valuable lessons for clubs looking to modernize without alienating their core fanbase:
1. Incentivise, Don’t Impose
Use loyalty systems to nudge behaviours—like boosting women’s match attendance—rather than forcing packages that may be rejected. Incentives build emotional equity; mandates rarely do.
2. Leverage Waitlists as Engagement Funnels
Turn long waitlists into actionable CRM funnels. Reward engagement beyond ticketing—merchandise, community events, digital interaction—to segment and serve your most passionate supporters.
3. Balance Yield Optimisation with Perceived Fairness
Raising ticket prices and attendance requirements can be effective if framed within a transparent loyalty model. Communication and timing are everything.
4. Build Dual-Team Brand Integration
Women’s teams must move beyond CSR boxes. Use shared loyalty programs, co-branded activations, and cross-team season ticket schemes to embed parity structurally, not symbolically.
Let’s Reimagine Your Club’s Ticketing & Fan Strategy
Whether you’re navigating a stadium expansion, managing growing waitlists, or looking to integrate women’s football more meaningfully—our consultancy can help you design and deploy strategies that maximise revenue and build loyalty.
Reach out today to explore bespoke solutions.
IMAGE: Getty Images
