Aston Villa tickets for tonight's game against Bologna have found themselves on ticket resale sites for as little as £25. The tickets for the Champions League fixture were previously available to season ticket holders at a much higher price with tickets starting at around the £75 mark. But just hours before kick off, Villa fans could casually log onto the site and snap up a ticket, regardless of their ticket history as a supporter and totally independent of the club's own ticket sales process.
Ticket Resale Controversy
Fans on social media have reacted angrily over the last couple of days due to screengrabs on X that show tickets have been available for as little as £25. The prices of tickets ranged from £50 to £1,000 a ticket, with large quantities seemingly available. At this stage it's unclear how the tickets ended up on the resale sites and in what quantity. This has been echoed by the club themselves who today issued an update on social media advising fans to buy only from the club's official channels, but many fans were posting that they had received tickets from the resale sites into their phone digital wallet, at a smaller cost than those sold by the club.
Club Response and Fan Concerns
We reached out to Aston Villa Football Club to determine the validity of the tickets and the club have not released any tickets to third party sites and have warned supporters that if they are caught selling tickets to other supporters, they could face a ban from the club. Supporters are also warned that they could buy tickets and not actually receive them. Over the course of the last 24 hours, the club has been actively contacting supporters to see if they want to pay to upgrade to hospitality deals at special rates for those with tickets to the game already.
Bologna Ticket Sales
Regarding the #AstonVillaBFC match for Matchday 3 of the Champions League group stage, scheduled for Tuesday, 22 October at 21:00 CEST at Villa Park, we announce that tickets for the Guest Sector will be available for purchase starting tomorrow, Wednesday, 16 October at 12:00 CEST through the Vivaticket platform (exclusively online via this link active from tomorrow) at a cost of €60 + service fees. Our season ticket holders for the 2024-25 season can purchase a maximum of 2 tickets during the priority sale. Any remaining tickets will go on general sale starting at 12:00 on Thursday, 17 October.
Ticket Information
To exercise the priority option, a coupon code will be required. In the coupon code field, enter your PNR number or your We Are One card number for the 2024-25 season, followed by a hyphen and your date of birth in the format DDMMYYYY. For example, for a loyalty card number 027130123456 and a date of birth of 01/01/1990, enter 027130123456-01011990. For PNR BXVWZY and a date of birth of 15/05/1995, enter BXVWZY-15051995.
The ticket is completely digital: it is not a PDF and does not need to be printed or photographed. After purchase, the buyer will receive a receipt via email. In the following days, they will receive a second email containing one or more links, depending on the number of tickets purchased. Clicking the link in the second email will automatically open the Wallet app (already installed on iPhones; for Android devices, it is recommended to download Google Wallet). At that point, simply confirm the addition of the ticket to your Wallet, where it will be stored. At the stadium entrance, it will be sufficient to open the Wallet app and show the digital ticket.
It is possible to have multiple tickets in the same Wallet (for families or groups), but each ticket can only be stored on one device at a time. If you want to transfer the ticket to another phone, you will need to remove it from the first device and, using the same loading link, add it to the Wallet on the new phone.
Villa's Response to Fan Concerns
The Villa Fan Advisory Board (FAB) meeting held in May 2024, addressed a number of concerns from fans, including communication from the club, stadium improvements, and ticketing policies. While the FAB acknowledged the club’s commitment to improving communication, fans remain concerned about inconsistencies. The club’s response to a recent ticket price increase further exemplifies this concern. The increase was announced in a PR video, rather than a formal club release, and the message was not clear. Fans feel the communication process is not robust enough and needs to be improved.
Stadium Improvements and Future Plans
The FAB also addressed a number of concerns regarding stadium improvements, including the relocation of seats due to the new capacity expansion. While the club has assured fans that everyone affected will be offered a seat for the 2024/2025 season, many fans are concerned about the lack of transparency and the lack of communication from the club. Fans also expressed concerns about accessibility seating and the club’s lack of commitment to meeting Premier League rules. The club stated that they aim to be fully compliant by the start of the 27/28 season.
The Future of Aston Villa
With the latest FAB meeting notes are due out this week, here we look back at the previous meeting’s note from the May 2024 meeting, as a reminder to what was said at the end of last season. The FAB expressed their appreciation to Unai Emery and the club owners for their efforts in getting Aston Villa back into the Champions League. However, they also voiced their concerns about the club’s communication and lack of transparency with the fanbase. The FAB also highlighted a number of areas where the club needs to improve, including fan engagement, heritage assets, and accessibility.
What's Next for Villa?
Aston Villa is entering a new era under Emery. The club has ambitious plans for the future and is committed to improving its facilities and fan engagement. However, the club needs to be mindful of the concerns of its fans and work to address them. Only then can Aston Villa truly build a bright future.
