FFP

[Chris Harte]

Nice work, AV82EC. Particularly with the Value Pillar figures. I'd tried without success to find those.

One thing I didn't understand though.

Draws Pot @ €0.11k x35 = €400k (this is an estimate)

What is this ^^?

[AV82EC]

Great work AV82EC, much appreciated.

Always a pleasure Percy. I was going to do a coefficient update as well but I think Somniliquism or someone (?) beat me to the punch on that one.

Do we know if anyone’s got any insight into this El  Gouna deal. I think most of us are guessing it’s minor in the grand scheme of things but it would be interesting to see what we can get from a secondary sponsor and what is seen as fair value for us.

[paul_e]

Nice work, AV82EC. Particularly with the Value Pillar figures. I'd tried without success to find those.

One thing I didn't understand though.

Draws Pot @ €0.11k x35 = €400k (this is an estimate)

What is this ^^?

You get a bonus payment for wins, all drawn games result in that money going into a pot instead and then it gets shared at the end.

[Chris Harte]

Nice work, AV82EC. Particularly with the Value Pillar figures. I'd tried without success to find those.

One thing I didn't understand though.

Draws Pot @ €0.11k x35 = €400k (this is an estimate)

What is this ^^?

You get a bonus payment for wins, all drawn games result in that money going into a pot instead and then it gets shared at the end.

So this is aside from the €450,000 per win/€150,000 per draw money?

Edit, yep I understand now.

[AV82EC]

So you get €450k for a win and €150k for a draw so only €300k gets awarded to both teams in a Drawn match and that spare €150k gets put in a pot which everyone shares at the end.

[Percy McCarthy]

So you get €450k for a win and €150k for a draw so only €300k gets awarded to both teams in a Drawn match and that spare €150k gets put in a pot which everyone shares at the end.

Ah yes, good explanation. I assumed all the prize money for draws was put into the pot.

[Chris Harte]

I'd forgot about the extra money from draws.

So there were twenty-five drawn games in the league stage, meaning the draw pot contains €3,750,000 (€150,000 x 25).

That figure is then divided by 666 (the total shares awarded in the league stage), and Villa receive 35 shares for finishing second.

I get this to be €197,072, unless I've misunderstood something.

[AV82EC]

That’s right Chris, so my number was overestimated, I think I just counted all the draws and forgot to divide by 2, Doh!

[Chris Harte]

That’s right Chris, so my number was overestimated, I think I just counted all the draws and forgot to divide by 2, Doh!

Should cover our fine for the brawl at the end of the cup game at Spurs and leave a bit of change.

[Percy McCarthy]

Four home matches with 40,000 people paying £50 is another £8m, so £30m ish so far.

We haven’t had a 40k crowd yet though.

From memory, we’ve had 35k, 29k, 32k and 37k. And that’s on top of 22m euros, not GBP.

[Percy McCarthy]

**HAMBURG** – The Champions League as a sporting goal, an economic lever, and a factor of competitive imbalance. This was one of the most significant points in the speech by Francesco Calvo, President of Business Operations at Aston Villa, at the Spobis Conference in Hamburg—one of the main European events dedicated to the sports industry and innovation.

A managerial career that spans football (with particular experience at Juventus, as well as Roma and Barcelona) and motorsport, now fully applied in the Premier League context, but with a clear awareness: without a long-term vision, the risk is that the system loses balance.

“I’d say that, for someone who never thought they’d work in football, I’ve been at way too many clubs (laughs, ed.). I think one of the lessons from a managerial approach is thinking about the long-term consequences of a reaction—something that doesn’t happen much in football, in sport in general, and especially in football. There’s no long-term thinking; in football, people don’t look beyond three years, let’s say. But we need to think about the future, not just the immediate.”

**The polarization of the Champions League** 
One of the topics discussed during the panel was the importance of the Champions League. “I think the Champions League is clearly the dream of every footballer, every player, every club, and every fan. Tuesday and Wednesday night matches have a different feel from any other game—we all know that.”

A dream that, for the English club, has deep roots. “For us it’s a dream and an ambition, but we mustn’t forget a few things. First of all, seven years ago we were in the Championship, and just three and a half years ago we were fighting to avoid relegation. Now we’re establishing ourselves at the top of European football. To do that, we’ve invested in players, of course, in infrastructure, in the club itself, in building solid foundations that can give us stability and success in the long term.”

However, the Champions League is not just an extraordinary opportunity. “The Champions League is important for the visibility it gives the club and the players, and for the money it generates.” But this is exactly where the critical side emerges: “On the negative side, though, it has become so rich that it is also distorting competition at the domestic level. So it needs to be looked at carefully: it’s an opportunity but also a problem, because it polarizes.”

The summary is clear: “If you’re not in it, you suffer. If you are in it, you love it.” And in England, he warns, “it’s still difficult to qualify because of the competitive balance in the league. We’re lucky anyway because belonging to the Premier League is a unique platform from a marketing point of view, and its global reach is unique. The money it distributes to clubs and the global visibility allow us to engage partners even independently of the Champions League.”

**Sponsors and betting: a knot for the Premier League** 
Another hot topic is the ban on main sponsors linked to betting that will come into force from the 2026-27 season in the Premier League. “I’d say that when we look for a sponsor, I always have this short and obvious story: when you look for a partner, you always look at the money—that’s obvious—the premium brand positioning, and the activation the brand can do.”

However, on the regulatory front, the picture is delicate. “At the moment it’s clearly a buyer’s market and not a seller’s, because you have 11 clubs—now 10 because one has sorted it out—on the market looking for non-betting-related sponsors, which makes the arena very competitive.”

And he warns: “This is probably the biggest challenge English football is facing right now.”

**The future of Villa Park** 
Infrastructure development remains one of the pillars of the club’s strategy. “Villa Park to me is the essence of English football: it’s an old-style stadium, with red bricks, probably the largest of its kind.”

The investments are significant: “We’ve invested almost 50 million pounds in developing the entire hospitality area,” plus “about 20 million pounds” for the new Warehouse and a plan of “about 100 million pounds to build a new stand and expand the North Stand.”

What stands out especially is the comparison with Italy: “Looking at my previous experience, the Allianz Stadium in Turin was born when it was already 17 years old: it took 14 years to get the permits and three to build it. I was in Spain, at Barcelona—a country much more advanced than Italy on these issues—and even there the permits took a huge amount of time.”

“Then I arrived at Villa and in June we were talking about expanding the North Stand, and they told me it would happen soon. I asked: but have we already applied for the permits? They replied: yes, we’re applying next week and we’ll have them in three months.”

“I was shocked, because in three months we got the permit to invest 100 million and build a new stand. In Italy it takes years. This is an advantage for English clubs: they manage to make things happen quickly,” he concluded.

[ender4]

Further payments if we progress

Qualify for Qtr Final €2.5m
Qualify for Semi Final €4.2m
Qualify for Final €7m
Win it €6m

So another €19.7m up for grabs.

If we win it, we go into the European Super Cup which i believe guarantees another 5m euros. So really winning the Europa League gives a guaranteed 11m Euros.

[AV82EC]

Further payments if we progress

Qualify for Qtr Final €2.5m
Qualify for Semi Final €4.2m
Qualify for Final €7m
Win it €6m

So another €19.7m up for grabs.

If we win it, we go into the European Super Cup which i believe guarantees another 5m euros. So really winning the Europa League gives a guaranteed 11m Euros.

Good point had forgotten about that little bauble.

[Chris Harte]

Further payments if we progress

Qualify for Qtr Final €2.5m
Qualify for Semi Final €4.2m
Qualify for Final €7m
Win it €6m

So another €19.7m up for grabs.

If we win it, we go into the European Super Cup which i believe guarantees another 5m euros. So really winning the Europa League gives a guaranteed 11m Euros.

Good point had forgotten about that little bauble.

So had I.

It's at Salzburg's Red Bull Arena on 12th August.