May 15 – Aston Villa will play in the UEFA Champions League next season, as European riches look to heal the club’s precarious financial situation behind the scenes.
The Birmingham club’s qualification was confirmed after fifth-placed Spurs surrendered to Manchester City on Tuesday night, making it impossible for them to overtake Unai Emery’s side in the table with one game to go.
As a result, Villa are poised to enter the new-look Champions League for the first time with the financial boost likely to ease the pressures of remaining within Premier League profit and sustainability rules, which Villa have been dangerously straying towards.
Th next campaign of the new-look Champions League, armed with a 36-team league phase, will allow for £372million in prize money to be distributed thanks to the sharp climb in the number of games (up from 125 to 189).
The rule of thumb is that increasing the number of games translates to higher revenue. Villa earned £18.76 million from gate receipts last season.
Each win in the competition is anticipated to yield £1.81 million in prize money, while a draw is valued at £603,000. The further you progress and the higher up the ‘Swiss-style’ league table you get, the more you receive from the prize money distribution.
The UCL qualification bombshell gatecrashed the club’s End of Season Awards Dinner, which saw Ollie Watkins named Supporters’ Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season.
The English forward has picked up 19 goals whilst leading the playmaker trophy with 13 assists in the Premier League this term, with the possibility of becoming the first Aston Villa forward to score 20+ goals if he nets versus Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734999806labto1734999806ofdlr1734999806owedi1734999806sni@g1734999806niwe.1734999806yrrah1734999806