Aston Villa chief Francesco Calvo has made a series of pledges to supporters following a fan meeting last weekend. The club's growth, financial challenges, and fan experience were key topics.
Financial Rules vs Ambition
Calvo addressed the tension between Premier League financial regulations and the club's ambitions: "The new Premier League rules are pushing clubs to invest. If they want to spend more then they need to invest more because they need to develop their revenues. This is good because we have invested a lot and our ownership group want to keep investing."
App Improvements
Admitting shortcomings, Calvo said: "We need to improve, like the app is not always working well. I am sometimes trying to buy tickets myself to see what doesn’t work, and on Thursday my phone was working but my laptop wasn’t working - so that shows the level of detail we are working in order to understand where we need to improve. Some ticketing systems do not work to the standard we are asking, and we are constantly asking our providers to make sure we improve."
More Uses for the Warehouse
Calvo outlined plans for the Warehouse venue: "This year we have opened the Warehouse as a soft opening. We are still missing an emergency exit, so we are not fully operational and we want to do more events of some kinds. Using this venue for away games is in our plan, for Premier League games when we can show them and for European games. That is something that is coming on."
Growing Off the Pitch
He emphasised the club's off-field growth: "We don’t go at the same pace, but it’s something we are trying to do and it’s why I am here, and it’s why the ownership is putting so much pressure on me. They want the club to be perfect, and driven by excellence and ambition - they want the club to be perfect. That’s what we are trying to do."
Keeping Villa ‘Authentic’
On preserving the club's identity, Calvo stated: "Despite foreign ownership and us being foreign, we are fully aware that we have to keep the club authentic to itself. It cannot become a Spanish club or an Italian club. It is Villa, the essence of English football. It is the founder of the English Football League. Our past is very important to us. We don’t want to change what Villa is about and who Villa is."
For the full story, including every word Calvo said about FFP, NSWE pressure, ticket issues, and authenticity, follow Birmingham Live.
