BERN — It took some effort from Aston Villa to reach the Champions League, and now it will require some effort from their supporters as well.
Birmingham Airport only flies to nearby cities of Villa’s four away opponents, meaning it is not merely air miles that fans will be clocking.
With Bruges, Leipzig and Monaco to come, it all begins in Bern against Young Boys on Tuesday evening, and that has meant a train from either Basel or Zurich for the travelling hopeful, with 1,665 Villans set to witness their first European Cup game for 41 years.
“To be following Villa away in the Champions League is a dream come true,” Callum Watkins tells i. “I’ve followed Villa away since my early teens and have been watching at Villa Park since I was four, so to be back in the ‘big time’ is long overdue.”
Fellow Holte Ender Konrad Naglowski, also in Bern, echoes the sentiment, adding: “I’ve been following Villa away with my son for the last few years, seeing ups and downs, so seeing Villa in the Champions League now is so rewarding.
“There’s something special with following your team in Europe, the buzz you get going on a plane or a ferry, honestly the feeling cannot be beaten. We’re so lucky this wonderful dream continues for another season.”
The ferry is to come, with a handful of supporters i spoke to set to descend on Bruges via the English Channel for that November fixture, although for all the talk of away days on the continent there is arguably greater excitement for what will happen at Villa Park.
Juventus, Bologna and Celtic all head to B6, but both Naglowski and Watkins agree hosting Bayern Munich in Villa Park’s first-ever home Champions League game is going to be some moment – particularly when the tournament’s anthem plays out.
That match, on 2 October, has already sold out, with Villa going on to defend their prices after controversially announcing tickets would range from £70 for season-ticket holders to £97.
“We recognise and understand the depth of passion felt amongst fans and their recent frustration around ticket pricing,” Chris Heck, the club’s president of business operations, said last week.
“Achieving our sporting ambitions while complying with financial stability regulations requires difficult decisions.
“Financial fair play rules prohibit owners from covering shortfalls to finance this ambition, so we need to generate as much revenue as possible through sponsorships, merchandise, and ticket sales to ensure that we can keep the club where it rightfully belongs – competing (and winning) at the top of English and European football.”
This was, in essence, a forthright way of stating Villa would not buckle under fan pressure, and for some this division has tainted a momentousness occasion.
“I hate to say it but unfortunately it did [taint it] a little bit,” Naglowski says. “I’m lucky enough to afford to pay for the tickets but have a lot of friends that regularly go to watch Villa as a family of three or four and sadly they are getting priced out.
“Even if you can afford it you have the feeling that your loyalty is being exploited. The club are now charging way more than Man City, Liverpool or what Newcastle charged last season, that’s not right.
“President of Bayern Munich Uli Hoeness once said when comparing how much clubs in Germany and England charge their fans: ‘We do not think the fans are like cows who you milk. Football has got to be for everybody. That’s the biggest difference between us and England.’
“He’s absolutely spot on, English clubs do not need to charge extortionate prices, an extra £1m for the club by charging extra £20-30 per ticket is a drop in the ocean when we talk about overall profit. £20-30 extra per ticket every Champions League match for an ordinary fan is a lot of money.”
The pricing will be far from Villa fans’ minds on Tuesday evening, however, with the club arguably a benefactor of this new-look league phase given they could still finish as low as 24th out of 36 and still reach the next phase, the knockout round play-offs.
That presents an opportunity to reach the last 16, unless Villa are able to finish among the top eight, which could mean they qualify directly for that stage, when the competition reverts to a more familiar feel.
For a team lacking any Champions League experience, the heart and head naturally say different things. For Watkins, “the heart says we’ll sail through the league stage with four or five wins and avoid a tricky play-off game and into the round of 16.
“The head says we’ll have a few hiccups and just scrape through. Either way, I think the draw has been kind and we’ll avoid an extra fixture.”
Naglowski adds: “Qualifying for the knockout out round play-off should be our minimum goal. If we stay injury free, we could realistically reach a quarter-final.”
For all the talk of prices, the opportunity to travel abroad and follow Villa in the Champions League is worth every penny.
Having booked early, Naglowski hopes to keep travel, accommodation and tickets within £1,000 – tickets are £33 for away games – while i estimates anyone booking last week for all four away trips would be spending £1,000 on flights alone, plus £240-375 on accommodation, ranging from dorms to sharing a twin room.
That, of course, comes before transport on the ground, estimated at just shy of £200, plus food and alcohol, meaning for many the £2,000-3,000 odyssey has just begun, with the hope of further away trips down the line.
“The possibility of a Madrid, Barca, Milan away is something I’m buzzing about,” adds Watkins. “I honestly can’t wait.”
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/oWOEjL5
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