Join The Club
Aston Villa are set to play in their first European final for 44 years.
Villa beat Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest 4-1 over two legs in the semi-finals of the Europa League, setting up a showpiece clash with Freiburg in Istanbul. It's Villa's second visit of the season after their win at Fenerbahce in the league phase.
Why don't Aston Villa have Betano on their shirt?
Villa are one of the Premier League teams with a betting company as a front-of-shirt sponsor. From next season, there will be no gambling companies on the front of Premier League shirts due to a voluntary ban voted in by the clubs in 2023.
Licensing regulations in Turkey mean that the Villans cannot play with Betano, their usual sponsor and one of the partners of the UEFA Europa League, on their kits.
"Our Principal Partner Betano has kindly donated their usual branding space to the Aston Villa Foundation for the final," Villa announced, confirming that the limited edition shirt would be available for supporters to buy.
"Every purchase of this shirt will include a £10 donation to the Aston Villa Foundation and will go towards their sterling work in the community through their numerous and varied charitable, educational and outreach programmes."
Villa carrying a charity on the front of their shirt is a welcome development for fans, who are no strangers to the concept thanks to the popular partnership between the club and the West Midlands-based Acorns Children's Hospice Trust, which saw the Acorns name as Villa's shirt sponsor between 2008 and 2010.
Betano and Villa also agreed to give the space over to the Aston Villa Foundation for this season's Europa League fixtures at Feyenoord, Go Ahead Eagles, Basel and Fenerbahce in the league phase.
When they played at Lille in the round of 16 and Bologna in the quarter-finals, Villa's front-of-shirt spot was occupied by the Kaizen Foundation, which is solely funded by the parent company of Betano.
What's the Aston Villa Foundation?
The Aston Villa Foundation is Villa's in-house equivalent.
It works with thousands of children and young people in Birmingham every year, and has been a registered charity since 2013.
"Our stadium is at the heart of one of the most under-served communities in England, where inequality across education, unemployment, health, life expectancy, and crime are significant, with our projects helping young people overcome some of these social challenges," says the club.
Why are Aston Villa playing in their third shirt?
As the designated away team for the Europa League final, Villa were unable to wear their traditional claret and blue in Istanbul; opponents Freiburg have played their home fixtures in Europe this season in an all-red strip.
Villa's off-white and purple third kit was selected over their black away kit. It offers the maximum contrast between the teams and avoids giving Freiburg the head-start of playing against an opponent held back by a strip some supporters consider cursed.
