Aston Villa plc is the publicly listed company governing the
activities of England's Aston Villa Football Club and the
Villa Park stadium in the city of Birmingham. A founding
member of the Football League's Premier Division, Aston
Villa is also among the first football (soccer) teams to
become listed on the London Stock Exchange, joining such
renowned teams as Manchester United and Arsenal in a run-up
to what many consider will be a new era in sports marketing,
when barriers to sports team ownership, notably by media
corporations, are expected to fall. As such, Aston Villa has
already entered a relationship with American cable
television company NTL Inc., which has been building up its
shareholding position in the more than 125-year-old team.
The majority of Aston Villa's revenues, which neared £36
million in 2000, come from gate receipts. Broadcasting fees
provide another 20 percent of annual sales, while
merchandising and royalty receipts add 14 percent of the
company's revenues. Aston Villa also operates conference and
convention services, and expects to open its own hotel in
the future. The company is also renovating its aging
stadium, built in 1924, boosting the number of seats to
51,000. Aston Villa is led by chairman and CEO Herbert
Douglas Ellis, who also owns some 33 percent of the
company's stock.