Aston Villa to host professional rugby match in bid to boost revenue
Villa will host a professional rugby union match next year as part of the club’s plans to boost revenue.
Gloucester will face Leicester in the Gallagher PREM on Saturday, March 28, coinciding with English rugby’s top flight’s Big Game weekend which will also see Cardiff’s Principality Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium host matches.
It will be the first time Villa Park has hosted the sport since the 2015 World Cup when two pool stage matches were played at the venue.
In a statement, the club said hosting next year’s match “ties in to the wider plan to make Villa Park the go-to destination in the West Midlands for music, other sports plus much more, providing the club with additional revenue streams.”
Villa Park hosted four concerts this summer, including Black Sabbath’s farewell show.
The Gloucester v Leicester rugby clash, which will see the two teams contest the Ed Slater Cup, named after former player who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2022, takes place during the March international break.
PREM rugby chief executive, Simon Massie-Taylor, said: “Marquee fixtures remain a key pillar of our strategy to broaden rugby’s reach. We’re thrilled to see Villa Park host The Slater Cup for the first time.”
Villa’s home since 1897, the stadium has also hosted boxing and rugby league during its illustrious history.
