Aston Villa
- Partnership described as most lucrative in club history
- Visit Rwanda’s sleeve sponsorship with Arsenal ended this year
- Amnesty International says Rwanda is using new deal for “sportswashing” purposes
Aston Villa have signed up Visit Rwanda as their new main sponsor, with the partnership considered the most lucrative deal in the club’s history.
Visit Rwanda’s branding will appear on the front of all men’s, women’s, and academy teams’ shirts as part of the deal. The east African country’s tourism board will replace Betano, which had been Villa’s principal partner since 2024 as part of a reported UK£40 million (US$53.5 million) deal.
According to The Athletic, the new deal is worth up to UK£20 million (US$26.7 million) each year if bonuses are met.
“This is a very exciting partnership for Aston Villa Football Club and a symbol of the club’s continuing expansion and growth into international markets,” said Francesco Calvo, Aston Villa president of business operations.
“There is a great range and depth of opportunities for collaboration, learning and innovation and we are looking forward to working with Visit Rwanda to deliver meaningful activations through tourism, investment and sporting development.”
“We look forward to working with Aston Villa to expand our reach to new audiences in the UK, across Europe and beyond,” added Janet Karemera, chief executive of Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB).
“Through this partnership, we aim to deepen the connection with those already considering travel to Rwanda, whether for tourism, investment or business events, all while contributing to the long-term growth and development of the football ecosystem in Rwanda.”
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Visit Rwanda previously served as Arsenal’s sleeve sponsor for seven years. The deal with the Gunners, which ended this summer, was reportedly worth UK£10 million (US$13.4 million) per year. Software firm Deel has been confirmed as the club’s new sleeve sponsor.
Arsenal’s partnership with Visit Rwanda had been controversial due to concerns over Rwanda’s human rights record. It was the subject of protests from the Gunners for Peace campaign group after the United Nations (UN) linked Rwanda to supporting M23 rebels, who captured parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The DRC’s foreign minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner even wrote to Arsenal urging the club to terminate ‘blood-stained sponsorship deals’ with the tourism body, which also has partnerships with Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Rams.
Amnesty International has already raised concerns about Villa’s new partnership, with a representative noting to BBC Sport that Rwanda is “using sportswashing” and is “seeking to leverage this partnership to create positive PR”.
However, the decision to sign with Visit Rwanda may is indicative of Villa’s need to raise revenues to balance investment in their playing squad and to stave off financial sanctions.
The West Midlands team declared UK£378.07 million (US$506.3 million) in revenue for the 2024/25 campaign, which additionally included a 31 per cent increase in sponsorship earnings to UK£28.6 million (US$38.3 million). Their financial position was strengthened by the decision to sell their women’s team and ‘The Warehouse’ multi-use venue to a subsidiary company.
This summer, Villa were one of 11 Premier League clubs in search of a new main sponsor, with the league banning betting companies from displaying logos on the front of jerseys from next season onwards.
The rule change cuts off a lucrative revenue stream for many teams outside the so-called ‘Big Six’, who are looking for companies in alternative sectors to fill the void. It has created a buyers’ market that is expected to reset how much clubs will generate from their front-of-shirt asset.
Other Premier League clubs to have sourced a replacement for their betting front-of-shirt partnerships include Crystal Palace, who signed a deal with AI software firm Temporal, and Everton, which confirmed CMC Markets as their new shirt partner.
Brentford and Bournemouth have additionally expanded their respective partnerships with Indeed and Vitality respectively for next season.
Aston Villa did not respond to SportsPro’s requests for comment.
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