Aston Villa signs £20 m per year Visit Rwanda shirt sponsor

Aston Villa has signed a multi-year front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda, a partnership the club has described as the most important in its history. The agreement, reportedly worth around 20 million pounds per season, was confirmed on July 14 and will see the tourism board's branding appear on all men's, women's, and academy team kits starting next season, replacing the gambling firm Betano.

The deal marks a significant commercial step for the club as it prepares for a return to the UEFA Champions League. Francesco Calvo, Villa's president of business operations, stated that the partnership is a symbol of the club's expansion into international markets. He said there are opportunities for collaboration in tourism, investment, and sporting development. Janet Karemera, CEO of the Rwanda Convention Bureau, echoed this sentiment, calling the sponsorship a powerful expression of Rwanda's ambition to engage global audiences and position the country as a destination for tourism and business.

The agreement comes amid a voluntary ban by Premier League clubs on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships, which takes effect for the 2026-27 season. This left Villa and several other...