Aston Villa’s new partnership with French club FC Annecy will not copy Chelsea’s relationship with RC Strasbourg.
RMC Sport report that V Sports Fund, Aston Villa’s ownership, signed a deal for Annecy today that will not be a classic ‘multi-ownership model’ that has already been seen in France with Chelsea and Manchester City’s relationships with Strasbourg and Troyes.
Aston Villa as minority shareholders
According to the website, Aston Villa’s owners are joining the French club as a minority shareholders (30%) in an agreement that is seen as a ‘win-win arrangement’ focused on youth development.
French and British executives signed the agreement on Tuesday. The move will immediately propel Annecy ‘into a new dynamic’. It will allow the French side to face the DNCG, French football’s financial watchdog, with a clear vision for their future.
Aston Villa’s interest goes back to last year. Their executives sat in the stands for the last match of the season against Grenoble. They were scouting in France to identify the ideal location for developing a training partnership.
A series of meetings then followed at Lake Geneva between club officials and local figures. Negotiations intensified during the winter. Lawyers then pushed it through in the final weeks of May.
Aston Villa influence
Matthew Kidson, Aston Villa’s head of development, and Tony Carrs, their head of loaned players, recently travelled to France to finalise the details of the collaboration.
The investment from V Sports Fund will primarily be used to invest in long-term solutions and player development. They are arriving as minority shareholders.
Aston Villa could also use the relationship to unearth local talent for their teams in England. They’ve done similar with collaborations in Asia and Africa.
Now they have added FC Annecy to the mix, with the new relationship being celebrated in France and very much presented as a win-win for both clubs.
