Hi General,
I mentioned this to you about 6 months ago, its about a possible package for Villa fans from abroad.
I come from Dublin about twice or three times a season and usually bring 4 or 5 of my non supporting Villa mates.
For 150euro I can usually get a flight (40-50euro with Ryanair) a hotel ( 50 euroTravelodge on Broad street or similar hotel) and a match ticket (50 euro Holte lower) which comes to 150 euro.
I usually bring at least 4 people, so that is at least 600 euro at least twice a season that I would rather give to Villa as a package. Im not too sure if you are able to get involved with an airline company but Im sure you could create a couple of partnerships with a few of the hotels in the city.
I think that the packages that are available from the club at the moment that include the match ticket, meal and Tour are good but at 90sterling (128 Euro) they are a bit too expensive for most people.
If you think that from just me and my friends alone there is potential for at least 1200euro per season, this could be quite a money spinner for the club if run properly. I think that a nice, easy, user friendly facility on the club website would be great.
And on another point for the first time ever, almost every decent sports shop in Dublin has a Villa jersey. They are well displayed too, not just on a rail with the other jerseys.
Thanks,
Niall