Aston Villa’s President of Business Operations Chris Heck is reportedly ‘not too impressed’ with the club’s new sponsorship deals and the badge situation which surfaced last week.
As per the club’s statement, Heck was appointed in his new role on May 17, and having gained a positive reputation for the work he has done in various roles connected to the NBA and specific franchises, there was optimism about his impact at Villa and what he could achieve on the commercial and business side of things.
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Naturally, having only arrived just over a month ago with former CEO and director Christian Purslow moving on, a lot of key decisions for this season and beyond had already either been made or were close to being done prior to Heck’s arrival, and so he would likely have been limited in what he could influence in recent weeks.
Villa last week announced BK8 as our new Principal and Front of Shirt Partner for the next three years as well as Trade Nation as our new Sleeve and Trading Partner, while our deal with Castore is still ongoing.
Further, after a lengthy process during last season, a new badge was picked with involvement from supporters, but it was announced that while the new crest would appear on this season’s kits, the old one would remain on digital platforms and elsewhere with further consideration expected on the next steps beyond this year.
All that has ultimately left many fans frustrated and disappointed for a variety of reasons, and it’s been reported that Heck isn’t particularly impressed with the entire situation either.
According to My Old Man Said, after attending a Fan Advisory Board meeting with Heck this past week, it’s noted how he’s not impressed with the BK8 and Trade Nation deals due to a ‘lack of scope in providing a partnership to give the club global reach’.
Further, they add that he isn’t impressed with the badge situation either, as he’s said to be disappointed with its ‘lack of uniqueness’ and its potential moving forward.
It’s now likely that Heck will get settled over the course of this season and begin to stamp his mark on things, with further changes expected and hopefully more transparency with supporters on what is happening next.
His hands are tied to an extent with the length of the deals announced this week and so he’ll have to be creative beyond that while also making a decision on the badge, but it’s fascinating to hear about his thoughts and it will be equally as interesting to see how he has a positive influence on matters off the pitch in the coming years.
This is all part of a restructuring at Villa this summer with Monchi set to arrive as President of Football Operations next month, with both he and Heck having to deal with obstacles and setbacks along the way in their bid to make our owners’ vision a reality moving forward.
With work on the redevelopment of the North Stand yet to be confirmed too, there are a lot of issues to resolve in the coming months, and as a long-term project, there will hopefully be plenty of exciting and positive moves made by our new-look hierarchy.