Aston Villa Names El Gouna Red Sea as Official Partner for 2025/26 Season.

Roger Hampel

Image: Aston Villa

Aston Villa has announced a partnership with El Gouna Red Sea, naming the Egyptian Red Sea destination an Official Partner for the remainder of the 2025/26 season. The agreement expands the club’s portfolio of international partnerships, with a focus on destination branding and lifestyle positioning rather than traditional consumer products.

Under the deal, El Gouna branding will appear across Aston Villa’s men’s first-team training wear, worn by players and staff throughout the season. The partnership will also be activated through a combination of branding placements, content-led storytelling and experiential initiatives.

Destination Branding as a Football Partnership Strategy

El Gouna is a premium coastal town developed by Orascom Development, positioned as a year-round international destination combining residential living, tourism and elite sport. Over more than three decades, the town has developed into a multi-national community with residents from over 50 countries, including a significant British population.

For Aston Villa, the partnership reflects a broader trend among Premier League clubs of working with place brands — destinations, cities and tourism developments — seeking international visibility through football platforms.

Market Positioning Aston Villa

From a business perspective, the agreement allows Aston Villa to:

• Expand its sponsorship base beyond traditional retail and consumer categories

• Align with a lifestyle and wellbeing-oriented brand

• Strengthen visibility in the Middle East and North Africa region

• Leverage training-wear exposure, which delivers consistent global media reach

For El Gouna, the partnership provides:

• Access to Premier League audiences in the UK and Europe

• Brand association with elite performance and global sport

• A platform to position itself as a high-end sporting and residential destination

Training wear sponsorships have become increasingly attractive assets for clubs, offering year-round exposure across training sessions, digital content and behind-the-scenes media, rather than being limited to matchday visibility.