New Aston Villa FC owner eyes museum and theme park to attract overseas visitors
by Tom Anstey | 23 May 2016
Xia has the financial strength to fund such a project, with his net worth valued at more than £1bn / Mark Schiefelbein/AP/Press Association Images
Tony Xia, new owner of recently relegated English football club Aston Villa, has revealed plans to develop a theme park and museum for the club as the businessman aims to attract visitors from overseas.
Speaking in an hour-long interview from his home in Beijing following his £74.5m (US$108.2m, €96.5m) acquisition of the club, Xia told The Daily Mail that the long-term plan for Villa included “a football museum and theme park to attract football tourists from China and India”.
While seemingly a stretch of the imagination for the club to get its own theme park, Xia has the financial strength to fund such a project, with his net worth valued at more than £1bn (US$1.4bn, €1.3bn). The businessman also has some experience in the sector, with his company the Recon Group operating ventures in IT, health, transport, design, tourism and finance.
Xia’s plans aren’t the first touting a theme park for a football club. In May 2014, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had confidential meetings with an “American company” to scope out plans for a potential theme park project. Real Madrid also had designs for an amusement park as part of its US$1bn (€892m, £688m) resort island project on Ras al-Khaimah, but those plans were shelved in June 2013 due to lack of funding.
theme park museum aston villa Tony Xia Xia Jiantong premier league football sport19 May 2016
New Aston Villa owner aims to make the club the 'most famous football team in China'
23 May 2014
Real Madrid president wants club to have its own branded theme park
Tony Xia, new owner of recently relegated English football club Aston Villa, has revealed plans to develop a theme park and museum for the club as the businessman aims to attract visitors from overseas. Speaking in an hour-long interview from his home in Beijing following his £74.5m (US$108.2m, €96.5m) acquisition of the club, Xia told The Daily Mail that the long-term plan for Villa included “a football museum and theme
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