Aston Villa's new crest has been leaked by the club's betting partner

Aston Villa's new crest for the 2024-25 season has been leaked on the front of the shirt on the website of new gambling sponsor Betano.

Seen in screenshots by The athleteVilla's new club crest – the same one that appeared in December after it was trademarked by the British government – was featured alongside Betano's logo on the betting company's website.

However, since these screenshots were posted on Monday, it has been changed and the current crest is now displayed on the website.

Villa have agreed a two-year deal with Betano after he cut ties with another betting company, BK8, just 12 months after he signed a three-year deal with them last summer.

That existing deal was worth significantly more than the £6m-a-year agreement with previous sponsor Cazoo and took them to the point of having gambling firms on the front of their shirts than Premier League clubs did last April voted to ban betting companies from the front of jerseys from the start of the 2026-27 season.

Screenshot from Betano's website

In February, The athlete learned that Villa had sought to exit its original agreement with Asian gaming company BK8 and seek a more lucrative contract that would help increase revenue and meet profit and sustainability regulations. In recent months, further sponsorship contracts have been examined, including for club equipment.

Betano did not respond to a statement at the time despite repeated attempts to speak to those responsible. The new deal represents a respectable step up from the existing agreement with BK8 and will feature on Villa's kits for the 2024-25 season alongside kit manufacturer Adidas. Villa parted ways with previous jersey manufacturer Castore a year earlier because the club's co-owner Nassef Sawiris owned a six percent stake in Adidas, which made negotiations easier.

During a meeting with Villa's supporters' advisory board in September last year, president of business operations Chris Heck confirmed the decision to abandon the crest, despite it only being used on shirts at the start of this season.

In October, Villa publicly confirmed the decision, admitting that the crest had not brought the desired benefits.

A statement said: “As communicated at the recent meeting of its supporters' advisory board, Aston Villa plans to engage with fans again ahead of the club's 150th anniversary next year about options for selecting a permanent, redesigned crest to consider.”

“The crest, which recognizes the club’s 1982 European Cup winners, will now be removed at the end of the season. Villa will continue discussions with supporters about the crest once the new consultation session begins shortly.”

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Villa's previous crest, seen at Villa Park stadium (Getty Images)

On December 20, three months after the first meeting, Heck and Chief Operating Officer Ben Hatton met again with the advisory board. Villa had informed those present about two main topics they wanted to discuss – barrier-free access around Villa Park and secondly an update on the coat of arms.

Towards the end of the meeting, supporters were shown a video montage unveiling a new badge. Those present expressed initial shock at the announcement as they had not been consulted on the draft.

Villa said the video (showing the club crest) shown to the group outlined the results of a fan survey and introduced the new crest. Discussions were held as part of the consultation process and the club confirmed that the FA was consulted throughout.

The club also noted that the video montage highlighted that Villa had received 16,000 responses to the 85,000 survey mailings and that the proposed crest was designed as a result of those responses.

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The athlete announced that the FA intended to speak to Villa's Supporters' Advisory Board through the Football Supporters Association (FSA) and was asked to share its concerns.

However, any changes Villa ultimately make to the crest will be subject to compliance with the FA's 'Heritage Asset Rules'. The purpose of the discussions between the FA and the club is to ensure appropriate advice is given to fans.

Villa declined to comment when approached The athlete.

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(Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images)