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Aston Villa are preparing to compete in their first European final in 44 years.

The Premier League side defeated Nottingham Forest 4-1 on aggregate in the Europa League semi-finals, earning a place in the final against Freiburg in Istanbul. This will be Villa’s second visit to the Turkish city this season, following their earlier victory over Fenerbahce during the league stage.

This time, Unai Emery’s squad will play at the home ground of Besiktas, with a chance to secure their first major trophy in three decades.

Villa are among several Premier League clubs that currently have betting companies as front-of-shirt sponsors. However, starting next season, gambling firms will no longer appear on the front of Premier League shirts, following a voluntary ban introduced by clubs in 2023.

Due to licensing laws in Turkey, Aston Villa are not permitted to display the logo of Betano, their regular sponsor and a UEFA Europa League partner, on their kits during the final.

"Our Principal Partner Betano has kindly donated their usual branding space to the Aston Villa Foundation for the final," the club announced, confirming that a special edition of the shirt would be available for fans to purchase.

"Each purchase of this shirt will include a £10 donation to the Aston Villa Foundation, supporting their outstanding community efforts through a wide range of charitable, educational, and outreach initiatives," the club added.

For supporters, seeing a charity logo on the front of the Villa shirt brings back fond memories of the club’s partnership with Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust, a West Midlands-based charity that appeared as Villa’s main shirt sponsor between 2008 and 2010.

Earlier in the Europa League campaign, Betano and Villa also agreed to hand over the shirt sponsorship space to the Aston Villa Foundation for fixtures against Feyenoord, Go Ahead Eagles, Basel, and Fenerbahce during the group stage.

When Villa played Lille in the round of 16 and Bologna in the quarter-finals, the shirt featured the Kaizen Foundation logo, an organisation funded entirely by Betano’s parent company.

The Aston Villa Foundation serves as the club’s in-house charitable organisation.

It engages with thousands of children and young people across Birmingham every year and has been a registered charity since 2013.

"Our stadium sits at the heart of one of the most under-served communities in England, facing challenges across education, employment, health, life expectancy, and crime. Our projects aim to help young people overcome these barriers," the club stated.

As the designated away team in the Europa League final, Villa were unable to wear their traditional claret and blue colours in Istanbul, as Freiburg have worn all-red kits during their European home matches this season.

Instead, Villa opted for their off-white and purple third kit, which provides the strongest contrast between the two sides and avoids using the black away kit—considered unlucky by some supporters.