‘I was chatting to the future King of England about the Aston Villa game. It was very cool’

Ben Francis shows The Athletics a photo on his phone, but he can’t pinpoint when it was taken, so he texts his father to ask for clarification.

The photo, it turns out, dates back to the early 2000s. It shows a young Francis alongside his brother Joe, both dressed in replica Aston Villa training kits, with the club’s former European Cup winner Gary Shaw each having an arm around him.

The 32-year-old continues to browse through his camera roll with satisfaction.

“This one is from Wembley when we got promoted,” he says, showing a video of him and his Canadian wife Robin jumping up and down after Villa secured promotion to the Premier League against Derby County in 2019.That was a great day. My wife didn’t know what was going on but she’s definitely a Villa fan now.

“Our boys are now 18 months old. This season may be a bit early for them, but as soon as they are old enough to experience it, I will buy season tickets and take them to Villa Park all the time.”

Ben Francis (right) and his brother Joe (left) with Gary Shaw

It’s Monday afternoon and The Athletics has been invited to Gymshark, the sportswear company that Francis founded in 2012.

The origin story is well-known, but notable nonetheless. Francis started Gymshark as a teenager in his parents’ garage, armed with a sewing machine and a screen printer. Now, 13 years later, he sits at his company’s headquarters in Solihull, just off the M42, with more than 900 employees working from offices in five regions, including Denver.

The buildings at Solihull are large and impressive. There is a state-of-the-art gymnasium, workspaces, benches, a coffee shop and an open, vibrant space from which the company oversees its global operations. Gymshark has amassed a total social media following of over 18 million, with its clothing sold in 230 countries.

In August 2020, Francis sold a 21 percent stake to US private equity firm General Atlantic in a $300 million (£235 million) deal, valuing the company at $1.45 billion, according to Forbes. It has been widely reported that Francis, who was awarded an MBE in 2023 for services to business, still owns 70 percent of the company. As of April 2023, he was ranked 2,259th in Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people, with an estimated fortune of $1.3 billion.

Today Francis is here to talk about Villa.

“My father and grandparents wouldn’t let me be anything else,” he says. “My grandparents would tell me stories about how they would go to the Villa before every stand was built; back in the day, when it was literally just a hill.”

Gymshark’s rapid rise has brought notoriety to the brand, as well as to Francis, who is increasingly among Villa’s many celebrity supporters. His “dream,” he smiles, is to feature in a promotional campaign for the club, similar to Black Sabbath’s involvement in this year’s viral kit launch.

Francis has a net worth of $1.3 billion (Ben Francis)

He recounts meeting fellow supporter William, Prince of Wales, when he collected his MBE and spoke for a few minutes about Villa. Francis’ nerves eased as the conversation focused on their mutual love.

“I realised he’s a massive Villa fan,” he says. “I was standing there collecting my MBE with my mum, dad and wife behind me, chatting to the future King of England about the Villa game at the weekend; it was really cool.”

As CEO of a company worth over £1 billion, while simultaneously raising two young boys and expecting a third child, time is a precious commodity.

The increased workload has reduced Francis’ presence at Villa Park, having held a season ticket during the Martin O’Neill era. From his vantage point in the Trinity Road Stand, before moving to the Doug Ellis with his father and brother, Francis recalls his favourite days with nostalgia.

“J“You always had the characters where we were,” he says. “You had the quiet ones or the guy who was constantly whining.

“My dad told me about those times in the 80s when we won in Europe, my grandma worked at Safeway and David James was going through her register. I remember her telling me and it was the coolest thing ever to think that my grandma had worked for David James at Safeway.

“My early Villa memories are John Gregory as manager. I remember the LDV logos on shirts and Dion Dublin was my favourite player. The moment I really got into it was under O’Neill.”

Villa’s chairman Doug Ellis, Dublin and Gregory (Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty Images)

Football has never been just about what happens on the pitch. It also evokes other intangibles, like the people you sit with, your match routine or, in Francis’s case, where his father would park.

“We would just walk through the church after the game to get to the parking lot on the other side,” Francis adds. “We would run after Dad because it was chaos. The parking lot was an industrial estate that they closed on the weekends. We walked past the guy who was yelling “Heroes and Villains!” and he had the magazines out.

“Going to Villa was just something really fun that me, my dad and brother could do together every weekend.”

Francis grew up in Bromsgrove, 13 miles outside Birmingham city centre. His own playing days began and ended at Bromsgrove Town, where he played as a right-back or right-winger, depending on the manager.

Living on the edge of town caused football rifts among school friends, with a general rift, he suspects, between “Villa and Blues”.

“There were a few Wolves and (West Bromwich) Albion supporters, but not many,” he says. “You always get the odd ones who supported Manchester United, even though they don’t live anywhere near here. As I got older I started going to games on my own. Gabby Agbonlahor was a legend. We played Blues at St Andrew’s and Gabby scored right at the end and I was there.

“I couldn’t celebrate because I went into the Blues end. My dad had said to me before, ‘Whatever happens, don’t let anyone know you’re a Villa fan’. So when Gabby scored I just stood there like that (he puts his hands straight on his hips). All the Blues fans went nuts but I just sat there and laughed softly.”

Agbonlahor scores for Birmingham City (Ian Kington/AFP via Getty Images)

Francis fondly remembers the Midlands derbies, which were much more common then than they are now.

Brother Joe is still a season ticket holder at The Holte End, but the 32-year-old was unable to attend last season’s standout event due to work and family commitments. “From the age of 21 to 27, I was a non-stop traveller,” he says. “In our busiest year, I did 53 long-haul flights. But wherever I am, I will always look at the Villa.

“Last year, Noel (Mack, Gymshark’s chief brand manager) and I were working in Florida and we agreed on a time to go to a sports bar to watch Villa. They didn’t actually show the game on TV! I don’t go there that often, but because I’m on a plane I just watch Villa videos on YouTube or read about them.”

Unlike Prince William, Francis has met the Villa players only once, and briefly, since the premiere of Peaky Blinders. On this topic, the conversation turns to Ollie Watkins’ glorious finish in the Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands.

“When Ollie scored That “When I reached his goal, I texted him afterwards and said, ‘Good job,’” he says. “It was late, so our kids had gone to bed. When he scored, I wanted to scream but I just couldn’t, so I sat there and honestly, I could have burst into tears.

“Ollie comes across as a good guy and it’s great to see him come to Villa, find his confidence and with Unai (Emery) coming in he’s taken it to the next level.”

Francis’ business talent should not be underestimated.

In 2010, he dropped out of his business and management studies at Aston University to focus solely on Gymshark. The growth of the business has been based on creativity, high-quality clothing and, most importantly, innovative branding. This has meant that Francis pays particular attention to Villa’s commercial growth, knowing that success is holistic with what happens on the pitch.

“At Villa it feels like there are two separate businesses,” he says. “You have the football side where you have to deliver results and it feels like the second half of the business — the commercial side — can’t succeed if the football doesn’t.

“But what the owners seem to have done is invest in football and trade at the same time. Villa have always punched above their weight in kit sales and brand awareness. They are a huge club and it is great to see the results on the pitch confirming the size of Villa.”

Watkins scores the goal that sends England through to the Euro 2024 final (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Would Francis want anything to do with Villa? Romantically, there is an inherent attraction to having a stake in your boyhood club or playing a role.

“I’m a lifelong fan. I’d like to do more and be involved with Villa,” he says. “I don’t know what that means or what it could be, but I just love Villa. Unfortunately some of my friends are still blues fans, but we all make mistakes.

“My brother got married the other week and we had his stag party a few months before, with 15 people there; 13 were Villa fans, one didn’t follow football and one was a Blues fan. We’re all 13 so optimistic about how the club is under the manager and owners.”

Despite his busy schedule, Francis is hoping for a European trip this year so he can listen to the Champions League anthem live. The Athletics suggests that it is a great time for his children to grow up in, helping them resist the temptation to support someone else.