Ben Francis shows The athlete He has a photo on his phone but can’t say exactly when it was taken, so he texts his dad to clarify.
The picture, as it turns out, dates from the early 2000s and shows a young Francis standing next to his brother Joe, both dressed in Aston Villa training kit, with the club’s former European Cup-winning striker Gary Shaw’s arm around them.
Satisfied, the 32-year-old continues to scroll through his camera roll.
“This is from Wembley when we got promoted,” he says, showing a video of himself and his Canadian wife Robin jumping up and down after Villa beat Derby Country to win promotion to the Premier League in 2019.That was an incredible day. My wife didn’t know what was going on, but now she must be a Villa fan.
“Our boys are 18 months old now. This season may be a little early for them, but as soon as they are old enough I will get season tickets and take them to Villa Park all the time.”
Ben Francis (right) and his brother Joe (left) with Gary Shaw
It is Monday afternoon and The athlete was invited to Gymshark, the sportswear company founded by Francis in 2012.
The story is familiar, yet remarkable. Francis founded Gymshark as a teenager in his parents’ garage, armed with a sewing machine and a screen printer. Today, 13 years later, he sits at the company’s headquarters in Solihull, just off the M42, with more than 900 employees in offices in five regions, including Denver.
The buildings in Solihull are expansive and impressive. There is a state-of-the-art gym, work areas, benches, a cafe and an open, lively space from which the company oversees its global operations. Gymshark has over 18 million total followers on social media and its clothing is 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’s total value at $1.45 billion, according to Forbes. It was widely reported that Francis, who was awarded an MBE in 2023 for his services to the corporate sector, still owns 70 percent of the company. In April 2023, he was ranked 2,259th in Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people, with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion.
Today, however, 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 down to the villa before all the stands were built; back when it was literally just a hill.”
Gymshark’s rapid rise has brought exposure to the brand and to Francis, who is increasingly one of Villa’s many high-profile supporters. His “dream,” he smiles, is to feature in a club advertising campaign, similar to how Black Sabbath featured in this year’s viral shirt release.
Francis has an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion (Ben Francis)
He tells of meeting fellow royal William, Prince of Wales, at his MBE ceremony and talking for a few minutes about Villa. Francis’ nervousness eased as the conversation focused on their mutual love.
“That’s when I realised he really is a massive Villa fan,” he says. “I was standing there receiving my MBE, my mum, dad and wife behind me, and we were chatting to the future King of England about the Villa game at the weekend; it was very cool.”
As CEO of a billion-dollar company and at the same time as grandfather of two little boys – a third child is on the way – time is a precious commodity.
Increased work demands meant Francis was able to play less at Villa Park, despite being a season ticket holder during the Martin O’Neill era. From his vantage point in the Trinity Road stands before moving to the Doug Ellis alongside his father and brother, Francis wistfully recalls his best days.
“J“We always sat in the same places as the characters,” he says. “There were the quiet people or the guy who was always complaining.”
“My dad told me about the 1980s when we won in Europe. My grandma worked at Safeway and David James was her cashier. I remember her telling me about it and it was the coolest thing ever to think that my grandma had served David James at Safeway.
“My first memories of Villa are of John Gregory as manager. I remember the LDV logos on the shirts and Dion Dublin was my favourite player. Under O’Neill I was really involved.”
Villa chairman Doug Ellis, Dublin and Gregory (Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty Images)
Football has never been just about what happens on the field. It’s about other, intangible things too, whether it’s the people you sit with, the routine on match days or, in Francis’ case, where his father parked.
“We would “I had to just walk through the church after the game to get to the parking lot on the other side,” Francis adds. “We had to chase after Dad because it was chaos. The parking lot was an industrial area that they had closed off for the weekend. We walked past the guy who shouted “Heroes and Villains!” and then pulled out the magazines.
“Going to the villa was just a really nice thing that me, my dad and my brother could do together every other weekend.”
Francis grew up in Bromsgrove, 13 miles outside Birmingham city center. His own playing career began and ended at Bromsgrove Town, where he played as a right back or right winger, depending on the manager.
Life on the outskirts of the city led to footballing divisions among his school friends and, in his view, there was a general divide between “Villa and Blues”.
“There were a few Wolves and (West Bromwich) Albion supporters, but not many,” he says. “There are always those oddballs who supported Manchester United even though they didn’t live nearby.” When I was older, I started going to games on my own. Gabby Agbonlahor was a legend. We played Blues at St. Andrews and Gabby scored a goal right at the end and I was there.
“I couldn’t celebrate because I went in in the Blues zone. My dad told me beforehand, ‘Whatever happens, don’t let anyone know you’re a Villa fan.’ So when Gabby scored a goal, I just stood there (he puts his hands straight out). All the Blues fans were freaking out, but I sat there and laughed quietly.”
Agbonlahor scores at Birmingham City (Ian Kington/AFP via Getty Images)
Francis fondly remembers the days of the Midlands derbies, which were much more common then than they are today.
Brother Joe is still a season ticket holder at The Holte End, but the 32-year-old was unable to experience last season’s spectacular season due to work and family commitments. “From the age of 21 to 27, I was constantly on the road,” he says. “In our busiest year, I made 53 long-haul flights. But no matter where I am, I will always keep an eye on the villa.”
“Last year, Noel (Mack, Gymshark’s Chief Brand Manager) and I were working in Florida and we set a time of day where we would go to a sports bar and watch Villa. They ended up not showing the game on TV! I don’t get to do it that often, but since I’m on a plane, I’ll just be there watching Villa YouTube videos or reading about them.”
Unlike Prince William, Francis has only met Villa’s players once and only briefly, at the premiere of Peaky Blinders. The conversation revolves around Ollie Watkins’ glorious finish in the Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands.
“When Ollie scored a goal The Goal, I sent him a message afterwards and congratulated him,” he says. “It was late and our kids were already in bed. When he hit, I wanted to scream, but I just couldn’t. So I sat there and honestly could have cried.
“Ollie seems like a nice guy and it’s great to see how he’s come to Villa and found his confidence. And with the arrival of Unai (Emery) he’s just reached a new level.”
Francis’ business acumen cannot be overestimated.
In 2010, he left Aston University, where he was studying Business and Management, to focus full-time on Gymshark. The company’s growth has been built on creativity, quality apparel and, importantly, innovative brand awareness. This has helped Francis pay particular attention to Villa’s commercial growth, knowing that its success is holistically linked to what happens on the pitch.
“At Villa, it seems like there are two separate businesses,” he says. “There’s 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 the owners seem to have invested in football and commercial interests at the same time. Villa have always outperformed in terms of shirt sales and brand awareness. It’s a massive club and it’s nice to see the results on the pitch back up Villa’s greatness.”
Watkins scores the goal that takes England to the Euro 2024 final (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Would Francis be interested in Villa? Romantically, there is something inherently attractive about owning a stake in or playing a role in the club of your youth.
“I’m a lifelong fan. I’d love to do more and be involved with Villa,” he says. “I don’t know what that means or 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 last week and we had his stag party a few months before, with 15 people there; 13 were Villa fans, one wasn’t interested in football and the other was a Blues fan. All 13 of us are as optimistic as the club is doing under the manager and owners.”
Despite his hectic schedule, Francis hopes to travel to Europe this year so he can hear the Champions League anthem “live”. The athlete suggests that it is a great time for his children to grow up and that it helps them resist the temptation to support someone else.
He shakes his head.
“They wouldn’t be allowed to support anyone else anyway. My dad bought them Villa shirts when they were born – they’ll definitely be Villa fans.”
(Top photo: Ben Francis)
