Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England, founded in 1874. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, and has played at their home ground Villa Park since 1897. Aston Villa are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in England, having won the Football League First Division seven times, the FA Cup seven times, the League Cup five times, and both the European Cup and European Super Cup once. The club was influential in football's move to professionalism in 1885 and was a founding member of both the Football League in 1888 and the Premier League in 1992.
History
Overview
General information about the club
Aston Villa Football Club was founded on 21 November 1874 by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Handsworth, which is now part of Birmingham. The four founders were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood, who were members of the chapel's cricket team looking for a way to stay fit during the winter months. The club has spent 111 seasons in the top-flight, the second highest of any club, and has provided 78 England internationals, also the second highest of any club. Aston Villa is currently ranked 5th in the all-time English top flight table since its creation in 1888 and is the seventh most successful club in English football by competitive honours.
Most recent season and achievements
Under manager Unai Emery in the 2023-24 season, the club achieved a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, securing participation in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1982-83. In the Conference League semi-finals, they were knocked out by Olympiacos. The following Champions League campaign saw the team reach the quarter-finals before a 5-4 aggregate loss to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
History
Early years
Aston Villa's fortunes changed when Scottish player George Ramsay joined the club in 1876 after stumbling across their practice match in Aston Park. Ramsay introduced an intricate passing game influenced by Queen's Park, which was revolutionary for an English club in the late 1870s. The club began establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the Midlands, winning their first honour, the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1880.
Following football's professionalisation in 1885, Aston Villa appointed George Ramsay as what has been described as the world's first professional football manager on 26 June 1886. The club rose to national prominence as the first Midlands team to win the FA Cup in 1887, with captain Archie Hunter becoming the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup. Aston Villa were founding members of the Football League in 1888, with club director William McGregor being the league's founder.
Successful period
Despite founding the league, Villa didn't win it until 1893-94, followed by their second FA Cup in 1894-95 and back-to-back League titles in 1895-96 and 1896-97. Aston Villa emerged as the most successful English club of the Victorian era, winning five League titles and three FA Cups by the end of Queen Victoria's reign in 1901. Success continued into the Edwardian era with the FA Cup in 1904-05, a sixth league title in 1909-10, and another FA Cup triumph in 1913.
The club achieved their greatest European success in 1981-82 when they won the European Cup, defeating Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam with a goal from Peter Withe. This made them only the fourth English club to win the European Cup. The following season, they won the European Super Cup, beating Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate.
Crisis and recovery
The club experienced significant decline periods, including their first relegation in 1935-36 after 48 years in the top flight, and later suffering relegation to the Third Division for the first time in 1969-70. Under Doug Ellis's ownership from 1968, the club faced financial difficulties and poor performances. However, under manager Ron Saunders from 1974, Villa returned to prominence, winning promotion back to the First Division and achieving their seventh top-flight league title in 1980-81.
Current period
Aston Villa were founding members of the Premier League in 1992 and spent 24 consecutive seasons in the top flight until relegation in 2015-16. After three seasons in the Championship, they returned to the Premier League in 2019 under Dean Smith. Following ownership changes and managerial appointments, Unai Emery was appointed in October 2022 and led the club to Champions League qualification in 2024.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Aston Villa have won the First Division/Premier League seven times (1893-94, 1895-96, 1896-97, 1898-99, 1899-1900, 1909-10, 1980-81) and finished runners-up ten times. They have won the FA Cup seven times, with victories in 1886-87, 1894-95, 1896-97, 1904-05, 1912-13, 1919-20, and 1956-57. The club has also won the Football League Cup/EFL Cup five times (1960-61, 1974-75, 1976-77, 1993-94, 1995-96) and claimed the FA Charity Shield in 1981.
Continental and global competitions
Aston Villa won the European Cup in 1981-82, defeating Bayern Munich 1-0 in the final. They followed this with the European Super Cup victory in 1982, beating Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate. The club also won the Intertoto Cup in 2001.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
A new badge was revealed in May 2007 for the 2007-08 season, including a star to represent the European Cup win in 1982 and featuring a light blue background behind Villa's 'lion rampant'. The traditional motto "Prepared" remained, and the name was shortened to AVFC. In April 2016, the club adopted a new badge after consulting fan groups, with claws added to the lion and the word "Prepared" removed. Following a fan-led vote in November 2022, another new badge was introduced for the following season, later clarified to be exclusive to on-field kits and training wear. In May 2024, the club reverted to a shield-shaped badge.
Traditional home and away kits colors
The club colours are claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, white shorts with claret and blue trim, and sky blue socks with claret and white trim. Aston Villa were the original wearers of the claret and blue combination. The club's colours evolved from their original royal blue caps and stockings with royal blue and scarlet hooped jerseys and white knickerbockers. By 1880, black jerseys with a Scottish Lion Rampant were introduced, remaining the first choice strip for six years. The current claret and blue combination was officially adopted on 8 November 1886.
Traditional club anthem
In 2011, the club supported a supporter-based initiative for an official anthem to boost the atmosphere at Villa Park. The song "The Bells Are Ringing" is played before games as the club's traditional anthem.
Traditional Rivals
Birmingham City
Aston Villa's arch-rivals are Birmingham City, with games between the two clubs known as the Second City Derby. This rivalry has been played since 1879 and represents the fiercest local competition for Villa.
West Bromwich Albion
Historically, West Bromwich Albion have arguably been Villa's greatest rivals, a view highlighted in a fan survey conducted in 2003. The two teams contested three FA Cup finals in the late 19th century, and matches between the sides are known as the West Midlands derby.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Villa enjoy a less heated local rivalry with Wolverhampton Wanderers, representing another significant West Midlands football relationship.
Coventry City
The club also maintains a local rivalry with Coventry City, though this is considered less intense than their other traditional rivalries.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
Aston Villa's first shirt sponsor was Davenports Breweries in the 1982-83 season. The club forwent commercial kit sponsorship for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, instead advertising the charity Acorns Children's Hospice, the first deal of its kind in Premier League history. A shirt sleeve sponsor was first used in the 2019-20 season with BR88. In August 2025, Aston Villa announced a partnership with Red Bull as their Official Energy Drink Partner.
Nicknames
Aston Villa are commonly referred to as simply "Villa" and their supporters are known as "Villans."
Ownership and finances
The club is currently owned by V Sports, a company owned by Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris, American billionaire Wes Edens, and American investment company Atairos. The ownership structure changed significantly over the years, from Doug Ellis's long tenure (1968-2006) to Randy Lerner's ownership (2006-2016), followed by Chinese businessman Tony Xia (2016-2018), before the current ownership took control in 2018.
Traditions and culture
Aston Villa has a unique relationship with the Acorns Children's Hospice charity, groundbreaking in English football. The club created the Aston Villa Foundation in 2016 as a registered charity to deliver social responsibility work. The club has various supporter groups, including the 1897 Group formed in 2024 to enhance atmosphere at matches through vocal and visual displays.
Stadium
Aston Villa's current home venue is Villa Park, which they have occupied since 1897. Villa Park is the largest football stadium in the English Midlands and the eighth largest stadium in England. It has hosted 16 England internationals and is the most used stadium in FA Cup semi-final history, having hosted 55 semi-finals. In 2022, the club announced plans to rebuild the North Stand and part of the Trinity Road stand, which will take the maximum capacity over 50,000. The current training ground is located at Bodymoor Heath near Kingsbury in north Warwickshire, which underwent a £13 million redevelopment completed in 2007.