Aston Villa

Aston Villa Football Club or The Villa was founded in March 1874 by Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood. The club is the oldest and most successful English professional football club, and is based in Aston, Birmingham. The club plays for the Premier League and is one of the four English clubs to win the European Cup. The club has won 21 major honours and the FA Cup seven times. The club won its first FA cup in 1887. In its football history, Aston Villa has had many managers like Alex Massie, Dick Taylor, Ron Saunders etc. London financier Pat Matthews bought the club and brought in Doug Ellis as chairman.

Chairman Doug Ellis was the single biggest shareholder (around 38%) of the Aston Villa FC and he sold his stake to entrepreneur Randy Lerner after 23 years. The latest crest of the club was introduced in May 2007 for the 2007-08 season. This crest comprises a star to symbolise the European Cup win in 1982, with a light blue background behind Villa's 'lion rampant' and the traditional motto "Prepared" appearing below. The name Aston Villa however has been shortened to AVFC. Aston Villa currently plays at Villa Park, which is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium. Their training ground is located at Bodymoor Heath in north Warwickshire. Aston Villa’s football tickets are available online.