125-605: The Aston Villa Under-21s , formerly known as Aston Villa Reserves and Aston Villa Under-23s , are the most senior youth development team of Aston Villa and compete in Premier League 2 , the EFL Trophy and the Birmingham Senior Cup in the 2024–25 season . The team plays its home games at Aston Villa's training ground, Bodymoor Heath and occasionally Villa Park . Aston Villa also have an academy side that competes in
250-448: A Scottish Lion Rampant embroidered on the chest were introduced by Villa's Scottish leaders William McGregor and George Ramsay . This remained the first choice strip for six years. On Monday, 8 November 1886, an entry in the club's official minute book states: (i) Proposed and seconded that the colours be chocolate and sky blue shirts and that we order two dozen. (ii) Proposed and seconded that Mr McGregor be requested to supply them at
375-514: A 1–1 draw with Ferencvárosi TC in the UEFA Cup First round . His spell at The Den ended in early October, though David O'Leary only used him once – replacing Carlton Cole 54 minutes into a 1–0 home defeat by Manchester United on 28 December. In March, Moore returned to the Championship with Leicester City . He played seven games, but only got two starts for the "Foxes". At the end of
500-460: A Premier League 2 match squad, these may include fringe first-team players and senior players recovering from injury. Reserve sides of Aston Villa had played unofficial matches since the formation of the club in 1874, while formal competition for a reserve side began in 1892, when Aston Villa Reserves joined the Birmingham & District League . After finishing in the runners-up position twice in
625-658: A brief loan spell in the 2016–17 season. He joined Corby Town of the Northern Premier League Premier Division on loan on 1 November 2016. Manager Gary Mills said the signing showed "great intent". He rejoined Leamington on dual registration in March 2017. The club secured promotion out of the Southern League Premier Division after beating Hitchin Town 2–1 in the play-off final at the end of
750-477: A commercial sponsor replaced Acorns, with the hospice becoming the club's Official Charity Partner. A shirt sleeve sponsor was used for the first time in the 2019–20 season with BR88 being displayed. Stefan Moore Stefan Leroy Moore (born 28 September 1983) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker . He is a product of the Aston Villa Academy , where he came through
875-415: A decline in the club's culture and style of play, which alongside a tolerance of ill-discipline in the players led to Villa's relegation. Rinder's first act was to travel to Austria to recruit the progressive coach Jimmy Hogan as manager. Within two seasons, Hogan had guided Villa back to the top flight as Second Division champions playing attractive free-flowing football. Hogan outlined his philosophy: "I am
1000-419: A dismal defensive record: they conceded 110 goals in 42 games, 7 of them coming from Arsenal's Ted Drake in an infamous 1–7 defeat at Villa Park. The club made seven signings and spent a staggering sum for the time of £35,500 trying to retain top-flight status at all costs, but were unable to buy their way out of trouble. Aston Villa, at the time one of the most famous and successful clubs in world football,
1125-533: A fierce local rivalry with Birmingham City and the Second City derby between the teams has been played since 1879 . There is also a local rivalry with West Bromwich Albion , with matches between the sides known as the West Midlands derby . The club's traditional kit colours are claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, white shorts and sky blue socks. Their traditional club badge is of a rampant lion. The club
1250-522: A founding member of both the Football League and the Premier League. The club regularly qualified for European football in the 1990s, but following a period in which the club struggled to compete with the high levels of spending of the leading clubs, Doug Ellis sold his stake in the club to American billionaire Randy Lerner , whose ownership of the club ended with Villa's first and only relegation from
1375-573: A four year hiatus due to COVID-19 and the Hong Kong protests the tournament returned in May 2023. At the tournament Villa extended their record of victories to seven, defeating Tai Po FC in the final, Omari Kellyman was named player of the tournament and was also topscorer with five goals overall. The Aston Villa Academy played in both seasons of the now defunct NextGen Series , a tournament for Europe's elite football academies between 2011 and 2013. The team
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#17328633489051500-482: A further fourteen appearances that season, playing at grounds such as Old Trafford and Anfield . A knee injury midway through the season caused manager Graham Taylor to insist on an extended rest period for the young midfielder . During this down-time he signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the club. Villa had a much improved season in 2003–04 , and Moore found a first-team place more difficult to achieve. He made twelve appearances, eight of which were in
1625-548: A large financial incentive to sign. He was sold for £85,000 in summer of 1961, his replacement, Derek Dougan was not a success and Villa slid backwards. Mercer's forced retirement from the club in July 1964, following a stress-induced stroke, signalled a period of deep turmoil and malaise. The most successful club in England had failed to keep pace with changes in the modern game; three of the five-man board of directors were over 70 years old,
1750-476: A mainstay of the Villa team throughout the rollercoaster of relegations and subsequent revival was fan-favourite Charlie Aitkin , who made 659 appearances at left back for the club between 1959 and 1976, making him Villa's all-time record appearance holder. Aston Villa were back among the elite as Saunders continued to mould a winning team, finishing 4th in the league and winning a further League Cup in 1976–77 , with
1875-652: A match against Whittlesea Zebras . He left English Football League , signing with Conference National side Kidderminster Harriers on a short-term contract in October 2008, following an injury to star striker Justin Richards . After staying at the club on rolling monthly contracts, he signed a more permanent deal in January. Moore scored his first league goal for Kidderminster Harriers away at Forest Green Rovers on 7 April, where he scored an equaliser for Kidderminster to earn
2000-412: A new badge for the following season. The new badge's usage was later clarified to be exclusive to on-field kits and training wear by club president of business operations, Chris Heck, with the existing badge continuing to be utilized as the primary in all other channels. In May 2024, the club reverted to a shield-shaped badge. Tables of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below: Aston Villa's kit
2125-556: A pinnacle though and Villa's fortunes declined sharply for most of the 1980s. Doug Ellis returned as chairman and majority shareholder in November 1982. The club was saddled with significant debts and questions had been raised by the police regarding fraudulent financial activity surrounding the building of the North Stand at Villa Park from 1980 to 1982. The cost of the work was £1.3 million. An internal investigation found that £700,000 of
2250-411: A point. However, he made just nineteen appearances in 2008–09 and was later released. Moore joined up with Solihull -based side Silhill, playing with their fourth team, Silhill Fourth XI, in the Birmingham and District AFA League Division Five , in an attempt to maintain fitness. He debuted in a 4–2 win against Parkfield Amateur Seconds. He followed this up with a hat-trick against Meriden Athletic
2375-620: A reported five-figure fee, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract. The club breezed to the top of the table, breaking every record in the United Counties League, including 160 goals in a season and a 13–0 win at Yaxley . This won them promotion into the Southern League Division One Central for the 2011–12 season. They also won the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup after beating St Ives Town . They won
2500-506: A successful partnership with the lightning-fast winger Charlie Athersmith and marshalling Villa's defence was the tough-tackling Scotsman James Cowan , who had an unrivalled sense of timing and anticipation. In 1897 , the year Villa won The Double , they moved into their present home, the Aston Lower Grounds. Supporters coined the name "Villa Park"; no official declaration listed the ground as Villa Park . Success continued into
2625-527: A teacher and lover of constructive football with every pass, every kick, every movement an object." He used to tell his players that "football was like a Viennese waltz , a rhapsody. one-two-three, one-two-three, pass-move-pass, pass-move-pass.". Unfortunately, the Second World War ended Hogan's project to restore Aston Villa to the top of the English game. Like all English clubs, Villa lost seven seasons to
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#17328633489052750-400: A three-year absence. On the eve of Villa's Premier League return, Recon Group 's minority share ownership was bought out by NSWE, meaning Xia no longer had any stake in the club. Villa's first season back in the Premier League saw a significant overhaul of the squad, with 12 players signed during the summer transfer window. The team battled relegation for most of the season, but stayed up on
2875-578: A trial at The Lamb Ground in the summer but was not offered a contract by head coach Mike Fowler. He joined Midland League Premier Division club Highgate United on dual registration in December 2018. The "Gate" finished 14th in the 2018–19 season. He attended Hodge Hill Sports and Enterprise College, in Hodge Hill , Birmingham . He has a younger brother, Luke Moore who is a professional footballer . The two were teammates at Aston Villa. Moore owned
3000-675: A view to improving the club's youth development and coaching facilities. Following a 14th-place finish in the Second Division, Crowe was replaced in August 1974 by Ron Saunders . He was a fitness fanatic, whose brand of no-nonsense man-management proved effective, with the club winning the League Cup the following season and, by the end of season 1974–75, he had taken Aston Villa back into the First Division and into Europe. One player who had been
3125-506: A young Scotsman called George Ramsay stumbled across the Villa players' practice match in Aston Park in 1876. He was asked to make up the numbers, and they were amazed by his skills; they had never seen such a display of close ball control before. When the game was over, the Villa players surrounded him and invited him to join the club and become their captain. Word spread about how fine a player Ramsay was, spectators began turning up to watch
3250-555: A youth player before joining Aston Villa as an associated schoolboy, moving onto Youth Training Scheme status in April 2000 and turning professional in October 2001. Whilst at Aston Villa, Moore captained Villa's youth in the FA Youth Cup final in 2002 , and was named as man of the match as Villa beat Everton 4–1 . Moore also picked up numerous caps for England youth sides at this time up to under-19 level . Tall, quick and good on
3375-707: Is currently owned by V Sports , a company owned by the Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris , the American billionaire Wes Edens , and American investment company Atairos. Aston Villa Football Club are believed to have formed on 21 November 1874 , by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Handsworth : which is now part of Birmingham . The four founders of Aston Villa were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood, who were members of
3500-449: Is excellent and he will get into the right positions to score goals." He scored four minutes into his debut for the "Saddlers" in what was the only goal at Luton Town 's Kenilworth Road on 1 March. He made a further four appearances that month before losing his first-team spot and getting released in the summer. In April 2008, Moore had an unsuccessful trial with Australian A-League side Melbourne Victory for two-weeks, turning out in
3625-704: Is the youth development side of Premier League team Aston Villa , it fields an under-18s team in the U18 Professional Development League 1 (South Division) . Until 2012 the team competed in Group B of the now defunct FA Premier Academy League . In the 2009/10 season Villa clinched top spot in Group B of the Premier Academy League, impressively notching the most wins (22), most points (68) and most goals (84) of all 41 clubs involved. Villa's youngsters were drawn against Group A winners Arsenal in
3750-495: The 2007–08 season and beyond. The new badge includes a star to represent the European Cup win in 1982, and has a light blue background behind Villa's 'lion rampant'. The traditional motto "Prepared" remains in the badge, and the name Aston Villa has been shortened to AVFC, FC having been omitted from the previous badge. The lion is now unified as opposed to fragmented lions of the past. Randy Lerner petitioned fans to help with
3875-681: The 2007–08 season . Inspired by Swedish striker Tobias Mikaelsson , Aston Villa Reserves clinched the 2007–08 Southern title, their second regional success since the inception of the league in 1999. However, they were beaten 3–0 in the Play-Off Final by Northern champions Liverpool. In the 2008–09 season, the team went one better by securing their second consecutive Southern title, and then defeating Sunderland to claim their first ever national title, with goals from Nathan Delfouneso , James Collins and Shane Lowry . Andreas Weimann netted nine goals, to help Villa keep up their trend of securing
Aston Villa F.C. Under-21s and Academy - Misplaced Pages Continue
4000-439: The 2009–10 season with 39 league goals. Moore was the subject of a transfer offer from Brackley Town at the end of the 2009–10 season, with the club offering him a reported £1,000 per week to join them. After a season finishing just outside the play-off positions despite facing a 10-point deduction for going into administration , Moore criticised the owners of the club in the local newspaper Halesowen News . He claimed that
4125-729: The 2011-12 Premier Reserve League South title, the last in that format. The side has been successful in recent decades, as well as becoming national champions in the 2003–04 and 2009–10 seasons, the team also won four out of five Southern Championships between 2007 and 2012, before the format changed to the Professional Development League. The side also won the NextGen Series in 2013, a Europe-wide tournament for elite academies. Current senior squad players Lamare Bogarde , Jacob Ramsey , Kaine Kesler-Hayden , Filip Marschall , Tommi O'Reilly and Finley Munroe all came through
4250-579: The 2014–15 season , when Lambert was sacked in February 2015 after the team managed just 12 goals in the first 25 league games, the lowest in Premier League history. Tim Sherwood succeeded him, and steered the club away from relegation while also leading them to the 2015 FA Cup Final . However, the club sold two of its star players Christian Benteke and captain Fabian Delph in the summer transfer window and did not adequately replace them. Villa struggled in
4375-500: The 2016–17 season. He scored two goals in ten games across the 2017–18 campaign as Leamington consolidated their National League North status. On 8 August 2018, Moore joined Southern League Premier Division Central side Redditch United on a one-year deal;"Reds" manager Paul Davis said he was a "magnificent capture" and a "game-changing" player. On 26 September, he switched to league rivals Tamworth , who were managed by former St Neots Town boss Dennis Greene ; he had previously had
4500-552: The 2022/23 Premier League Academy Graduate award. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Birmingham & District League Birmingham Senior Cup FA Premier Reserve League North FA Premier Reserve League South FA Premier League Cup FA Premier Reserve League Aston Villa Academy
4625-584: The Edwardian era , with Villa lifting the FA Cup for the fourth time in 1904–05 , and a sixth league title in 1909–10 . A further FA Cup triumph was achieved on the eve of the First World War in 1913, with the club narrowly missing out on winning a second Double , finishing runners-up in the league. Star-players during this era included Howard Spencer , the cultured defender who captained both Villa and England, and
4750-608: The Europa Conference League in his first season. In the 2023–24 season, Emery led the club to the Conference League semi-finals , and a 4th-place finish in the league, securing participation in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1982–83. The club colours are a claret shirt with sky blue sleeves, white shorts with claret and blue trim, and sky blue socks with claret and white trim. They were
4875-566: The FA Premier Reserve League was set up, Villa were one of the founding members, and were split into the Northern section of the league. Three disappointing seasons followed, however in the 2003–04 season, inspired by brothers Stefan Moore and Luke Moore , Villa eased to their first title. In the two seasons which followed (2004–05 and 2005–06), Villa agonisingly finished both campaigns as runners-up, both times to Manchester United . In
5000-677: The FA Youth Cup at the first hurdle, losing in the Third Round to eventual champions Arsenal . Villa's youth team has a strong history in the FA Youth Cup with wins in 1972, 1980, 2002 and 2021. Villa also reached the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup in 2004, eventually being knocked out by eventual runners-up Chelsea . The team train at Bodymoor Heath in North Warwickshire and also play their home matches there on weekends. The annual invitational seven-a-side Hong Kong Soccer Sevens tournament brings together academy sides from around
5125-638: The Football League Trophy and Second Division, before being recalled by Villa at the end of the one month. He broke into the Villa first-team in 2002–03 . Firstly, in the summer of 2002 , he played twice in the UEFA Intertoto Cup , against Swiss side FC Zürich and French club Lille OSC . He scored on the Premier League debut, a 75th minute substitute for Marcus Allbäck , he put an "18 yards (16 m) screamer" past Charlton Athletic 's Dean Kiely on 11 September at Villa Park . He made
Aston Villa F.C. Under-21s and Academy - Misplaced Pages Continue
5250-521: The National League North in 2015–16. He spent parts of the 2016–17 season with Brackley Town and Corby Town , and Leamington, helping Leamington to win promotion out of the Southern League Premier Division. He joined Tamworth via Redditch United in September 2018 before ending the year at Highgate United , where he later retired from semi-professional football. Moore played for Romulus as
5375-456: The Premier League before going on loan spells to Football League clubs Chesterfield , Millwall and Leicester City . He then joined Queens Park Rangers where he played for three years, making 39 appearances in the League. He was loaned out to Port Vale in 2006 before joining Walsall , Kidderminster Harriers , and Halesowen Town . He joined St Neots Town in 2010. He helped the club to
5500-451: The Premier League , Aston Villa began fielding an under-21 side in the EFL Trophy against League One and League Two opposition. In January 2021, after a COVID-19 outbreak in the first team, the youth team was used for a first team game against Liverpool in the FA cup 3rd round. After a successful 2022–23 season with the senior side, Jacob Ramsey was recognised by the Premier League with
5625-648: The Premier League , the top tier of English football . The team have 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 the European Cup and European Super Cup once. Aston Villa has been a leading English club since
5750-549: The Professional Development League 1 . Aston Villa were one of 22 clubs to take part in the inaugural season, participating in Group 2 of the competition. During the 13-year tenure of the original Reserve system , Aston Villa were the second most successful club - behind Manchester United - with five regional titles and one national title. The youth sides currently play their home matches at Villa Park and Bodymoor Heath . From 2019, having been promoted back to
5875-497: The Second World War , TIME Magazine reported that the Villa reserve team, all captured at Dunkirk, thrashed their captor SS guards . TIME issued an apology for erroneously placing Aston in the city of Liverpool: "TIME hastily restores Aston Villa (soccer) to Birmingham where it belongs". After that, the reserve team played in the Central League for many years, becoming champions in 1929–30, 1963–64 and 1992–93. In 1999–2000,
6000-623: The United Counties League Premier Division title and Huntingdonshire Senior Cup in 2010–11 and the Southern League Central Division title in 2011–12. He joined Leamington in December 2012 and was dual-registered with Brackley Town four months later. Leamington won the Southern League title in 2012–13. He joined Solihull Moors in December 2014 and helped the club to win promotion as champions of
6125-512: The 1880s, when they were pioneers of the modern passing game. This short, quick combination passing style was introduced by Scotsman George Ramsay , who was appointed as the world's first professional football manager in 1886. The club was influential in the sport's move to professionalism in 1885, and it was a Villa director, William McGregor , who founded the world's first Football League in 1888 . George Ramsay's trophy haul of six League Championships and six FA Cups established Aston Villa as
6250-590: The 2006–07 season, for the first time since its introduction, the FA Premier Reserve League excluded Coca-Cola Championship teams from playing in the league, with the 20 senior English Premiership teams parallelling the teams involved in the FA Premier League . This also meant that due to geographical circumstances, Aston Villa Reserves were switched from the Northern Division, to the Southern equivalent, for
6375-451: The 2015–16 season, and Sherwood was sacked following six consecutive defeats. He was replaced by Rémi Garde , who left after just five months with Villa lying bottom of the table; his reign included a club-record 19 game winless run. The club was relegated at the end of the season, ending their 29-year stay in the top flight. In June 2016, Chinese businessman Tony Xia bought the club for £76 million. Former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo
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#17328633489056500-605: The Aston Villa academy before their professional debut and have either made at least one appearance for the Villa first team in professional competition, have gone on to play in a fully professional league, or have represented their national team. Players in bold are still contracted to the club. Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa ) is a professional football club based in Aston , Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in
6625-468: The Division One Central title to claim a second successive promotion. He joined Leamington in December 2012, and scored three goals in his debut match against Bedworth United on 1 January 2013. Moore signed for Conference North side Brackley Town on 25 March 2012 in a dual registration deal with Leamington. He made his debut two days later in a 1–1 draw with Halesowen Town . Leamington won
6750-472: The Premier League in season 2015–16. The club returned to the Premier League in 2019. During their history Villa has spent 111 seasons in the top-flight, the second highest of any club, and 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. Villa have
6875-473: The Premiership. On 20 December, he got onto the scoresheet at Blackburn Rovers ' Ewood Park on the 62nd minute, five minutes later he was replaced by Darius Vassell as Villa held out for a 2–0 win. In January his career was on the rocks following a damaging ankle injury. At the start of the 2004–05 season, he joined Championship club Millwall on loan. He played seven games for the "Lions", including
7000-486: The Second World War, and that conflict brought several careers to a premature end. Bumper crowds flocked to Villa Park following the war, 76,588 people attended the FA Cup quarter-final between Villa and Derby County in March 1946, which is the all-time record attendance at Villa Park. The team was rebuilt under the guidance of former player Alex Massie for the remainder of the 1940s. Star players of this era included
7125-823: The Southern League title in 2012–13 , whilst Brackley qualified for the play-offs with a third-place finish. He left Leamington to play solely for Brackley in January 2014. He scored 12 goals in 19 league games for the "Saints" in the 2013–14 campaign, and was named the Conference North Player of the Month for December. Moore returned to Leamington in May 2014 having turned down an extended contract offer from Brackley Town. In December 2014, Moore joined Conference North side Solihull Moors . The "Moors" finished in 12th place in 2014–15 , before going on to win promotion as champions in 2015–16 . He returned to Brackley Town for
7250-437: The Southern title - their third consecutively - in the 2009–10 season. This included a remarkable 15-game unbeaten streak, running from the opening game of the campaign, all the way through to the last game of the season against Portsmouth. However, the club were denied a second consecutive national title, as they were beaten on penalties by Manchester United, after a 3–3 draw at Old Trafford. The 2010–11 season saw changes to
7375-629: The Under-18 division of the Professional Development League, the U18 Premier League Cup, and the FA Youth Cup annually. They will also field an under-19 side in the 2024–25 UEFA Youth League following Aston Villa's senior side qualifying for the UEFA Champion's League . Aston Villa have fielded reserve or 'A' sides since their formation in 1874 and the team were part of the FA Premier Reserve League at its foundation in 1999 and were winners of
7500-399: The age of 71, his replacement Billy Smith was unable to continue Ramsay's success, in reality several other football clubs had caught up with Aston Villa, most notably Arsenal , who the club finished runners-up to in the league in 1930–31 and 1932–33 . Despite missing out on the league title, Villa Park crowds were entertained by attacking football, the 128 goals scored in 1930–31, remains
7625-415: The all-time top-flight record to the present day. A remarkable 49 of the league goals that season were scored by centre-forward Tom 'Pongo' Waring , with another 30 goals from winger Eric Houghton . The club appointed Jimmy McMullan as manager in 1934, however, the move proved disastrous, resulting in Villa's first ever relegation in 1935–36 after 48 years in the top flight. Villa struggled largely due to
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#17328633489057750-449: The ball, Moore has all the attributes necessary to succeed in the Premiership but is being treated with kid gloves by his manager . During the 2001–02 season, Villa loaned Moore out to Second Division side Chesterfield . He made his professional debut on 27 October, as Chesterfield were defeated 1–0 by Blackpool ; Moore was substituted in the 72nd-minute for Sean Parrish . He went on to play two more matches for Chesterfield in
7875-497: The board at the lack of funds available to him to strengthen the team and fell out with the chairman Ron Bendall over the terms of his contract. He was replaced by his softly-spoken assistant manager Tony Barton who guided the club to a 1–0 victory over Bayern Munich in the European Cup final in Rotterdam courtesy of a Peter Withe goal in the 67th minute. Ten minutes into the final, Villa's first choice goalkeeper, Jimmy Rimmer ,
8000-531: The board, as the other directors sided with Saunders. He was ousted as chairman in 1975 to make way for Sir William Dugdale . He remained on the board until 1979, when he left the club after a protracted power struggle with majority shareholder Ron Bendall . With Ellis gone, Saunders became all-powerful as manager. Villa achieved a seventh top-flight league title in 1980–81 , with players such as Gordon Cowans , Tony Morley and captain Dennis Mortimer leading
8125-434: The chapel's cricket team looking for a way to stay fit during the winter months. Due to the lack of local football teams Aston Villa's first match was against the local Aston Brook St Mary's Rugby team. As a condition of the match, the Villa side had to agree to play the first half under Rugby rules and the second half under Association rules. Villa won their first game 1–0. The infant club's fortunes changed forever when
8250-416: The club had neglected its scouting network and coaching structure and the club's finances were in a parlous state. This led to the club selling its top striker Tony Hateley to Chelsea for £100,000 in October 1966, without his goals Villa were relegated for the third time in its history, under manager Dick Taylor in 1967. The board even sold the club's training ground outside Villa Park for housing, leaving
8375-442: The club to a then record seventh FA Cup Final win, defeating the 'Busby Babes' of Manchester United 2–1 with Northern Irish winger Peter McParland scoring both goals. The team continued to struggle for consistency in the league though, which led to Eric Houghton being sacked in December 1958. His replacement Joe Mercer could not prevent the club being relegated for only the second time in their history in 1958-59 . However, under
8500-479: The club to its first top-flight title in 71 years. Remarkably, they did so using just 14 players, with seven players being ever-presents. Villa's Birmingham-born forward Gary Shaw was named 1980-1981 PFA Young Player of the Year . To the surprise of commentators and fans, Ron Saunders quit halfway through the 1981–82 season, with Villa in the quarter final of the European Cup. Saunders had expressed his exasperation with
8625-462: The club was bought by London financier Pat Matthews, who brought in Doug Ellis as chairman in December 1968. Ellis later recalled that "you could write your name in the dust, window frames were rotting, the smell of failure and imminent financial ruin hung in the air"; one of their first acts was to raise £205,835 in a share issue which cleared the club's debts. Doug Ellis's first managerial appointment
8750-436: The club's lack of youth development, recruitment and training methods. When Danny Blanchflower put in a transfer request in 1954 he said that "the club had grown fat and lazy on its old traditions and the decay was eating at the once solid foundations". Despite narrowly avoiding relegation the season before, Aston Villa's first trophy for 37 years came in the 1956–57 season when another former Villa player, Eric Houghton led
8875-520: The club's opening 11 games, Dean Smith was dismissed. Aston Villa appointed former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard as head coach on 11 November 2021. After a poor start to the 2022–23 season, in which Villa won just twice and scored only seven goals in their opening 11 games, Gerrard was sacked in October 2022, and replaced by four-time Europa League -winning Spanish manager Unai Emery . He led Villa to 7th place and qualification for
9000-455: The committee. Salary £100 per annum. Applications with reference must be made not later than June 23rd to Chairman of the Committee, Aston Villa Club House, 6 Witton Road, Aston’ Villa received 150 applicants for the role, but with his strong association with the club George Ramsay was the overwhelming choice of the membership. Thus on 26 June 1886, Aston Villa appointed what has been described as
9125-402: The design of the new badge. On 6 April 2016, the club confirmed that it would be using a new badge from the 2016–17 season after consulting fan groups for suggestions. The lion in the new badge has claws added to it, and the word "Prepared" was removed to increase the size of the lion and club initials in the badge. In November 2022, following a fan-led vote, the club announced it would adopt
9250-431: The end of 2006. He played just three games for a struggling QPR side in April. Moore made twelve appearances at the start of the 2007–08 season, making the scoresheet in a 1–1 draw with Watford . In early 2008, he was let go by the club and in late February signed with Walsall , following a trial spell. "Stefan is a very intelligent frontman. I have known him for a long time and know what he's capable of. His movement
9375-460: The final day with a 17th-place finish, staying up on the final day. In Villa's second season back in the Premier League, Smith oversaw an 11th-place finish, but was unable to persuade star player and captain Jack Grealish to remain at the club after Manchester City's British-record £100 million bid triggered his release clause. Following a poor start to the 2021–22 season, which saw seven losses in
9500-441: The final, with goals from Dalian Atkinson and Dean Saunders , but the team struggled for form in the league and Atkinson was replaced by former Villa striker Brian Little in November 1994. Little assembled a young side which included players as Gareth Southgate , Steve Staunton , Ian Taylor and Dwight Yorke , leading the club to a fifth League Cup triumph in 1996, beating Leeds United 3–0 at Wembley. Villa finished fourth in
9625-544: The finished 10th and 16th, leading to O'Leary leaving in the summer of 2006. After 23 years as chairman and single biggest shareholder (approximately 38%), Ellis sold his stake in Aston Villa due to ill-health at the age of 82. American businessman Randy Lerner , owner of NFL franchise the Cleveland Browns , completed his takeover in September 2006. The arrival of a new owner in Lerner and of manager Martin O'Neill marked
9750-434: The first 2 seasons of the competition, Villa finally won their first trophy in the 1894–95 season, winning 26 out of 30 league games and losing just once all season. Several titles followed after this achievement, including a run of 8 consecutive titles between 1902 and 1910. When Villa finally left the Birmingham & District League in 1915, they had accumulated a total of 12 league titles and 6 runners-up finishes. During
9875-956: The first time in 2022, competing against the youth sides of elite sides from around the world including Palmeiras , Tigres UANL and Dynamo Kyiv . Villa narrowly lost all three of their matches, finishing 6th in the overall rankings, Kerr Smith and Todd Alcock scored for Villa during the competition. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. FA Youth Cup NextGen Series FA Premier Academy League U17s FA Premier Academy League U18s: Group B FA Premier Academy League U18s: Play-Offs Under-18 Premier League Next Gen Berlin Cup Premier League Under-16 National Tournament HKFC International Soccer Sevens and International Academies The following players have all been members of
10000-415: The first time since the start of the original format in 1999. Villa eventually finished 4th - winning 9 out of their 18 games, with Luke Moore the top goalscorer, with 7. The season saw the impressive development of several youngsters, most notably including Zoltán Stieber , Shane Lowry and Stephen O'Halloran , all of which were rewarded with first-team opportunities in the pre-season fixtures, prior to
10125-449: The following week in a 6–1 win, helping the Sils' fourth string to a record-high seventh position in the league. He then signed for Southern League Premier Division club Halesowen Town . In September 2009, Moore was linked with a move to Farnborough , but stayed and managed to score 20 goals in his first 20 league appearances (along with two more in two Southern League Cup matches). He ended
10250-483: The formidable strike partnership of Brian Little and Andy Gray , who became the first player to win both the PFA Young Player of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year in the same season. The 1970s was an era of boardroom unrest at Villa Park. Ron Saunders had a strained relationship with Doug Ellis , resenting Doug's perceived interference in football matters. Over time Ellis became an isolated figure on
10375-474: The inaugural Football League in 1888 with one of the club's directors, William McGregor being the league's founder. Following the professionalisation of football in 1885, clubs needed regular income to pay their players' wages. Frequently friendlies were cancelled due to opponents' FA Cup or county cup matches or clubs simply failed to honour a fixture in favour of a more lucrative match elsewhere. McGregor took action after seeing Villa matches cancelled, to
10500-446: The increasing frustration of the club's fans, on five consecutive Saturdays. In March 1888, he wrote to the committee of his own club, Aston Villa, as well as to those of Blackburn Rovers , Bolton Wanderers , Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion , suggesting the creation of a league competition that would provide a number of guaranteed fixtures for its member clubs each season. Following two meetings between representatives of
10625-446: The lack of investment in the team led to him publicly accusing Ellis of being "stuck a time warp"; their relationship remained strained until Gregory resigned in January 2002. Ellis appointed Graham Taylor for a second spell in February 2002, but a 16th-place finish in the league led to his replacement with David O'Leary in June 2003. After a sixth-place finish in his first season, Villa
10750-674: The late 1870s. Villa began to establish themselves as one of the best teams in the Midlands, winning their first honour, the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1880 . The club would go on to lift the trophy 9 times in the next 12 seasons. Following the professionalisation of football in 1885, the club decided that it needed a full-time paid manager. The following advert was placed in the Birmingham Daily Gazette newspaper in June 1886: 'Wanted: manager for Aston Villa Football Club, who will be required to devote his whole time under direction of
10875-449: The leading clubs, the world's first Football League season began in September 1888 with 12 member clubs from the Midlands and north of England: Accrington , Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley , Derby County , Everton , Notts County , Preston North End, Stoke , West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite Villa founding the league, by 1893 they had yet to win it. Villa Committee Member Frederick Rinder
11000-476: The league and took the club to an FA Cup final in 2000 with a side that included David James , Dion Dublin , Paul Merson and Gareth Barry but was unable to assemble a team capable of challenging for Champions League places. At the end of the season Villa's captain Gareth Southgate handed in a transfer request, claiming that "if I am to achieve in my career, it is time to move on." Gregory's frustration at
11125-505: The league that season, and fifth the season after. Following a dip in form, Doug Ellis sacked Little and replaced him with another former Villa player John Gregory in February 1998. One of his first matches in charge was the UEFA Cup quarter-final against Atlético Madrid , which Villa lost on away goals over two-legs. In the summer of 1998, Yorke was transferred to Manchester United for £12.6 million. Gregory managed four top-eight finishes in
11250-470: The little man nicknamed ‘Scotty’. He also took charge of training, Ramsay later described the newly formed club's approach to the game as 'a dash at the man and a big kick at the ball'. Ramsay was influenced by the Scottish club, Queen's Park , who pioneered what became known as 'combination football' in his native Glasgow , the intricate passing game he introduced was a revolutionary move for an English club in
11375-408: The lowest quotation. The chocolate colour later became claret. Nobody is quite sure why claret and blue became the club's adopted colours. Several other football teams adopted their distinctive colours including West Ham United , Burnley , Scunthorpe United and Turkish club Trabzonspor . Crystal Palace also played in Villa's colours until the 1970s. A new badge was revealed in May 2007, for
11500-444: The most successful club in England, a position it held from the 1890s until the 1970s. Villa scored 128 goals in season 1930–31 , which remains the all-time top-flight record, however the club began its first decline in the mid-1930s; the 1940s and 1950s were generally a period of mediocrity followed by a steep decline in the 1960s which culminated in a takeover of the club by Doug Ellis in 1968 and Villa's first and only relegation to
11625-455: The offer to take over as England manager in 1990. Villa were one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992, one of just three clubs to have been founding members of both the Football League in 1888 and the Premier League, along with Blackburn Rovers and Everton . Villa finished runners-up to Manchester United in the inaugural season under manager Ron Atkinson . His side lifted the League Cup in 1994, beating Manchester United 3–1 in
11750-544: The one-club man Harry Parkes , the Welsh centre forward Trevor Ford and inside-forward Johnny Dixon , however the club only achieved mid-table finishes throughout the forties and fifties, never finishing higher than 6th place in the league. The board came in for increasing criticism during this time, with the 1953 AGM described by the Sports Argus as "the longest and liveliest Villa meeting". Shareholders and supporters criticised
11875-471: The opening day of the 2010–11 season , O'Neill resigned as manager, despite three consecutive 6th-place finishes, due to frustration in the lack of investment in the squad, following the sale of star players Gareth Barry , James Milner and Ashley Young . His replacement Gérard Houllier stepped down due to ill-health in September 2011, to be replaced by Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish , despite fan protests against his appointment. McLeish's contract
12000-500: The original wearers of the claret and blue. Villa's colours at the outset were royal blue caps and stockings, royal blue and scarlet "striped" (in the context of the time, hooped) jerseys, and white knickerbockers, one of the club rules including a provision that "no member can take part in a match without wearing the above uniform". For a few years after that (1877–79) the team wore several different kits from all white, blue and black, red and blue to plain green. By 1880, black jerseys with
12125-442: The owners "do not really know what they are doing" and commented on their "lack of ambition". Halesowen responded with an official club statement via their website, stating that they had fined Moore one month's wages for his actions. Moreover, the club said they would be reporting two Football League clubs for making illegal approaches to sign Moore. In October 2010, Moore was signed by United Counties League side St Neots Town for
12250-471: The prolific strike force of Joe Bache and Harry Hampton who between them scored 382 goals in claret and blue. In January 1920, Billy Walker scored twice on his Villa debut in a 2–1 FA Cup first-round win over QPR ; the club won the FA Cup for the sixth time that season and Walker went on to establish himself as Villa's star player of the 1920s, scoring a record 244 goals in 531 appearances, captaining Villa and England . George Ramsay retired in 1926, at
12375-417: The ranks with his younger brother, Luke Moore , who went on to play for Aston Villa and other teams in the Premier League . Dropping into non-League football in his mid-twenties, Moore became a prolific goalscorer at that level. He started his career as a youth playing for Romulus before joining Aston Villa 's academy, captaining them to win the FA Youth Cup in 2002 . Moore played for Aston Villa in
12500-414: The regional league once, with home and away games split evenly. More success followed however, as Villa picked up another Southern title, with Andreas Weimann scoring nine times during the course of the season. It was a case of deja vu however, as they were again beaten on penalties by Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Premier Reserve League was abolished during the summer of 2012, to make way for
12625-469: The season after that the club won its second FA Cup in 1894-95 . This was followed by 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 no fewer than five League titles and three FA Cups by the end of Queen Victoria 's reign in 1901. Villa's captain during this era was Birmingham-born forward John Devey , who enjoyed
12750-593: The season, he joined Ian Holloway 's Queens Park Rangers on a free transfer , putting pen to paper on a three-year deal. He played 27 games in 2005–06 , scoring goals against Sheffield United and Ipswich Town . At the start of the 2006–07 season he joined Martin Foyle 's Port Vale on a one-month loan, down in League One . He made fifteen appearances, scoring once against Northampton Town , his spell being extended numerous times, before returning to Loftus Road at
12875-445: The semi-final, which they won 1-0. This subsequently meant a final against FA Youth Cup winners Manchester City , which was comprehensively won 2–0, with goals from James Collins and Chris Herd . The top scorers for the season were Austrian striker Andreas Weimann (16) and English striker Nathan Delfouneso (15).The 2008/09 season was less fruitful for Villa's youngsters, as they finished 3rd in Group B, and were knocked out of
13000-529: The standard format of the league. Only 16 clubs competed, which meant a split between the top heavy Northern league. Undoubtedly the highlight of the season, was a 10–1 home victory over Arsenal at the Greene King Stadium , en route to finishing third in the league. Following changes arrived in the 2011–12 season. Three leagues were abolished, returning to two, whilst each team played the teams in their own league home and away. They also played each team in
13125-531: The start of a new period of optimism at Villa Park and sweeping changes occurred throughout the club including a new badge, investment in state-of-the-art facilities at the Bodymoor Heath Training Ground and significant investment in the squad in the summer of 2007. The first Cup final of the Lerner era came in 2010 when Villa were beaten 2–1 in the League Cup Final . Just five days before
13250-498: The stewardship of Mercer, Villa returned to the top-flight in 1960 as Second Division Champions with a talented young side which became known as 'Mercer's Minors'. The following season Aston Villa became the first team to win the Football League Cup with England centre-forward Gerry Hitchens scoring an impressive 42 goals in 1960-61 . Hitchens' goals brought him to the attention of Italian club Inter Milan , who offered him
13375-463: The team in the position of training on borrowed training pitches of local factory teams. The following season the fans called for the board to resign as Villa finished 16th in the Second Division. With mounting debts and Villa lying at the bottom of Division Two, the board sacked Tommy Cummings (the manager brought in to replace Taylor), and within weeks the entire board resigned under overwhelming pressure from fans. After much speculation, control of
13500-488: The third tier of English football in 1969–70. Villa returned to the elite from the mid-1970s under manager Ron Saunders , who led the club to a seventh top-flight league title in 1980–81. They became only the fourth English club to win the European Cup , in 1981–82 , followed by the European Super Cup in 1982 . Aston Villa were a founding member of the Premier League in 1992 , one of just three clubs to have been
13625-550: The trophy in the final against Manchester United . Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor captained Villa to the semi-final in 2006 - losing to the eventual winners Urawa Red Diamonds - and also received the 'Player of the Tournament' accolade. Villa won the competition again in May 2010, beating Central Coast Mariners of Australia in the final. In the in 2019 tournament, Villa won the secondary 'plate' trophy; players including Akos Onodi , Lewis Brunt and Cameron Archer featured. After
13750-450: The two-legged semi-final to reach the 1971 League Cup Final , in which the team played well but were defeated by two late Tottenham Hotspur goals. There was a renewed sense of optimism at Villa Park as the club was promoted to the Second Division as champions with average attendances of 30,000 and a record 70 points in 1971–72 season . Off the pitch, the board purchased the new 20-acre Bodymoor Heath Training Ground in December 1971, with
13875-405: The world's first professional football manager. The following season Aston Villa rose to national prominence, as the first Midlands team to win the FA Cup in 1887. Villa's captain, the powerful Scottish centre-forward Archie Hunter became one of the game's first household names, being the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup. Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in
14000-474: The world, and has brought notable success to Aston Villa's academy between since 1999. Villa have won the main tournament seven times, more than any other team. Villa won the third HK Soccer Sevens tournament in 2002, defeating Arsenal in the final, they went on to defend their title in 2004 (as the 2003 competition was cancelled due to the SARS outbreak), inspired by Stephen Cooke and Steven Foley they clinched
14125-474: The youth system at the club. Notable former players to have come through the Villa academy include Jack Grealish , Brian Little , Gabriel Agbonlahor , Ciaran Clark , Gary Cahill , Gareth Barry , Thomas Hitzlsperger , Darius Vassell , Marc Albrighton , Andreas Weimann , Brian McClair , and Steven Davis among many others. The U21 team is made up of players under the age of 21, although five over-age outfield players and an over-age goalkeeper may be named in
14250-427: The £1.3 million worth of bills were unaccounted for. A later report by accountants Deloitte found that there were "serious breaches of recommended codes of practice and poor site supervision". Ellis immediately set about trying to reduce the club's overheads. He informed the players that they needed to take pay cuts and told the manager Tony Barton that there was a need to reduce the playing staff. Saunders' team
14375-457: Was appointed as the club's new manager, but was sacked after just 12 games following a poor start to the season. He was replaced by former Birmingham manager Steve Bruce . Bruce led the team to finish fourth in the 2017–18 season, but lost in the 2018 EFL Championship play-off final to Fulham . Following failure to secure promotion to the Premier League , the club faced significant financial difficulties. Following rumours that administration
14500-450: Was broken up and not adequately replaced, culminating in the club being relegated in 1987, just five years after Villa had been crowned European champions. However, Villa bounced back quickly, achieving promotion the following year under Graham Taylor and a runners-up position in the top-flight in the 1989–90 season with a fine side that included Paul McGrath , Tony Daley and David Platt . Following this success, Graham Taylor accepted
14625-577: Was composed of under-18s with up to three under-19s in each matchday squad. Having made the quarter-finals in the 2011-12 Series, the academy side captained by Samir Carruthers won the final of the 2012-13 tournament on 1 April 2013 beating Chelsea 2–0, at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia , in Como , Italy. Aston Villa sent an under-19 side to the invitational CEE Cup in the Czech Republic for
14750-461: Was imminent, Xia looked to sell the club. On 20 July 2018 it was announced that the NSWE Group , a consortium consisting of Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and the American billionaire Wes Edens , were to invest in the football club. They purchased a controlling 55% stake in the club, and Sawiris took over the role of club chairman, appointing Christian Purslow as CEO. In October 2018, Bruce
14875-459: Was injured and young substitute keeper Nigel Spink was called into action, having only made one previous appearance in the first team. Spink performed superbly, keeping a clean sheet, and helping Villa become only the fourth English club to lift the European Cup. The following season the defence of the European Cup ended in a quarter-final defeat to Juventus , but Villa won the European Super Cup , beating Barcelona 3–1 on aggregate. This marked
15000-450: Was produced by local manufacturers until 1974, when Umbro became the first kit supplier to have its logo on a Villa shirt. Aston Villa's first shirt sponsor was Davenports Breweries in the 1982–83 season. Aston Villa 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. The partnership continued until 2010 when
15125-543: Was relegated in 1936 for the first time in its history. Following relegation to the Second Division, the Villa board brought back the ageing former club chairman Fred Rinder , who said on his return "Villa have been a great club, are still a great club, and always will be a great club". He was vocal in his criticism of the board for its "almost total neglect of the reserve team, instead relying on paying big fees for ready made players". He believed that this change in policy from scouting and developing young homegrown talent led to
15250-399: Was sacked after winning only once in a nine match stretch. He was replaced by Brentford manager and boyhood Villa fan Dean Smith , who led the team to fifth place, and reaching the playoffs again—helped on by a club-record 10 league game winning streak. They reached the 2019 EFL Championship play-off final and defeated Derby County 2–1 to gain promotion back to the Premier League after
15375-417: Was terminated at the end of the 2011–12 season after Villa finished in 16th place, and he was replaced by Paul Lambert . In February 2012, the club announced a financial loss of £53.9 million, and Lerner put the club up for sale three months later. With Lerner still on board, but unwilling to spend following the stock market crash of 2008, the club was uncompetitive for several seasons, culminating in
15500-506: Was the instigator of a club meeting at Barwick Street in February 1893 that removed the committee running the club at the time. All fourteen committee members resigned and were replaced by a committee of five led by Rinder after he gave a rousing speech criticising the board's tolerance of ill discipline and players' drinking. On the pitch, manager George Ramsay was moulding a team that became renowned for its short, quick combination passing which saw Villa win its first league title in 1893–94 ;
15625-515: Was the outspoken Scottish manager Tommy Docherty , who after initial success, was sacked after 13 months in charge with the club at the foot of Second Division. His replacement was former club captain and reserve team manager Vic Crowe , who could not prevent Villa being relegated to the Third Division for the first time in its history at the end of the 1969–70 season. The following season Villa surprised everyone by beating Manchester United in
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