Few clubs in the world can say they helped give birth to professional football itself. Aston Villa is one of them. The club was founded on 21 November 1874 in Birmingham and this year marks 152 years of history. It was one of the teams that set up the world's first league, it conquered Europe in 1982, and it wears one of the most classic colour combinations in England: claret and blue.

A gas lamp in Handsworth

The founders were members of the Bible class at the Wesleyan chapel in Villa Cross, Handsworth. Among them were Jack Hughes, Walter Price and William Scattergood. They already played cricket in the summer and wanted a sport for the winter. Rugby seemed too rough to them, so they chose football. According to tradition, the decision was taken under a street gas lamp. In their first match, against a rugby team, the first half was played under rugby rules and the second under football rules, and Villa won 1-0.

The lion of Scotland

Two Scots shaped the club. George Ramsay arrived in 1876, and William McGregor, a draper and committee member, was the man who in March 1888 proposed the creation of the Football League. Villa thus became one of the 12 founding members of the first league. From 1880 the players wore black shirts with the Scottish lion rampant on the chest, an idea of the two Scots. The lion has never left the club's identity.

Chocolate and sky blue

The colours we know today appear in a club minute dated 8 November 1886. It was decided there that the team would wear shirts in chocolate and sky blue. Over the years the chocolate became claret. Nobody knows for sure why these colours were chosen. Whatever the reason, the combination stuck and has been the team's trademark for more than a century.

From "Prepared" to the new shield

Villa's crest has always had the lion rampant at its centre. In 2007 a star was added for the 1982 European Cup win. In April 2016 the historic motto "Prepared" was removed so that the lion and initials could be enlarged. In May 2024 the club returned to a shield-shaped badge. Whatever form it takes, the lion remains the symbol fans wear with pride, even as a silver-plated "Lion" pendant.

Villa Park and the 1897 double

The first major trophy came in 1887, with a 2-0 win over West Brom in the FA Cup final at the Oval. Ten years later, in 1897, the team did the league and cup double, something that would not be repeated in England for more than 60 years. That same year the club moved to its new ground in Aston. The name Villa Park was never officially given; the fans themselves made it stick. Today Villa count seven league titles and seven FA Cups, and the ground even features on the club's "Stadium" mug.

Rotterdam, 26 May 1982

The greatest night came in the Netherlands. In the European Cup final Villa faced Bayern Munich. Goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer was injured early on and substitute Nigel Spink took his place and kept a clean sheet. In the 67th minute Peter Withe scored the only goal. A few months later the team added the European Super Cup, beating Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate.

Umbro, Davenports and the return to Europe

Umbro was the first company to put its logo on a Villa shirt, in 1974. The first shirt sponsor was the Davenports brewery, in the 1982-83 season. In 2008 Villa became the first Premier League club to give its front-of-shirt space to a charity, the Acorns Children's Hospice. In the 2024-25 season, wearing adidas shirts, the team returned to the Champions League for the first time since 1982-83 and reached the quarter-finals, where it was knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain.

From a gas lamp in Handsworth to that night in Rotterdam, Aston Villa carry 152 years of history in their claret and blue. Happy birthday to claret and blue Birmingham!

See Aston Villa shirts and merchandise at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Villa Park – Woodym555, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.