The following season jerseys replaced the original shirts but the lion motif faded badly in the laundry. On June 2 1888 members voted to adopt new colours of claret and blue "quarters" (ie halved). The innovative Tommy Docherty introduced Live the matches from Villa Park dressed in blue and red the colors of his first kit. William McGregor actually went to Scotland to purchase the lion motifs and they were subsequently sewn on by the sister of the club secretary (ref: The Aston Villa Chronicles). These had been chosen by the club's committee in February and were worn for the first time at Perry Bar against Wednesbury Town on March 24 1884. Long after other professional clubs switched to wearing cotton shirts, Villa continued to wear these distinctive woolen jerseys, with subtle vertical ribbing. Founder member of The Football League The following season, after a falling-out with the club's chairman, Saunders was replaced by his assistant, Tony Barton who One (1975) success in the League Cup twice (1975 and 1977) and in 1981, offered to help. My thanks to John Lerwill, Villa's official historian, and Bernard Gallagher for adding valuable detail to the Victorian period covered in this article. In the Nineties, Aston Villa were inconsistent in the league but did win two League Cups, regularly qualified for Europe and were beaten FA Cup finalists in 2000. of Sport, (j) Bury FC - Images of Sport The Villa Park Encyclopedia: An A-Z of AVFC (Mainstream Publishing 1997), (e) Sheffield United FC - Images of Sport (f) Ipswich Town FC - Images The older, single hooped neckline re-emerged several times but the high, double banded neck did not disappear until the end of the 1955-56 season. A small white star represented Villa's European Cup win. Crests are the property of Aston Villa FC. In 1892-93, Villa adopted the iconic woolen jersey with a distinctive contrasting neck band for the first time but quartered shirts were also worn that season. Official products of international leagues. 1888. Lee Gauntlett has also found a reference in the Birmingham Gazette dated 5 April 1884 that describes Villa playing against West Brom, "in a brand new and pretty uniform." The mythical English club is one of the first Football Clubs in history as it was founded in 1874 and has only descended once.

It was at McGregors instigation that the Football League was formed in 1888 when the game threatened to fall into disrepute and collapse owing to fixtures not being kept to. the age of eight and a couple of years after Aston Villa was formed he This unusual strip was dropped after Docherty's departure. The only reference to Villa's colours in 1885-86 is a report from a match against Accrington when Villa played in "coral and maroon." Villa won the League for the first time in 70 years. A contemporary press cutting describes Villa as "the Blacks" in an FA Cup tie with Notts County on 12 February 1881. The iconic contrasting became Villa's regular first choice from 1894. The Preston Herald (13 August 1884) reported that, "The Villains.appeared in beautiful red jerseys and white knickers" against Blackburn Rovers. club was formed by members of the cricket team attached to the Aston Villa Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Birmingham who wanted to establish a winter activity. of the nineteenth century Aston Villa were established as aristocrats In 1896/7 they also achieved the accolade of becoming the Martin O'Neill was appointed as manager and sweeping changes made behind the scenes, which included yet another redesigned crest, which appeared in 2007. With the introduction of the modern, "Continental" strip made from cotton in 1956, the club crest appeared on their shirts for the first time during their FA Cup run, which ended with them winning the cup for the seventh time. McGregor was a teetotaler and an evangelist Methodist who wanted to do something to help the city. (I) Preston Herald (13 August 1884) submitted by Brian Webb. A contemporary press report submitted by Lee Gauntlett, states that Villa changed in November 1886 to blue and chocolate vertical stripes from the old piebald strip. in 1910 and taking the FA Cup in 1905 and 1913. Saunders at the helm and yet another new crest (introduced in 1973), the late Seventies brought a return to Division of a brief stay in the Second Division (1936-1938). Lee Gauntlett has found a reference in the club handbook from 1990-91 that states, "Villa wore new maroon jerseys with a lion rampant emblazoned across their chests" in the 1880-81 season. Apple Store These jerseys were originally laced at the throat but the lacing was quickly discarded or lost in the laundry and the neckline became stretched, giving rise to a scruffy appearance, especially when the neckline flopped over on itself. A natural organiser and businessman, he was soon a vice-president of the club, and became Chairman at the time of Villas first organisationally traumatic period between 1885 and 1887, but which culminated in the club winning the FA Cup for the first time. The He had seen his first football match in Scotland at by 1970 the club found themselves in the Third Division. Cup triumphs. Charles S Johnstone, an influential player, interviewed late in life said, "Our lion had no chance with the washing lady! It is now known that this was the badge of the Birmingham & District FA awarded to players who had been selected for a representative match against Sheffield Association a month earlier. This switch is also confirmed in the club's minute books and Archie Hunter's book although some press reports describe the colours as cardinal red and blue. The match was against Small Heath in the Birmingham Cup but John Lerwill has confirmed that Villa did indeed wear red tops in some League matches between 1901 and 1908 while Richard Essen has found press reports that confirm they were worn untill 1911. Bernard Gallagher has suggested that "coral" refers to pale "coral blue," a forerunner of the claret and light blue that Villa would become associated with later. drawn to the citys burgeoning engineering industry. strong ties with the large Scottish community who were In 2006, following the acrimonious departure of manager, David O'Leary, Villa's chairman, Doug Ellis decided to retire on health grounds and sold his 38% stake in the club to Randy Lerner, owner of NFL franchise team, Cleveland Browns. Two years later they became founder members of the Premier League, wearing a striking strip inspired by the iconic hoop-neck jerseys first seen in 1890 and bearing a rather more traditional crest. Villa continued to be a major force, winning the championship once more In April 2016 the club revealed that the crest would be modified for the following season. hoops - vertical stripes did not appear until the 1880s). There are no products matching the specified criteria. Tell us about your preferences and receive customized emails related only with your interests. collars with v inset became de rigueur throughout the League. We had a most awful whacking and the lion was relegated to the club notepaper and flags.". Welcome to our passion. particular, businessman, William McGregor, played an enormously influential - provided by Pete Wyatt, (r) Claret & Blue magazine provided by Martin Kender, (s) Playfair Football Annual 1948-49 provided by Alexander Howells, (B) The Athletic News (May 1886) submitted by John Lerwill (Official Aston Villa Historian). In October 2021 photographs were found by Jon Farrelly that not only confirmed these alternative tops were worn in October 1901 but also that they had short sleeves. In 2013, following the trend for retro-inspired kits, Macron designed a home strip based on the iconic Le Coq Sportif version worn when Villa won the European Cup 30 years earlier. Bernard Gallagher has established that these were new halved shirts in two shades of green. Through Aston Manor website, (a) The Complete Encyclopedia This FA Cup success proved a brief flash in the pan and Google Play, Browse our website adapted to your location: Ftbol Emotion's international websites. More about Aston Villa FC jerseys and football kits, Rubber and aluminum studs for football boots. a radical new design of strip and a simplified crest. John Lerwill's research suggests that black and white striped jerseys (almost certainly horizontally striped) were worn from at least May 1886 (and probably considerably earlier) while a reference to "piebald shirts" by Archie Hunter in his book published in 1890 (submitted by Bernard Gallagher) almost certainly refers to these tops and suggests they were adopted in 1885. Spanish leading company and European top third online football store. With Ron This style would be copied by many English clubs. It transpires that these were lightweight alternatives to the usual heavy woollen jerseys that became unbearable in hot weather. Astonbrook After four of their number watched a game of rugby the members decided that the association rules were more to their taste. One Scot in The photograph of Frank Moss (October 1914) on the right shows just how thick Villa's woollen jerseys were and reveals that they also had a blue "skirt" that was normally tucked into the players' knickers. Aston Villa jerseys. The new crest appeared in the Championship after the team finished 2015-16 bottom of the Premier League. role in the club and the professional game. The team's first colours were described as "scarlet and royal blue stripes" (i.e. of Aston Villa, (d) Ollie Whateley, who was Villas third England international and a graphic artist by trade claimed to have designed Villa's claret and blue colours but it is unclear whether he was referring to the halved or contrasting sleeve design. The team returned to the top level in 2019 via the play-offs. Over time Villa developed In the early 1890s plain claret tops with contrasting light blue sleeves appeared from time-to-time. In January 1924 a modified design was introduced with a high crew neck with two light blue bands, repeated at the cuffs. Indeed, William McGregor frequently referred to this in his newspaper column and expressed concern that Villa might drop their iconic claret/blue tops. led Villa to victory in the European Cup Final followed by the European Super Cup (contested between the European Champions and European Cup Winners' Cup) the following season. Two years being awarded with the eCommerce Award to the best sport store in Spain.

The famous lion rampant regained his claws (removed in 2007) and the word "Prepared" was to be dropped. Before he was sacked towards the end of their relegation season, the charismatic In 2008 Villa broke new ground when they wore the logo of Acorns Children's Hospice on their shirts in place of the usual commercial sponsorship. By the end The 1930s were a (Peter Cullen 1998), (l) Forever These achievements marked the high point in Villa's career and in 1987, they were relegated to the Second Division. Under Graham Taylor, they bounced straight back and finished as runners-up in 1990. We went on the field but the gorgeous lion got us down. It featured the traditional Scottish lion rampant that had first appeared in 1878. of the English game with five League Championships along with three FA He became pale and anaemic so Mac (William McGregor) was deputed to send to Scotland for thirteen lions on shields proper, which could be attached and detached at will.When they were duly attached you could hardly see the man for the lion - we were each as self-conscious as a bride in a wedding dress. Villa (David Instone 2005), (m) Association of Football Statisticians period of relative decline and the club even suffered the humiliation In 1878 they purchased a set of black shirts emblazoned with the Scottish lion rampant.

For their game against Heart of Midlothian on New Years' Day 1881 Villa wore navy and white hooped jerseys and there is evidence that these colours were worn at least until January 1884. There is a puzzling reference in the Birmingham Gazette of 30 September 1901 (researched by Lee Gauntlett) that states Villa were wearing red jerseys "to deflect the glare of the sun." (J) The Triumphs of the Football Field narrated by Archie Hunter (Birmingham Weekly Mercury 1890), (K) The Cricket and Football Field (23 January 1886) submitted by Lee Gauntlett, (M) Charles Alcock's Football Annual 1877 & FA Handbook 1877-78 submitted by Bernard Gallagher, (N) Charles Alcock's Football Annual 1878 & 1880 submitted by Bernard Gallagher, (P) Middlesbrough Daily Gazette (9 Oct 1909) & West Sussex County Times (10 Sept 1910) submitted by Richard Essen, (Q) Penny Illustrated (18 March 1893) submitted by Lee Gauntlett, (S) The Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic News (3 October 1901) submitted by Jon Farrelly. second side to do the League and Cup double. Six of eleven players in the FA Cup winning side that wore these tops had the Birmingham coat of arms of the time emblazoned on their shirts. Create your own profile in Ftbol Emotion and sign up to be aware of the latest news in the football scenery, receive promotional offers and special discounts. During the Edwardian era Success was harder to achieve after the Great War, an FA Cup win in 1920 providing their only major trophy.