Aston Villa was founded in March, 1874. It began as an off-shoot of the nearby Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel, which was established in 1850. The area in which it was built was called 'Aston Villa', owing to the predominance of a house of that name that was built in the 1700s, a 'villa' being a type of house. 'Aston' is the name of an area which is now part of Birmingham. The house gave its name to the district where the Chapel was built.
For that knowledge, we owe our thanks to the research of the late Mr. G. L. Wilson
of Warwick, formerly of Erdington, Birmingham.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that over the long period of its existence, Aston Villa has proved itself to be the Midlands' only consistently achieving club.
But, more than that, the club was the main standard by which football as we know it stabilised and grew as a spectator sport. In 1913, The Evening News stated:
"Aston Villa is the biggest news on the football canvas. It is, in fact, a household word - one of the few the game has produced.
At the start of the League - Aston Villa.
After 25 seasons - [still] Aston Villa."
"The League" - the Football
League - had, in fact, been created by the work of William McGregor (an officer of Aston Villa), supported by other members of Aston Villa. By 1915, the club had won twice as many national trophies than any other club. The club was world famous.
The club's successes continued, though spasmodically, but the club is still one of only 5 British clubs to have won the European Cup. The club is statistically among the top-5 English clubs since the start of the Premier League in 1992, and has provided more players to the England team than any other club.
The club's ground, Villa Park, stands on what was once called 'Aston Lower Grounds' - the left (western) side of which was called "the magnificent meadow", where the Villa
played a number of matches from the 1870s before Villa Park was opened in 1897.
Across the road from Villa Park (in Trinity Road) is Aston Park, the exact
location of where Villa played some of their first matches from 1874. This Park
forms the grounds of the nearby Aston Hall which was built in the 1600s by the Holte family. The Holte name is still remembered in the famous 'Holte End' - traditionally the end of Villa Park where the most vociferous of the club's supporters are situated.
Timeline (use right-hand scrollbar)
1874 Club Formed.
First game played with 15 players
and one half of the game using
rugby rules.
1876 First permanent ground (Perry Barr).
1880 First entered F.A. Cup.
First won Birmingham Senior Cup.
1885 The club turned professional
1886 William McGregor leads a re-organisation
of the club's administration.
George Ramsay appointed first full-time
club secretary.
1886-87 F.A. Cup Winners
1888 Villa's William McGregor founder of the
Football League and its first
chairman.
1888-89 Founder member of Football League
Football League runner-up
1891-92 F.A. Cup Finalists
1893 (Feb) Fred Rinder leads a re-organisation
of the club's administration
1893 Joe Grierson appointed as trainer.
He oversees Villa's
first 6 championship wins
1893-94 Football League Champions
1894-95 F.A. Cup Winners (2nd time)
1895-96 Football League Champions (2nd time)
1896 (Jan) Limited company formed.
Share capital raised for Villa Park.
1896-97 Football League Champions (3rd time)
F.A. Cup Winners (3rd time)
[Second winners of the 'Double'
& the last till 1960-61]
1897 Villa Park opened
Villa's John Devey first (co-)chairman
of the PFA
1898 Fred Rinder Chairman of Aston Villa.
1898-99 Football League Champions (4th time)
1899-00 Football League Champions (5th time)
1900-01 F.A. Cup semi-finalists
1902-03 Football League runner-up
F.A. Cup semi-finalists
1904-05 F.A. Cup Winners (4th time)
1906 (Sep) the Villa News
& Record is launched.
1907-08 Football League runner-up
1909-10 Football League Champions (6th time)
1910-11 Football League runner-up
1912-13 F.A. Cup Winners (5th time)
Football League runner-up
1913-14 Football League runner-up
F.A. Cup semi-finalists
1915-19 No competition
1919-20 F.A. Cup Winners (6th time)
1923-24 F.A. Cup Finalists
1925 Opposition causes Fred Rinder to resign
from the Board, ending 33 years in office.
1926 George Ramsay retires after 40 years.
1928-29 F.A. Cup semi-finalists
1930-31 Football League runner-up
Record number of league goals: 128
(still the record for the top division)
1932-33 Football League runner-up
1933-34 F.A. Cup semi-finalists
1934 First Professional Team Manager appointed.
1935 (Nov) Death of George Ramsay.
1935-36 Relegated to Division Two (1st relegation)
1936 Board of Directors replaced, with
Fred Rinder returning after 11 years.
1937-38 Football League Division Two Champions
Promoted to Division One
F.A. Cup semi-finalists
1938 (Dec) Death of Fred Rinder.
1939-45 No competition
1946 Gate record of 76,588 against Derby
in the F.A. Cup
1956-57 F.A. Cup Winners (7th time)
1958-59 F.A. Cup semi-finalists
Relegated to Division Two
1959-60 Football League Division Two Champions
Promoted to Division One
F.A. Cup semi-finalists
1960-61 Inaugural Football League Cup winners
1962-63 Football League Cup Finalists
1964-65 Football League Cup semi-finalists
1966 A host ground for World Cup finals
1966-67 Relegated to Division Two
1968 (Dec) The club is saved from financial
ruin in a takeover. The reign of Doug
Ellis begins, interrupted only by a
short period at the end of the 70s.
1969-70 Relegated to Division Three
1970-71 Football League Cup Finalists
1971-72 Football League Division Three Champions
Promoted to Division Two
1974-75 Football League Cup Winners (2nd time)
Football League Division Two runner-up
Promoted to Division One
1975-76 First Entry to European Competition (UEFA Cup)
1976-77 Football League Cup Winners (3rd time)
1977-78 UEFA Cup quarter finalists
1980-81 Football League Champions (7th time)
1981-82 European Cup Winners
1982-83 European Super Cup Winners
European Cup quarter finalists
1983-84 Football League Cup semi-finalists
1985-86 Football League Cup semi-finalists
1986-87 Relegated to Division Two
1987-88 Football League Division Two runner-up
Promoted to Division One
1989-90 Football League runner-up
1992-93 Founder member of F.A. Premiership
F.A. Premiership runner-up
1993-94 Football League Cup Winners (4th time)
1994 Villa Park becomes all-seater
1995-96 Football League Cup Winners (5th time)
F.A. Cup semi-finalists
1996 A host ground for European Nations Cup
1997-98 UEFA Cup quarter finalists
1999-00 F.A. Cup Finalists
Football League Cup semi-finalists
2003-04 Football League Cup semi-finalists
2006 Mr. Ellis' reign as chairman at end
after 24 years, and at Villa since
1968, except 1979-82. American
Mr. Lerner takes over.
