One of the oldest football teams in England, Aston Villa has a rich history that dates back to 1874. The team from Birmingham has even won the current Champions League, making them a prior European champion. whereas their 2023 return to Europe was managed by manager Unai Emery.
When Aston Villa Football Club was formed, its founders chose to use the name as the team’s nickname. The club’s founders chose the name Aston Villa to honor the previous Aston Villa Cricket Club in Wesleyan Chapel, where the team was founded.
Originally, the region of Lozells where Villa Road, Lozells Road, and Heathfield Road met was known as Aston Villa. Due to the big Georgian home on the corner of Lozells Road and Heathfield Road that used the name Aston Villa before it was renamed Villa Cross, the area was known by that name.
Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel would come into existence close to the house in 1850 and more substantial buildings in the 1860s. Aston Villa Cricket Club then came into existence later on in 1872 from the Chapel. While Aston Villa Football Club’s roots then also came from cricket.
In an effort to stay active over the winter, Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price, and William Scattergood of the Aston Villa Cricket Club decided to start a football team. Two years after establishing the cricket club, in November 1874, they would establish Aston Villa Football Club.
Since moving from Perry Barr to Villa Park in April 1897, Aston Villa has called Villa Park home. After considering a move from Wellington Road in 1894, the club had been looking for this opportunity for a long time. In 2022, Aston Villa held a 125th anniversary celebration at Villa Park.
