In 1874, a group of young men belonging to the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel cricket club decided to start a new soccer club. Soccer was in its infancy—the rules had been formalized only a decade before—and the young players decided to call their new club Aston Villa. Although based just outside the English city of Birmingham, the new club recruited a number of Scottish players who contributed to the club’s use of a playing style known as “the passing game,” in sharp contrast to the “dribbling game” which was dominant in England at the time. In its first few decades, the club was extremely successful: It won the English league championship five times between 1893 and 1900 in addition to F.A. (Football Association) cup wins in 1887, 1895 and 1897.
The club’s success continued into the early 20th century, as it claimed another league championship in 1909-1910 along with F.A. Cup wins in 1905 and 1913. Club soccer was largely suspended during World War I (1914-1918) and when play resumed in the 1920s, Aston Villa was no longer at the top of the English game. Its F.A. Cup win in 1920 would be the last trophy the club would win for almost 40 years. At the end of the 1935-1936 season the club was relegated out of the English top flight.
The period between the 1950s and 1970s held mixed fortunes for Aston Villa. Amongst the highlights were an F.A. Cup win in 1957 and the playing of some World Cup games at the team’s stadium in 1966. The low points include relegation to Division Two in 1967 and a subsequent financial crisis which, according to former official club historian John Lerwill, nearly led to the club being declared formally bankrupt. Few who saw the club relegated to Division Three in 1970 could predict the success that was just around the corner.
Lerwill identifies the appointment of new manager Ron Saunders in 1974 and an influx of enthusiastic young players as a turning point for the club. In 1975 the club played in European competition for the first time, in the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Cup, but greater success was to come. In 1982 Aston Villa beat German club Bayern Munich to become European Champions—becoming only the fourth British team to achieve this success.
As of 2010, Aston Villa is again enjoying a successful period. Under manager Martin O’Neill, the club has consistently finished in the top six of England’s Premier League since 2006, and reached the League Cup final in 2010, only to be defeated by Manchester United. Among the team’s best-known current players are English internationals James Milner, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor and United States international goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
