Aston Villa Football

Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The Club was formed in March 1874, by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Handsworth which is now part of Birmingham. Aston Villa's first match was against the local Aston Brook St Mary's Rugby team. The club won its first FA Cup in 1887 with captain Archie Hunter becoming one of the game's first household names. Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in 1888. In 1897, the year Villa won The Double, they moved into their present home, the Aston Lower Grounds. Aston Villa's arch-rivals are Birmingham City, with games between the two clubs known as the Second City Derby. Historically though, West Bromwich Albion have arguably been Villa's greatest rivals. Aston Villa are one of five English teams to have won the European Cup. They did so on 26 May 1982 in Rotterdam, beating Bayern Munich. Aston Villa currently hold the record number of league goals scored by any team in the English top flight; 128 goals were scored in the 1930-31 season. They are fifth in the All-time FA Premier League table, and have the fourth highest total of major honours won by an English club with 20 wins.. Some of the team's noteworthy players include: Ron Vlaar, Stephen Ireland, Barry Bannan, Andy Marshall, Graham Burke, Gary Gardner, Marc Albrighton etc